Fitness should be fun, or at least it should be viewed as a positive thing. Far too often, I hear people talking about it negatively. And very often, that’s coming from people who don’t even engage in fitness. That’s the mentality they have when they’re not doing it, so it’s no wonder they’ll never start. There are so many benefits to keeping fit, why all the negativity?
“What benefits,” I hear you ask? There are numerous benefits; keeping active and mobile, strengthening your body, shaping your body, burning calories to help keep off excess weight, helping your immune system, helping your body function better, aiding your mental health, and frankly, just being a better pastime to have, rather than going down the pub. So why, with all these positives, do people still hate exercise?
Well, I think the main reason is the effort it seems to require. I mean, you have to get changed into special clothes, drag yourself down to the gym, do a lot of hard work in there, in front of everyone, and then drag your aching body back home. When instead, you could just be laying on the couch, eating crisps, binge watching the latest smash hit tv show. Ok, fair enough, that doesn’t sound like a difficult choice, but first of all, you have to stop focusing on that side of things, and focus more on the positives. And there’s so much variety in fitness, it doesn’t always have to be hard, boring work. You can find something fun, take up a sport or hobby, there are plenty of options out there.
Perhaps our expectations of exercise are too high as well. You think you’ll do a bit of exercise, go to the gym twice a week and run on the treadmill for 40 minutes, and the fat will flow off your body. You constantly read articles telling you, you can look like this ripped Hollywood star, if you follow their workout plan for three months. You see infomercials of the latest fad, with people showing off their weight loss, telling you how much it changed their life. Most of it isn’t true, or at least not the whole truth, and it gives you unrealistic expectations of what a little bit of exercise can do for you.
Fitness is good for you. Maybe it’s going to be a bit of hard work, but it’ll be worth it in the long run. When you’re older, and you can still enjoy life, and you’re not beset with problems like osteoporosis, you’ll be thankful. Focus on the positives, and try to find the enjoyment in exercise. I’ll see you again next week.
Dan Miller
Body Fuel Personal Fitness Trainer