5 Things to Stop Believing About Exercise:
Exercising is only for people who want to lose weight or get fit.
Exercising is for everyone! The benefits of exercising go far beyond physical appearance. Some of the amazing benefits of exercise that have nothing to do with our physique include reduced chronic pain, increased endorphins, decreased risk of heart and lung disease, better sleep and stronger bone density. When you exercise, this leads to a reduction in stress, less disease, and increased quality of life. Your joints are meant to move! Without movement our joints become stiff and arthritic. Exercising is the best way to keep you moving and healthy throughout your life.
Exercising is intimidating or difficult.
Although exercising or going to a gym may seem scary, it does not have to be that way! Do not let fear stop you from living your best and healthiest life. You can exercise within your comfort zone. Some ways you can make exercise less intimidating are working out at home, joining a gym with a friend, or finding a trainer or a group class to join. When you workout at home, the fear of judgment from others is taken out of the equation. If you think you look silly, the only person who can see you might be your dog. However, if you are intimidated by trying new exercises and worried you may not be doing the correct form then working out at home may not be right for you. If this is the case for you then a trainer or a group class is a great option. Having an expert in the room is the best way to ensure you are practicing exercises with good technique. They are there to help you and will always come up with the workout for you. Then all you have to do is show up and do your best!
Exercising is either running or lifting weights.
There are so many ways to exercise! Running and lifting weights are common ways people think they need to be doing in order to call it exercise but those are far from the only options. The purpose of exercise is to move your joints and muscles in a way that creates body awareness, strength, endurance, stability, flexibility and balance. Therefore, if you are doing something that focuses on any of those facets, you can call it exercise.
You always need to break a sweat to be exercising.
You can still have a great workout even if you did not sweat. Any way you can move your body can count as an exercise. Examples of exercise that may not cause a lot of perspiration are yoga, pilates, going for a walk, lifting weights, and swimming. When you do these types of workouts, you are still exercising and getting the great benefits that go along with that.
Exercising is not fun.
Exercise should be fun! If you have not found a form of exercise that you enjoy, keep looking! This could be playing a sport like volleyball, soccer or basketball. It could be rock climbing, frisbee golfing, paddleboarding, water skiing, hiking, biking, dancing, or jiu jitsu. It could be parkour! Find something that sparks your interest and try it out. If you don’t like it, try something different. Other ways to make exercise fun are inviting a friend to join you, listening to your favorite music while working out, buying new cool exercise clothes, or turning your workout into a game. The best way to stay consistent and make exercising a habit is to find a way to enjoy it.
