For the most part of my adult life, I have been a full -time fitness professional.
But I have to make a confession.
Fitness can feel like a chore.
That’s right, even ‘professionals’ do not always feel motivated. And not my customers either.
That’s normal. Nobody always feels motivated.
Fitness is a bit like flossing. You don’t always like it, but you know it is important.
So what do you do if it all feels like a different item on your ‘tasks’ list?
First give yourself permission to feel like this.
You don’t have to be someone who ‘falls in love’ on fitness to matter. Even if you never look forward to it, A Little consistent effort still pays off.
Second, if possible, the is Worth to bring more joy into the process.
At best, fitness is not the final goal. It is the amplifier for everything else you love.
If fitness now feels a job for you, there are a few ways to mix things here:
1. Theme IT.
Name your training after your favorite hobbies or interests. (If you love Star Wars, you don’t train, you do it Jedi -Training.)
You can one training Specifically built around something that you like or even one Levels after Boss Fights.
And this is not just for training!
There are also tons of cookbooks with themes to inspire your meals and bring some fun.
My son (11) brought a Minecraft cookbook home last week and decided that he wanted to make “Minecraft steak”. It was literally just steak with salt and pepper on it, but he was so excited and invested in getting the meal juuuuuust.
You can even add some taste to how you can Follow your progress.
Bottom Line: whatever you like, whether it is Gandalf, Gardening or Golf – see if you can bring that into the mix a bit.
2. Tie it back to life outside fitness.
Fitness is not about the ‘best fitness’ for most of us. (But if competing in 5k runs or powerlifting events is that you love, that’s great too!)
It is about having the energy and health to appear in the things you light up. One of my customers, Julie, really hated strength training. She knew it was important for muscle retention and bone health and the rest. But it was only when we were able to tie back specific movements in her training sessions to her passion, archery, that the “Karwei” part of training became easier to do.
I still remember how she lighted up after she came back from a archer session and said something in the style of: “The bow just felt so easy to pull!” (Archery people, don’t come to me when I slaughtered. 😅)
Bottom Line: emphasizing the connection between your fitness goals and all the other cool things you like to do is a cheat code.
3. Add games + challenges.
Movement does not always have to be serious.
Try to add some games and mini challenges to your session to update things!
Finish your warming up with the Stick Drop Challenge.
In between the exercises, add some movements with low intensity, such as juggling or walking on a balance beam, etc. to give your brain a challenge even while your body is recovering.
Roll a D20 to determine what your conditioning will look like at the end of your session.
At Camp Nerd Fitness my Ninja class was full of small games and challenges such as these, and people remained smiling and sweaty. I remember a camper in particular, Emily, who came to me and then gave me a big hug because this approach made fitness fun and accessible in a completely new way.
Bottom line: tap where possible on the playful side of movement.
4. Keep it simple.
Sometimes, despite that, fitness will still feel like a rut.
That’s okay.
In those seasons, not too complicated. Focus on the base: a Little important movementsEating some proteins, moving a little every day.
Action is more important than perfection.
–
Some of these ideas will click, some not, and that’s the point. There is no one size suitable for everyone.
My hope for you is that you can find ways to make fitness additive to your life without taking over.
So let me ask me:
What would take More joy In your fitness now?
Press an answer and let me know – I would like to hear it.
-Mat