I am the antithesis of a gym girlie. My natural inclination is to be lazy; I prefer binge-watching on a comfy couch rather than tiring myself out on a workout bench that is perpetually coated in male sweat. I take medications that cause symptoms of fatigue and lack of motivation. I suffer from gym anxiety that practically steams out of my ears every time I’m within proximity of a fitness center. The list goes on and on. I know many others share my experience and find it difficult to follow the fitness routines of those who do not struggle in this way. But let me tell you — there is hope for us. You don’t need to drive out to a recreation center, buy expensive equipment, or pursue regimes that you will ultimately never follow in order to be active. Exercise can be fun and simple, not stressful and inconvenient.
Before deciding your mode(s) of action, you must adhere to your comfort level and find the right motivators for you. Your comfort level decides the intensity of the exercise or activity, and the location. Your motivators will include your personal interests and desired rewards.
COMFORT LEVEL
I hate exercise that leaves me gasping for dear life, and I hate having to relocate myself in order to go do something that is already exhausting. That’s why working out at home is the best — I am basically two steps away from getting exercise and I don’t even need to get dressed. In your house you get to set your own rules, and one rule for you may be slower-moving workouts. There are so many options on YouTube for guided workouts that are very mild, like yoga or slow-motion strength training.
Recommended: Yoga With Adriene
MOTIVATORS
This is where the fun comes in. Think of activities that you love to do often; for me, I love listening to music, going to coffee shops, and watching Netflix shows. When I found ways of incorporating movement into my daily hobbies, I realized that exercise can be whatever I wanted it to be. As creatures of habit, we are more likely to carry out exercises if they intertwine with the patterns we normally follow. If you listen to music often, dancing by yourself or with friends is a great way to move the body. One of my go-to songs is “Butterfly Doors” by Hailey Knox — it’ll get you on your feet.
Reward-driven exercises, like walking to local coffee shops, guarantee satisfaction, like buying yourself a delicious vanilla matcha latte. It is incredibly easy to find local shops or hang-out spots to walk to in San Luis Obispo, and such opportunities should be taken advantage of!
We all have tv shows that we have rewatched over and over to the point of knowing the entire script, right? Performing an exercise every time a common trope of the show occurs is a wonderful solution to the lazy girl predicament. My most watched Netflix show is New Girl, obviously. Doing five sit-ups every time Nick drinks or Schmidt mispronounces a word is my way of staying active, even when I feel like simply kicking-back to my favorite comfort show.
These examples by themselves may seem insignificant, and you might feel that they won’t do much. However, if you keep finding ways to add movement to your daily life, it will amount to great results, especially for your mental health. I find exercise incredibly important for stress relief and depression prevention. Incorporating physical activities into my routine for the sake of my health has fostered a more productive mindset rather than one solely concerned with altering my appearance. My methods may not appeal to you, but they serve to model the idea that fitness is personal to you, and can be whatever you want.