Finding Your Fitness Niche

As a health and fitness professional, it should come as no surprise that I enjoy exercising.  I actually wish there were more hours in the day so I could move more, sweat more, and yes -- lift more weight.  But as enamored with fitness as I may be, I also recognize that there is a growing population of people who feel just the opposite.  They hate exercising -- actually, they despise working out.  To them, activity is more akin to drudgery than the bliss it is to me.

Thing is, I believe it. Even though I really can’t imagine feeling the same, I honestly do get that so many people view working out as a chore.  My objection, though, is that I believe people have more disgust for the activity they’re choosing than the actual task of breaking a sweat.  In other words, if you look me in the eye and tell me you hate to run, then I have a simple piece of advice for you:  Don’t run.

See, the secret to fitness if relatively simple:  Find an activity you enjoy doing, do it often and push yourself when you do.   I mean, I’m not sure when exercise became associated with some sort of torturous, obligatory task (my bet is placed heavily on personal experiences with high school PE), but the fitness of today is truly based on fun.  At the Darien Y, where I reside, we do everything from dance to flip tires to spin up imaginary hills to stay fit.  And by doing what makes us happy, we leave smiling, looking forward to when we get to do it again. 

So if you find yourself making more excuses than actual trips to the gym, there’s a good chance your workout is conspiring against you.  Give it the boot and try something new, and then keep trying until you find something that fits.  You’ll know you found it when you find yourself daydreaming about your next sweat.