How to choose the right workout for YOU

A lot of people think that losing weight should be the number one reason to exercise. The number two reason is often preventing heart disease and diabetes. They treat their workout like a painful chore to maintain or change their bodies. Or, they exercise to prevent some illness in the unforeseeable future.

If changing your body is the reason you go to the gym, there is a possibility you don’t enjoy your workouts. There is a possibility you will start hating the gym or getting discouraged if you don’t see “results”.

Sustainability over quick fixes

It is so important to find a workout that is sustainable and that you enjoy and see yourself doing for a long time. Working out should be self-care after all, not self-punishment.

Here are 5 tips to remember when choosing the right workout for you. It might be time you cancel your gym membership and find something you like 🙂

1. Do you like cardio?

I see a lot of people signing up at a gym and then using the elliptical for hours on end. They signed up in order to lose weight and it is the only reason they are there. It is exactly the mindset we have been conditioned to believe by the diet and fitness industry.

If this is you, let me ask you this: Do you enjoy your time at the gym? Or do you do it, because you think you should be hanging out at the gym doing cardio? Let me tell you, there is plenty of “exercise fish” in the sea, you do not have to have a gym membership to be active.

2. Which sports or activities did you enjoy as a kid?

When I work out, I try to channel my inner kid. I try to adjust specific exercises to make them more fun. For example, when I was a kid, I loved climbing up on trees and was obsessed with rope skipping. Gym translation: I do a ton of box jumps, skipping rope and jumping around in general. I love plyometrics, because they remind me of what I loved doing as a kid!

Which activities did you enjoy when you were younger? Did you enjoy playing catch? (Adult translation: sprints) Did you enjoy doing handstands? (Adult translation: calisthenics or gymnastics) Were you part of a volleyball team or did you have a trampoline at home? Did you enjoy swimming?

Try and have fun when you are being active. Try to find something that lets you JUST BE in the moment, instead of dreading it all day long. I hope I gave you some ideas.

3. Are you focusing too much on appearance/aesthetics?

I am by no means trying to bully weight lifting. I personally love lifting weights, because it makes me feel strong and I am able to completely zone out. But there was a time I purely did it to shape my body and make it look a certain way.

In all honestly, I am so over the whole “Fitspo” thing these days, but it is still a huge part of the fitness community. Men and women all over the world work out to achieve a specific aesthetic goal.

If you are a type A personality, you will likely get either

a) obsessive about it and develop an exercise addiction – like I did

or

b) you will entirely give up on it, because you could not achieve your goals overnight.

Having aesthetic goals, instead of just wanting to feel better mentally, is the wrong attitude and should not be your focus when trying to find a workout that works for you. Your body WANTS to move, but it wants to move in a way that feel good and is fun for you. It does not want to move to be punished for looking the way it does.

4. Your workout has to be enjoyable and give you a sense of relief and peace of mind

My number one goal for after I exercise is a feeling of inner peace. I work out to battle my anxiety and to get out of my own head.

Again, channel your inner kid. When you came home from playing sports or playing with your friends, how did you feel? Peaceful? Happy? Energised? These should be the feelings to aim for. It will truly be a balance from your stressful life, a means of self care. Whatever activity you find, I encourage you to make it one that makes your mind and body happy. An activity that has nothing to do with losing weight.

5. Working out does not have to mean “working out”

Even cleaning the house, emptying the dish washer or walking your dog counts as being active.

Having a mind body connection will give you a good intuition when it comes to movement and what your body needs.

I know that if I sit around too much for two days, my body will give me signals that I need some kind of movement. I start getting anxious, I get itchy feet and find myself being cranky. When this happens, I usually start by walking my dog. I do not make myself go to the gym anymore if I don’t truly feel like going. Sometimes this means taking a few rest days and I am totally cool with that. My body will find its balance and tell me when to go back.

I invite you to tune in and listen to what your body is telling you. There is so much more wisdom to it than listening to what society says and forcing yourself to go to the gym. Life is too short!

Last but not least, I hope this post didn’t seem to preachy. I get very passionate about this topic, because I struggled with exercise addiction for so long. I don’t want you to go through the same hell. You’ve got this <3