Move and exercise in ways that you enjoy. Not how magazines, friends, apps, people on the Internet, TV shows, or celebrities tell you that you “should”.
During my conversation with health coach & CPT, Cara (of the Balanced Bod) last week, I finally realized something that I had been unwilling to admit to myself.
I had been lifting weights at the gym at Northeastern on-and-off all year. While I certainly liked some parts of this form of exercise, there were other parts I simply did not connect with. It made me feel stressed out to know that I “had” to wake up and lift heavy things first thing in the morning (which is usually my favorite time of day to exercise). Despite these factors, I kept dragging myself to Marino, lifting the free weights, and working the machines.
I felt okay — pretty good, even, but I never could stick with any weight-training program for long, and I didn’t have a feeling of euphoria after these workouts.
This summer, I purchased a membership to a yoga studio (that included a much appreciated student discount), and I’ve gone almost every day. After each class, I feel full of strength, flexibility, and tranquility. For me, yoga is the perfect combination of strength training, core work, stretching, and meditation. I can already tell that I’ve improved a lot (physically as well as mentally) since I started in June. I uncovered that the reason I’ve been able to be so consistent with going to the studio this summer is because I genuinely LOVE yoga.
On my call with Cara, I came to terms with the fact that I was not able to stick with any lifting program for any period of time because I am not wholeheartedly passionate about this type of fitness. At the root of it, I was lifting weights because I had read and heard about the numerous benefits and the reasons why I “should” do it. I listened to those media outlets instead of myself; I became utterly lost and out of touch with my own passions along the way.
My advice to you is to try every single type of exercise until you find one that you genuinely enjoy and connect with. Reach for that glorious post workout feeling. What’s even better is this: once you discover and choose to practice types of exercise that you love, you’ll naturally start to integrate fitness into your daily life.
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If you like weightlifting, that is wonderful! If you love running, run like the wind. If you enjoy dancing, that’s super cool. Do what works for YOU, and remember that you do not have to do anything for your health that you are told you “should” do. That is all pure bullsh*t. I hope you all go on and have a fantastic rest of your week!
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