“I wish I was the kind of person that loves to exercise… I’m just not that person.”
Disliking exercise isn't some kind of moral failure. It doesn't mean you're broken or lazy - it's just a personal preference. Still, there's no denying that exercise is good for the human body. But how do you exercise when you don't like it? In this blog post, we want to share 5 refreshing strategies that can help you stop fighting with exercise.
Strategy #1: Stop trying to exercise.
Yes, you read that correctly. "Stop trying" may sound like strange advice, but hear us out. If exercise feels like an impossible, torturous task, the best approach might be to take it off the table completely.
Try a "do nothing" experiment.
Here's a weird idea: limit your movement for a few days and see what happens. Eventually, most people are going to want to move in some way. This isn't about tricking yourself into wanting to move; it's about learning if and when movement does feel good for you. You might discover your body craves movement more than you realized.
Focus on other ways to improve your health.
It can be easy to fixate on the thing (you think) you're bad at. But when you do that, you can miss other (potentially easier, less stressful) opportunities for improvement. For example, you can put your time and energy into improving your sleep, your stress management, your nutrition and so on. In fact at Maneki Fit, we promote a holistic health approach that factors in "emotional, mental and environmental" wellbeing. Of all these health-improving options, decide what's most appealing and make that your priority for now.
Build your bucket list.
Focus on what you want to do and the things you want to try before you die. The items on your bucket list might inspire you to get moving. This bucket list exercise can shift your focus toward what you want for yourself - which can be meaningful and energizing, no matter what you choose. Brainstorm a bunch of things you want to try in your lifetime, then consider "which of these could you start working towards today?"
Stay tuned for our next strategy!
Team Maneki Fit
