How to Learn to Love Exercise

You are much more likely to commit to fitness if you actually enjoy it.

To most people, the idea of exercising brings up all kinds of negative emotions, from laziness to pure dread. It’s no secret that exercise can be hard, and most people would prefer a quick fix, or a long bout of procrastination to a few hours spent in the gym. It is scientifically proven that exercise releases endorphins that help to keep you happy though, so finding a way to get interested in your fitness will ultimately make your entire life better. Taking care of yourself is a huge part of loving yourself, but obviously if it were that easy, everyone would be doing it, and I wouldn’t need to write this article. These easy tips should help you look at exercise and fitness in a different way, and hopefully make it a little easier to get you to the gym.

Only do workouts you enjoy. When it comes to fitness there are hundreds of different exercises out there, so chance are there are more than a few you might actually like. If you hate running, try biking. If you hate biking, hop on the stair-climber. Trying new things will not only result in finding the right fit for you, but it will also give you options, and some variety for your workout.

READ MORE: Your Fitness Game Plan for 2016

Hold yourself accountable and get feedback. In this day and age with so much wearable tech, it’s super easy to get a FitBit, or download an app on your phone that tracks the number of steps you take every day. Keeping track of this and paying attention to it will turn your fitness into a sort of game, which will ultimately help, since you will always be the winner.

Invite a friend to work out with you. Exercising with a friend will not only push you harder (we are all a little competitive, after all), but it will hold you accountable to your workouts. Also, a little post-workout chat over smoothies makes for a great way to keep up to speed with your friends.

Don’t think too much about weight loss. If you can condition your mind to view workouts as a normal part of your weekly routine, weight loss will follow. Concentrate on finding workouts that work for you, and commit to going every week, and the pounds will fall off on their own.

Ignore setbacks. Life isn’t always going to allow you to work out all the time, and you deserve to treat yourself once in a while. Don’t allow yourself to feel too much guilt about missing a workout, or eating too much chocolate. As long as you continue keeping up with regular fitness, setbacks are really just tiny blips in the scheme of your overall health.

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