Why You Probably Hate to Workout

I love to work out, but it wasn’t always this way, and if I had to guess most of you didn’t or don’t like too either. 

Not too worry though because science has shown that the reason most people don’t like to work out isn’t because of the actual exercise at all, but rather the reasons why we are doing it in the first place. 

A study published in the Journal of Health Psychology found a correlation between the goals people set for themselves and how they felt about exercising. For example, most people who tend to focus on weight loss as a goal for working out or use their perceived flaws as motivation (i.e. getting a six-pack, toning their arms or abs, etc.) tend to dread exercising and actually end up working out less. Through this study, researchers discovered that these tactics don’t actually work and that if we maintain this mindset to motivate our fitness goals, we are essentially self-sabotaging, resulting in decreased motivation over time and ultimately exacerbating the effects of internalized weight stigma.

In truth, it’s very difficult to escape how fitness can change the way we look. I mean social media alone has made a profound impact on the industry over the years, and while in some ways the information and accessibility it provides can be viewed as a positive, there is also a huge downside when it comes portraying the idea of what it means to have the “perfect” body. Between images of the latest detox craze, videos of people with “perfect” bodies doing yoga on the beach or working out at the gym, I’d say it’s pretty darn hard to escape why we think we should or need to work out as described above. 

Now I will be the first to admit that when I started working out (around 16 years old), I absolutely did it for vanity reasons. Growing up I was the an overweight kid who by 13 years of age was a women’s size 16 (and also just under 5 feet tall). I was bullied and felt ashamed of how I looked, and though I lost most of the weight by the time I turned 16, I struggled for decades with my self-image and ultimately my workouts. Unless I had a specific reason motivating me to work out (i.e. my wedding, a vacation, other special occasions that require nice dresses, etc.), I hated it beyond hate. 

For many years my only focus was on weight-loss. I would weigh myself obsessively, chose workouts that would burn the most calories and stuck with a very rigid workout schedule. Eventually I would just burn out, stop altogether and feel even worse about myself. 

This cycle continued for decades and it really wasn’t until after I had my youngest daughter, that my mindset began to shift. Maybe it was because the focus was no longer just on me or because I had matured (HA!), but I realized that these behaviors were getting me nowhere fast and that in order to avoid my all-or-nothing attitude about exercise, I needed to turn my attention away from external motivators (i.e. trying to be thin as possible) and focus on something within (i.e. needing more energy as sleep-deprived mama or staying as healthy as possible so I could be always be there for my kids). 

This change in mindset saved me from myself and now when I exercise, I do it because I genuinely love to and find it fun. It’s because of this shift that I am driven to share my love of yoga and fitness with children and their families. My hope is to instill a love of health and fitness by making it fun and meaningful. When we find meaning in what we’re doing, we are being motivated from within, ultimately giving what we do more purpose. 

Next week I will share more with you about how to make your workouts more meaningful and what my students can expect from a typical session with me. In the meantime, if you find you need to motivate yourself through a workout, take a mental note of where your head is at and why you’re even doing it. You might be surprised at what you’ll discover about yourself. 

#strongkindminds