LIBRARY ⊕ PSYCHOLOGY

Find your own reasons to exercise

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Here are some reasons why you can start enjoying to exercise. It’s not all about trying to look good. (Though I suppose that’s a part of it.) More than anything, it’s about trying to feel good.

By Stella J. Mckenna, medium.com
⎯ 11 JUNE 2018

Growing up, I never considered myself even remotely athletic. In the 1st grade, I played soccer for one season, but sometime toward the end of the season, the soccer ball hit me hard in the gut during a game, taking my breath away, and I never wanted to play again. In the 4th grade, I gave team sports another try and joined softball (solely because my 4th grade best friend played softball). Sometime mid-season, I accidentally whacked one of my teammates in the head while practice-swinging the bat. The head! She cried. I felt awful about it, finished off the season, and disavowed team sports forever. (She was okay, though. Thank goodness for helmets.)

So, it wasn’t really until I was in college that I considered how sports or exercise should be incorporated into my lifestyle. I’m short, petite, and lucky enough that I’ve never really had to put too much effort into working out in order to maintain a healthy weight.
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And yet, I do.

Even after writing off team sports forever (something I recently rescinded on after having discovered this thing called roller derby), I learned that I really enjoy the benefits of having some kind of regular exercise routine.

Why?

Well, here are some reasons why I personally enjoy exercise. It’s not all about trying to look good. (Though I suppose that’s a part of it.) More than anything, it’s about trying to feel good.


1. Exercise can be fun.

I’ve tried lots of forms of exercise: running, bicycling, pilates, all sorts of yoga from Hatha to Vinyasa to Bikram, circuit training, weight lifting, spinning, boot camp classes, high-intensity interval training, watch-at-home work out videos (including MMA), group classes, personal training. You name a workout, I’ve probably tried it. (Except for Zumba. Never done it. Never will. It’s just not my style.)

The point is, I tried lots of different things and stuck with the things I enjoyed most. For me, this has been primarily running and yoga, though recently I’ve been adding in more weight lifting and high intensity interval stuff. And that’s the trick to exercise: you’re only going to do it if you find it enjoyable. So find some activity you enjoy, and go for it!

Think outside the box. You don’t need to go to the gym to workout. Basketball, ice skating, kayaking, hiking, heck, even raking leaves (should you find that enjoyable) are all physical activities that could help improve your overall health, mental health included.
Finding an activity you enjoy changes your mindset around working out from a negative (“I should exercise because I’m supposed to”) to a positive (“I want to go for a bike ride because it’s fun”).


2. Exercise is good stress relief.

Regular exercise — even walking! —can help reduce stress and improve your overall mood. When I’ve had a bad day, I crave a run, even a short one, because afterward I always feel better. And it’s not just me. Studies have shown that aerobic exercise can help alleviate anxiety and depression. There are physiological reasons for this, but also, it should be obvious that doing something you enjoy would help improve your mood. Which is why I’d encourage you to find some form of exercise you enjoy.


3. Exercise can be social.

No matter what form of exercise you decide is right for you, it’s easy to turn working out into a way to meet new people or hang out with friends you already know. Exercise classes, running clubs, and team sports are great ways to meet people. Plus, working out with a buddy is a nice distraction. Instead of thinking about how much your quads hurt, you could be mid-conversation talking with a friend jogging beside you, making the whole experience much more pleasant. I once trained for a half-marathon in the depth of New England winter, running outside in the snow and ice several days a week. I was lucky enough to have met someone through my local running club who was willing to join me on my long runs. We mostly talked about food, restaurants, music, and running (of course). But I’m not sure I would’ve been able to get through those runs without having a running friend with me.


4. Exercise can improve your self-confidence.

Bottom line is, post-workout, you just feel good! Even a short workout leaves you feeling better, mentally, than none at all. Additionally, even if your body is not supermodel perfect, working out gives you confidence in your appearance as you begin to see small changes and transformations. (Okay, I know I said this would have nothing to do with the way you look, but let’s face it: exercise regularly, along with eating a healthy diet, and your butt will probably start to look and feel better to you.)

Maybe you ran faster today than yesterday. Maybe you just did one more push-up than you did yesterday. Maybe you had to go down a pants size. All the little bits of progress make you feel good about yourself and this translates to confidence in other areas of your life as well.


5. Exercise for your long-term health!

This one’s obvious: working out is good for your body. It’s good for circulation, digestion, cardiovascular health, in addition to your mental health and all sorts of other things (even sex). No matter where in the world you live, or your socioeconomic status, health care is not cheap or easy to come by. As I get older, I know I want to do everything I can to proactively maintain my health, and regular exercise is part of that. If working out now will save me my heart later, I’m all in.


6. Exercise so you can treat yo’ self!

I. Love. Food. ALL THE FOOD. Most of the time I eat a good, balanced diet. But I love dessert, and I love a good hearty home-cooked meal. I think “everything in moderation” is a good philosophy, but for me, I don’t feel so bad about indulging in food every now and then if I know I’ll be working out and burning some calories off later. So, sometimes, I exercise for the food! It’s probably not the best reason, but it’s a tasty reason.