Excitement is a powerful emotion.
Like a kid on Christmas morning or a dog literally anytime their human is around. The state of pure euphoria and high energy can get you to do just about anything.
Think about the things that get you excited…
Maybe it’s sitting on the couch to watch your favorite show? Or a night out with your best friends? Maybe a nice walk through the park while listening to an interesting podcast?
Gather all the most predictable sources of excitement…
Then ask yourself “How can I add fitness to this list?”.
This is the part of crafting an exercise routine that few people ever consider. Always “how many days…how many sets…how many reps…how long…etc” and nothing else.
But the truth is if you could have even a fraction of the excitement for working out as you do watching your favorite show…you’re results would go through the roof.
1- Because when you’re excited to do it, you put more of your effort and focus into it
2- Because when you’re excited to do it, you stay more consistent
So this all sounds great, but is it actually possible to channel this excitement into an activity that seemingly is hard and completely unenjoyable?
Yes. Yes it is. But it requires some additional thought…
Most people have no idea what type of fitness they like, because they’ve rarely branched out. Which means we can’t just ask “What do I like?”…so we do the reverse.
Ask yourself “What do I HATE about exercise?”.
Maybe…
The gym environment makes you uncomfortable
Driving to the gym is a pain
Lifting is boring
Running makes me want to end it all
Now that we know what ya hate…we create an exercise plan that avoids these…
Here’s how I’d guide a client with these objections:
Because you don’t enjoy a gym environment nor the commute…exercising at home is the best route.
Because you find lifting boring…doing timed circuits (tabata style) would be beneficial because it’ll keep you moving and engaged.
Because you despise running…you can just focus on adding in long walks to your daily schedule (or rucking).
Your workout routine will look like:
3, 30 min tabata workouts per week at home
Daily long walks totaling +45 minutes
Is it perfect/optimal? No.
But you’ve replaced something you hate with something more enjoyable.
Which means you’ll spend less time battling with yourself to execute on the plan…and more time working to get results.
And as the results come in…you’re excitement level will rise.
So as we enter the new year, I urge you to construct a fitness routine that ACTUALLY sounds enjoyable to you.
I promise…it’ll make a difference.
-Mike