This is definitely not going to be one of those "exercise is great" posts. Most days, I feel like I'm allergic to fitness. My symptoms include: runny nose, shortness of breath, cough, swollen face (well, I'm pretty sure), etc. 

Ok, so maybe those go hand in hand with a workout...but I'm sure some of you can relate and wonder why anyone would put themselves through that voluntarily. Myself, I'm not entirely sure. 

However, if you can push through, fitness experts say there are health benefits from getting your butt off the couch. And I suppose that I have experienced some of them. That doesn't mean that I enjoy the pre-workout or during workout feeling of wanting to die. But if I manage not to die (I have a 100% success rate so far), I do usually feel pretty good after. It can be a relaxing feeling, a moment of pride, sheer joy from being done and not dying...you get the idea. 

Here are some tips for my fellow fitness-allergic DietBetters. 

  1. Find an excercise you don't hate. The 'after' feeling needs to be worth the wanting to die feelings. For me, this includes running and snowshoeing. 
  2. Be willing to try new things or try old things again. I did both running and snowshoeing in school and I hated them. Running always made me feel like a failure. Sure, it's a great idea to ask students whose idea of exercise is opening and closing the fridge and have them run for 12 minutes straight. In front of peers who are more fit and popular. But one day I thought I'd try it again. I had the perfect location; an un-used ATV trail behind my house. The only witnesses were the bears. And you know what? At my own pace, using a couch-to-5K plan, I learned to enjoy the after-feeling of running. 
  3. Know your weak spot and exploit the crap out of it. I love technology related stuff. I am not an early adopter of gadgets, but when I jump on board my bank account cringes. For me, this means trying new apps and products. My Fitbit goes from being a pat on the back some days to an embarassment others. Yes, I only walked 976 steps. But the couch is so comfortable. Sometimes just seeing the number gets me moving more. In fact, I went for a walk after my shift today because I needed steps. I gave up napping...for steps....
  4. Set short-term and long-term goals. Some days your goal will be to walk to the next tree without collapsing. Other days it might be to get around the block. Having goals can help you by knowing that this feeling won't last forever. You'll either die (unlikely) or get to your goal. Long term goals can include a race, an event, etc. I have a goal to run one of those mud runs with my sister. And to learn to snowboard with my niece. I'm sure I've got more skills than a 4 year old. Maybe.
  5. Find a cause you are passionate about. I support a few different causes, and while they don't always translate into fitness opportunities, sometimes they can. For example, if you like animals and you are looking for a reason to go for a walk, you can volunteer at an animal shelter to walk a dog. One cause I support is mental health awareness. The local Canadian Mental Health association does a bike ride to raise funds and increase awareness in regards to mental health issues. One year I volunteered to help organize the event, and last year I signed up for a 25KM bike ride. I'm already training for this  year's event. 
  6. Accept that you aren't perfect and that circumstances can work against you. You are going to have days that you just don't get moving. Or that your endurance has slipped, or it's just plain hard. For me, some big obstacles are joint pain and plantar fasciitis. I physically can't run right now. And there's no snow, which makes snowshoeing challenging. But that's ok because some days the circumstances will work for you.

 

That's it. One foot in front of the other. Breathe in and out. Repeat.