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Dedicated athletic woman running in nature and dawn.
Ask five different people about their association with the word fitness and you’ll get five different answers. There are those who have a lifelong relationship with fitness and health and won’t say a bad word about it. Others have a visceral reaction, correlating fitness with pain, suffering and perhaps even harsh ridicule. Some are merely indifferent, only occasionally stopping to wonder whether wellness and fitness are even something they’re interested in pursuing. Each of these connotations is completely valid.
If you fall into the very common category of not loving fitness with your every waking breath, you might be thinking about giving it a try, and that can be daunting. Where do you start? Who do you enlist to help? Do you just start running around the block and drinking protein shakes willy nilly? Is there a path that actually ends in our enjoying the world of fitness for the rest of our lives?
Fair questions. Let’s get you some answers.
Fitness really is for anyone.
The rules around fitness have changed dramatically over the last few decades—for the better! In fact, there are no rules any longer. This is an “all are welcome” world now. So whatever misconceptions you’ve been carrying around about fitness you can set down. Start fresh and see where it takes you. Were you a runner once? You don’t have to be a runner now. Always despised yoga? Maybe your body will respond differently now. You aren’t the same person you were 10 years ago or even one year ago. Keep an open mind. Whether you’re 19 or 89, there is a fitness world out there for you. You just have to go find it.
Start slowly. Really slowly.
One of the biggest mistakes people make in fitness is going way too hard way too fast. Behavior changes take time to create. Rather than telling yourself you’re going to start getting up at 5 a.m. and walking 3 miles every single day, dial it back a bit. Simply start waking up at 5 each morning for a week. That’s it. That’s the change. Then when that feels like it’s become somewhat habitual, add in that walk. This approach is called habit stacking, and it’s designed to help you progress over time and celebrate the small wins.
Get a buddy.
True story: I used to hate fitness. I mean loathe. I’d start a regimen with the best of intentions and abandon it days later. Tale as old as time. But one day I had a friend ask me to try a class with her at a local studio that just opened. I said yes because, frankly, I was too embarrassed to say no. My body struggled during that class, but afterward my friend and I messaged each other back and forth about the experience—and we decided to try it again. Five years later I’m still taking those classes and I don’t even need my friend to go with me anymore. All this is to say that sharing an experience with someone else makes things a little less intense, a little more fun and, most importantly, creates accountability. If you know your friend is attending the 6:15 class, you can’t just skip it. She needs you as much as you need her!
Take an algorithm advantage.
We’ve been told we are what we eat, but we’re also the sum of what we consume that isn’t food. Like our social media content. Go follow 10 new accounts on your preferred social media platform that will encourage good habits. Maybe it’s a self-help guru or an athlete that inspires you. Take the time to look at their next few posts or even comment on them as a way to tell your personal algorithm, “This content matters to me.” Social media is designed to show you content that interests you. The more you see people working out, making healthy choices and learning about their habits, the more likely you are to emulate them.
Learn to make your own motivation.
A common reason for backing out of a workout or fitness regimen? “I just don’t have the motivation.” Congrats, you aren’t alone! Even the fittest of the fit don’t always have it either. Motivation is a synonym for desire, and it’s true that sometimes we just don’t have the desire to walk on our treadmill or show up for that HIIT workout. The key to fitness is to do it anyway. Your desire to be feel better and be better just needs to be stronger than your desire to skip. And until fitness becomes more of a habit, you might have to get sneaky to keep that motivation up. Consider promising yourself a reward for the days you get it right. For example, if you can get three days of exercise in, you can stream an extra episode of your favorite show tonight.
Find your “why.”
There is no perfect path to finding fitness. One of the single best ways to stay steady on the journey is to discover your “why.” Ask yourself honestly why you are doing this and craft a true answer. Do you want to get healthier so you can stick around to watch your kids grow? Is it to accomplish a goal you’ve always secretly wanted to try for? Maybe you just want to feel more confident when you look in the mirror. Whatever your reason may be, clearly identify it so you can keep coming back over and over when you need that extra motivation. Having a “why” will keep you focused and determined, and sooner than later, you just might find yourself loving fitness too.
Ways to work in a little fitness today:
Walk it out. No equipment. No class times. Just get outside or on a treadmill and go. Want to multitask? Listen to a great audio book or podcast and don’t stop until the chapter or episode is over.
Squeeze in one-minute fitness. When you’re reheating your coffee in the microwave, try doing some squats or pushups against the kitchen counter until the time ends. Being active doesn’t have to mean a gym membership—anything that gets your heart rate up is worth doing as often as possible.
Don’t be a parking lot stalker. Forget getting as close to the store as possible. Pick the farthest parking spot and commit to it. Your car will be safe from door dings, and you’ll get some extra steps in.