By the time you reach adulthood, you’re probably all-too-aware of the necessary “30 minutes of daily physical activity” needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Initially, 30 minutes sounds like a breeze — you can exercise during your lunch break and be good to go, right?
Wrong.
When it comes to exercise, there’s just as much emphasis around what you do as to how long you do it. There’s also a long list of varying degrees and factors that play out in an exercise regime, and it’ll take much longer than a lunch break to get into the nitty gritty of it (although even some exercise during a lunch break is better than nothing).
Now, to some, 30 minutes of exercise is actually a laughably easy accomplishment. You, however, may find yourself scrounging for the last minutes at the end of a rough day. Your energy sources are depleted, you’re drained, and the thought of even lifting a hand over your head sounds downright exhausting.
If you want to make exercise a more predominant part of your day, before you get too involved, slow down and think about the following statement:
It’s much more important to find an exercise you love, not one you feel is forced upon you.
So, what does that mean?
Well, maybe you’re a swimmer living in a runner’s world. Half and full marathons come and go all around you, and you see people sprinting into their dreams like they’re slicing off a piece of birthday cake. You wish you could run like that, but you get shin splints just from watching and you get overwhelmed before you even try to run for fifteen seconds.
Likewise, perhaps the idea of going into a gym and lifting weights terrifies you more than getting in front of a crowd of ten thousand and delivering a speech.
When it comes to exercise, fear of judgment or comparisons to your journey versus those around you are the biggest reasons people hold themselves back from pursuing the lifestyle they envision.
The good news is, exercise comes in many forms. There is no end-all-and-be-all exercise that everyone just has to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Not every workout is suitable for every personality or body type, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
So if you’re not a runner, don’t force yourself to run.
All you’re doing is hindering your own process. Perhaps yoga, flexibility, and breath control is more your thing. That’s great! Focus on that, and maybe even feel extra confident when you remember that while you find comfort in twisting your body in various positions, someone else can’t even to touch their toes.
Don’t limit yourself to what you see in those around you.
This is another reason you should focus on finding an exercise you love, because if you love what you’re doing, you think less about what others think about you. We know, easier said than done! Still doesn’t hurt to remind yourself that your journey, your life, and your health are all in your control.
What to Expect When You Love What You Do
When you find that golden exercise, a natural desire to expand into something else follows.
We are creatures of habit, but sometimes repetition gets boring. For example, if you do prefer swimming laps over running them, you still may lose motivation to touch the wall a hundred times a day. Perhaps you can take up basketball or volleyball for the day, just to try something different.
Over time, what you’ll notice is that the better you get at one exercise, the easier other exercises become.
Maybe you’ll develop a love for running if you find another source of cardio that teaches you breath control. Perhaps you’ll love lifting weights and figuring out other ways to tone your body.
But more than anything, you will find or develop a community of like-minded people who enjoy the same exercises and have the same goals you do.
And, ultimately, who doesn’t want to be surrounded by like-minded individuals in any capacity?
Fortunately, here at Monterey Bay Moves, we ingrain a sense of community into our very core. Plus, we’re all about finding that special workout, making it fun and adding variety to keep things interesting for you.
We understand everyone comes from a different walk of life. Everyone has different goals, body types, and motivation levels. That’s why we hand-pick our coaches to find your perfect fit. Then, we tailor-make an exercise regime based on things you already like to do.
There’s a whole list of classes here, and you can read more about our coaches, too. We always encourage you to schedule a consultation if you think you would benefit more from personalized one-on-one coaching, and we’re here for you every step of the way from there.
Don’t let fear of judgment or worry over exercises that will kill you instead of help you keep you from reaching your goals anymore. Let’s work together to find that perfect exercise plan, then stick together as we achieve our goals simultaneously.