WHEN EXERCISING FEELS LIKE WORK

If you find that working out feels like a huge chore, then two things may be happening:

1. It isn’t a good fit

2. Your mindset is in the wrong place

I have had clients come to personal training sessions with the deep desire to lose weight, but feel conflicted because they don’t like exercise. They view exercise as too hard, too long of a process and simply not enjoyable. Sometimes it is about their past experiences around exercise. But often it is about feeling guilty: guilty about taking time away from their family; guilty about not following through with their coach’s recommendations; guilty about feeling like they aren’t trying hard enough. Sometimes it’s related to not feeling happy in other parts of their lives such as relationships or work, and focussing on losing weight is their hopeful way of feeling in control. They held onto the belief that changing their weight might change those other areas in their lives that maybe felt a bit chaotic.

But sometimes the problem isn’t rooted that deeply. Sometimes it is simply about the type of exercise they are engaging in.

I believe that there is a connection between the way you perceive exercise and the results you get. So much so, that I feel that mindset is the most important variable over calories burned, effort, heart rate, how much we work out and the type of exercise we engage in. When we engage in exercise as a way to nourish our body and love it instead of something we ‘have-to-do’ or ‘should do’, then we are more apt to make healthier choices that are more in-line with our goals: eating better, prioritizing sleep, trying to manage stress, etc. Further to all this, there is a mind-muscle connection. If your mind is somewhere else or in a less-than-optimistic place about the workout ahead, then we simply go through the motions rather than really engaging the muscles, which is what’s needed for those results you are after.

So what do you do when exercising feels like work BUT you are caught in that place of wanting to see changes in your body, whether that be physique, posture or strength?

I have to admit it is hard to always be in a positive mindset - the love-myself, nourish-myself mindset, 365 days a year. But the more we practice this, like using a muscle, the easier it is to move your body from a healthier approach and in turn see those results.

Here are four ways to change your approach to exercise:

1. Have fun with your workouts. Stop researching and start doing. Hop around and try different types to see what you like. Move out of the idea that only one type of exercise is for everyone. Vary it up and see what you like. The key is to try something new and simply get started. Adding variety adds spice, increases your sense of fulfillment, and gives you the opportunity to meet different people. Exercise can be a great social outlet!

2. There is truth in the saying “Misery loves company”. Sometimes we need to change up our workout partner or get a new one. See the car ride to your workout destination as fun, social time: listen to great tunes to pump you up; engage in fun conversation; and set up a bit of a challenge between you and your partner to get you pushing past the ‘just-doing, just trying’ comfort zone and into the “Let’s do this!” zone. Friendly competition can be helpful. Also, what is the harm in having more than one workout buddy?

3. Explore your true nature. Are you an introvert? Then perhaps private training is what you need. Are you an extrovert? Maybe an online program with a social component built-in or a group exercise class is the way to go. Go with what fits your personality!

4. Change your expectations. No one wants to train or work out beside someone who drags their ass to a class, complains the whole time and only gives 50%. If that is your approach, expect half-ass results. The effort you put in will match your results, and this includes those times outside of your training session. Sometimes we need to connect with the reason why we are doing something, and dig deep to really find purpose. Realign your expectations to correlate with your efforts.

Whether fitness is actually ‘fun’ or not is debatable. I am sure if you ask your co-workers, the debate may get heated. Everyone has a different definition of ‘fun’. But, maybe fun isn’t what we are always after. Maybe we are after ‘fulfilling’ and ‘rewarding.’ Fitness is not a punishment. It is not a means to an end. If you see it this way, then you are doing a disservice to yourself, and perhaps a better investment of your time is to discover aspects of your life that make you feel happy instead, like doing a pottery class, or mediation, or going back to school. Staying committed to something becomes easier when you’re doing something you enjoy, and sooner than later habits are formed.

Love your body enough to move it.

Everyone wants to be the strongest, most physically independent, confident and capable person they can be.