You're Not Working Out, Are You?
Question for you…
When you think about exercising, what's the first thing that comes to mind?
(I'd actually love to hear exactly what comes up for you so please feel free to comment below)
Do any of the following sound familiar?
"This is going to be hard. I don't think I have the energy for it."
"I'm going to look stupid. This is embarrassing."
“Ugh, I really don't want to do this.”
"I haven’t worked out in so long, this is going to suck."
"I don’t have enough time to do a full workout so there's no point."
"I should really workout, I ate so much today."
“I really don't feel like showering again."
“I'm not in the mood to workout today.”
“I'm never going to be the type of person that can motivate themselves to workout.”
“I'm just not the type of person that likes working out. I never will be.”
If any of the above sound like you, I'm going to take a wild guess and assume you don't currently have a consistent workout routine you've stuck to for a while.
(I know. I'm a psychic. Scary).
Maybe you workout for a few weeks and then stop for a few months.
or maybe you want to start working out, but can't find the “energy” or “motivation” to.
Maybe, you have no interest in working out.
or maybe, if you're honest, you do, but you're scared/intimidated/feel hopeless.
1st, I want to remind you that your feelings and emotions are valid. There is a reason you think and feel the way you do – that reason just might not be serving you anymore.
2nd, you're not stupid, lazy, hopeless, or less worthy as a human. We all have things that we struggle with, this is one of yours, and that's OK.
3rd, you are not alone. A LOT of people feel the same way you do. I mean, hello, I work with them, it's why I still have a job.
There is hope, but the solution doesn't lie within a new workout guide, app or gym membership – it lies within your mind. It's a mental shift. Let me explain…
Exercise, right now, brings up feelings of dread rather than excitement.
I call this having a negative association with fitness.
and that could be for a variety of different reasons:
Early childhood traumatic experiences
Negative body image
Societally set unrealistic expectations
Whatever the reason (it's worth doing the work to uncover) it's causing a lot of mental resistance, and that mental resistance makes it really hard to show up and see exercise for what it is – a gift of self-care and an act of self-love.
The people you see that workout consistently have a positive association with it.
(there are, of course, always outliers)
They might say things like:
“I work out because it clears my mind and helps me feel centered.”
“It’s the only time I have to myself in the day. It's my me-time."
“Moving my body makes me feel alive.”
"Exercise is my therapy. I feel so much better after."
"I love how strong I feel when I lift weights. It feels good to see the weights go up."
"I want to age well. It’s my way of investing in my future."
"It reminds of all the things my body can do, instead of focusing on what I can’t."
"It’s my way of taking care of myself. I know it's good for me so I just do it."
"Working out is my way of managing anxiety. I can't go a day without it."
"I’m a better version of myself when I’m moving regularly."
"I really like the challenge."
“I have never worse after a workout, only better.”
“Sweating reminds me that I'm taking care of myself.”
“Something about getting my heart rate up makes me feel like I'm taking care of myself.”
You can see how if you thought this way, you too might be able to workout all the time.
…and you probably think that people are “born” feeling this way. That there's a genetic mutation or primal instinct to workout and you weren't blessed with it.
That the people who workout all the time WANT to workout all the time.
I'm here to tell you, that's not true.
I've coached women who had never worked out a day in their life and thought they'd never be the type of person to be able to motivate themselves to workout on their own… do just that.
Not because of some crazy cool workout program, but simply because we worked on changing the way they thought about exercise.
Want to start changing the way YOU think of fitness?
I created a little guide to help you get started :)
