When you don’t LOVE to workout…

I’d venture to say most of us don’t LOVE working out.

We tolerate it at best.  

So why do we do it? And why am I fitness pro if I don’t looove exercising?

It makes me feel better in my body.

Without relatively consistent exercise my body quickly becomes tight and painful.

Can you relate?

When I do *reasonable* workouts, I move more freely and have less pain.

I say “reasonable” because there have been PLENTY of workouts I’ve done that make me feel like shit. Workouts that are too fast-paced, too many reps, too long, too much weight, etc.

Ever experienced one of these? Where you leave feeling exhausted and wobbly and can’t stand up from the toilet the next day? No fun.

But guess what, my friend? Struggling through a too-hard workout is not necessary to be fit and healthy.

If anything – it’s detrimental to your health. So let’s not do that!

It makes me sane and more calm.

Without a consistent movement practice, I am the woooorst! I am more irritable, I am more depressed and down, I have less motivation to do anything (active or not), and I slip into some not-so-good-for-me comforts. Like a lot of them and like all the time.

When I am able to move (even just a little bit each day!) I am much more calm and patient and kind. I have more energy to get shit done. I lessen my “bad” habits because I don’t feel I “need” them, and also, they may impact the workout I have planned – so I say “no, thanks!”

I even sleep better which further improves all these vibes!

There’s a catch:

Those too-hard classes I mentioned before? Those only make all my not-nice-ness WORSE!

Have you ever noticed this with your workouts?

When I do a super hard workout I am SO irritable and snippy. I get WORSE sleep. I’m MORE anxious and overwhelmed. I’m exhausted and defeated (bye-bye motivation to “adult” or work). It’s not a fun Rebecca to be around (and it’s not so fun living inside that brain, either).

Needless to say….I don’t do those anymore.

So no, I don’t particularly LOVE the actual workout. But I do love what it does for me for the rest of the time.

Rarely am I eager to start the workout. Sometimes once I get started I do get into it. Other times I don’t.

And if you can relate to that, it’s OK!

We don’t have to pretend to love it all the time.

We also don’t have to suffer through workouts that aren’t right for us for the sake of “health”.

My advice?

Find modalities you LOVE or at least TOLERATE. Start there.

If there’s an aspect of fitness that’s missing from those, maybe try to find a way to incorporate it into your existing routine. Or think outside the box to add in that category in ways that you may like better.  

Example 1: you love yoga, but that doesn’t get you the cardiovascular work you need to have a well-rounded movement program. Maybe adding some high intensity intervals into your yoga flow could help (think mountain climbers or jumping jacks). Or maybe swimming is your jam, add a session or two of that into your week.

Example 2: I hate HIIT workouts. High-impact exercises and running are both too hard on my joints these days (it’s hell getting old!) - but walking with my husband is an activity we both love. It is lower intensity, but it’s something I enjoy doing, so that’s waaay better than suffering through a HIIT workout. And I’m waaaay more likely to do it…but that’s a topic for another day.

I hope this gives you the “permission” you never needed to pursue movements that work for you, to stop suffering through shit you hate, and allow yourself the leeway to say “ya know what, I don’t like the workout, but I love the benefits. And that’s OK.”