How to Workout and Semi Like It.

Let's start off with a disclaimer: I am no where near a fitness expert.  I understand that many of my friends are amazingly fit and healthy and probably do a much better job at it than I do. 

...that said, this post comes from a person who is actually extremely lazy and used to enjoy sitting on the couch and would often count walking up the stairs as her daily workout routine.  I am here today to inspire those couch-lovers by telling you how I learned to love exercising and offer advice for how you can learn to love it too. 

1. Do what you like. I hate running (that might be an understatement).  I find no satisfaction in stretching my lungs to the point of near-suffocation.  I do not like running outside, I do not like running on the treadmill, I do not like running anywhere (I do not like green eggs and ham Sam I am)!  So guess what? I explored other fitness options.  I started biking. I love biking!  I started lifting weights.  I "like" to lift weights.  It is a lot easier to motivate yourself to workout if you are slightly having fun (can you actually have fun while working out? That's up for debate).  
2. Mix it up.  So I know I just professed my hate for running but I think the real reason I hated running was because it was all I was doing.  Now I try to mix things up throughout the week.  A few days a week I lift weights, the other days I try to mix in cardio either through running, or biking, or kickboxing...like I said, whatever I like. Mixing it up keeps me from getting bored and helps keep my motivation levels high.
3. Do what you can. I am a pretty busy person.  I honestly am not able to spend hours upon hours at the gym.  I think that that is okay. Some exercise is better than none. Be reasonable but make sure that you aren't just making up excuses.
4. Hold yourself accountable. In education, I use behavior charts to help some of my students track how they are doing.  Likewise, with fitness, I track how I am doing.  I printed off a blank calendar and wrote out what I wanted to do each day and for how long.  At the end of each day, I would have Kyle sign off on my chart.  This helped me feel a sense of accomplishment.  Now, I just write down my activity so I can be proud of my hard work.  My friend has to report to her students each day, find a way to hold yourself accountable. 
5. Break past the mental barrier.  I am pretty sure that working out is 100% mental...okay maybe not quite that much but it is a challenge!  Get a motto.  Feel free to steal mine (that I stole from someone else): "Be stronger than your excuses."  In the beginning of my journey I set an alarm on my phone with my motto.  This reminded me to go to the gym and I really couldn't argue otherwise.  While working out, whenever I would hit a "wall" I would repeat that phrase which was just enough motivation to keep me going.  Also, music.  Get some good playlists going- whatever encourages you to go hard.
6. Bribery works. What motivates me? Shopping.  I made a deal that if I worked out a certain number of times in a month, that I could have money for shopping. What a sweet reward.  Set a reward goal and work hard.  Then enjoy your reward, you earned it!
7. Give yourself credit. I used to beat myself up for not spending more time at the gym and for using the "baby weights."  Then the other day as I was doing a bicep curl, I realized I had a tiny muscle. Yay!  Get excited people.  But really, acknowledge your accomplishments. After you finish working out hard, take time to recognize how good you feel. By doing so, you will begin to enjoy the way working out makes you feel.  This has helped motivate me past extrinsic rewards.  It takes time, but eventually you will like exercising because of how good you feel afterwards.

Well, there you have it.  If I can learn to like working out, you can too. 

Go get it.

<33 Amanda

(Here's some Nike inspiration to get you started)