When I was in middle school, I killed it in the sports game. I was far from the best at anything, but I was active in almost everything: volleyball, cheerleading, tennis, basketball and even tried joining the boys in football. I was in a tiny catholic school with about 30 kids in my class from the first until eighth grade, and was practically begged to be on some teams because there were so few of us. But when high school hit, things changed for me. I didn’t make any teams. My dabbling in sports and not committing to getting great in any caused me to lack the skills to make it in a big, competitive school.
From high school until a couple years after college, I didn’t regain my active lifestyle. I couldn’t find sports that I liked enough to do in my free time. I didn’t try to get good at anything, and the idea of physical education classes made me squirm.
To further illustrate how little I was into fitness, I once had an annual gym membership that I didn’t attend more than once. I couldn’t convince myself to run on a treadmill and I felt like I would never find an activity that I liked doing.
About two years ago, my coworker asked if I wanted to join her in a free yoga class out on the beach near the office. I was curious about yoga, and decided this was probably the only way I’d be actually attend this class. So, I went and I went again the following week. And I quickly discovered my love for the kind, gentle workout. I started attending without any hesitation. I wanted to go, which was a feeling that I’ve never felt with a workout before in my life.
Over time I decided to give some more things a try. I started going to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) classes, cycling, and pilates at a nearby studio, and loved those too. I now attend classes almost every day and feel such a love for it. It’s not always enjoyable in the moment, but it works for me and I crave going.
It’s been a gradual experience, but I’ve come a long way in my fitness journey. I still believe I have a ways to go in terms of my fitness goals, but I’m proud of finding ways to workout that work for me and I make sure to change them up when they start to feel stale.
I know how to feels to believe that finding your fitness passion is impossible, and that people who love going to workouts are of a different breed, but it’s totally possible to find your fitness love.
Even if you’re just bored or over your routine, you’re capable of finding the next thing that lights you up. There are so many options to stay fit and healthy, and we’re here to get you excited about taking the next step to revive your health goals.
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Experiment with fun classes
Use Groupon or ClassPass to find studios near you offering great deals to try out their classes. Dabble and don’t sign contracts until you know that it’s the kind of workouts you enjoy doing. I used Groupon to find the studio I’m at now. I committed only after trying out multiple studios and finding a community of women that make working out even more enjoyable. Experiment and take advantage of those discounts.
Use a fitness app that makes workouts fun
Since I now splurge on a fitness studio, I can’t afford spending money on a personal trainer too. But sometimes I get bored with my usual workouts at the gym and want to feel encouraged like I would with one, so I like using Aaptiv, a personal trainer app with hundreds of audio workouts. I love that there is a variety of workouts like yoga, running, marathon training, ab, strength training and HIIT workouts to try out. There are so many workout options, and I love that even if you only have ten minutes to spare, there’s plenty of options for you.
My go-to Aaptiv workouts are the abs intensive core workout with Amanda. It’s only 12 minutes. And I love the flow workouts for a more gentle yoga session with Jade.
You can try out Aaptiv for free for 30 days here.
Beat your best score
Competition can motivate some and discourage others. If you’re into a little healthy competition, compete with yourself or your friends. If you’re trying out running, time yourself. Try to beat your time each run. Eventually, you’ll get to a point that you never even thought was possible. I love treating workouts like a game. You feel a sense of motivation in the effort to improve from your best.
See what small changes you can make in your routine
Decide that you’re the kind of person who always takes the stairs. Stress less about finding the perfect parking spot and purposely park far away to get extra steps in. Carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go. Little habits like these are easy to implement and barely impact you but they create a mindset that shows that you care about taking care of your health. Small changes can shift into bigger changes, and before you know it, you’ll be feeling more fit without much effort.
Try a challenge
There are so many seven day, 10 day or 30 day challenges out there. If you’re interested in working on your abs, look up challenges that work on that area. Make a commitment to yourself for a short period of time even if it’s just working out for 10 minutes a day.
Join a community
Interested in running or biking but can’t seem to get motivated to go? Join a running group or ask some friends if they’d like to meet up to go for a bike ride. A lot of people struggling with being active, and it’s a great way to be social, make friends, and get a workout in at the same time. You can check out the MeetUp app and see if there are any groups near you or try searching for Facebook groups.
Let us know how you decide to change up your fitness routine.
