4 Steps to Go From Dreading Your Workouts to Enjoying Exercise

My least favorite subject in high school was gym class. 

Yep, this Health Coach HATED gym. 

8th period always brought a sense of dread as I changed into my gray Blue Valley West HS t-shirt and black soffe shorts (with the waistband rolled down not one but TWO times, if you could get away with it). 

The dread was multiplied tenfold when it was time for “the mile run.” 

Hot. Sticky. All made more uncomfortable by a heart monitor strapped tightly around my sweaty ribcage to reveal my stats at the end. 

Left in the dust by the Cross Country kids, I modestly made my way around the running track with the words “just keep running…” on repeat in my head. All I wanted was to not be the last kid on the track who tired out and walked the whole thing. 

Some kids had fun with it. I was not one of them. 

For years that was how I felt about exercise — forced cardio that made me sweaty, uncomfortable, and constantly feeling like I wasn’t good enough. It reinforced my belief that I was not athletic and exercise was something I HAD to do. 

Thankfully that’s now changed (too bad gym class didn’t have a rock climbing wall *sigh*). 

Have you ever felt like exercise was something you HAVE to do but don’t WANT to do? 
Maybe even right now, as you read this? ;)

As a Certified Health & Wellness Coach helping women on their journey to motherhood make movement a natural part of their routine, I know that having a positive relationship with exercise is an important piece of the puzzle.

Here are 4 steps to take you from dreading your workouts to ENJOYING exercise: 

1. Reframe the mindset of “I HAVE to exercise” to “I GET to move my body.”

Notice how that feels different? 

Sometimes the biggest shift can come from simply changing your perspective and looking at it from a place of gratitude rather than obligation.

2. Be open to trying new things and find an activity you enjoy.

You have more options than strapping yourself to a treadmill and hating your life for 20 minutes. 

Everything shifted for me when I started rock climbing and found other activities that were fun and engaged my mind as well as my physical body.

If you need some ideas on where to start, read this.

3. Think of it as a priority, like you would brushing your teeth. 

Think about this…We don’t have time for everything, but we have time for the things that are most important to us. 

How are you spending your time, and how does that line up with your priorities?

Is scrolling on social media taking up more time than you’d like it to?

Is there an activity you can eliminate or do less of during your day to make room for 20 minutes of movement instead?

Psst — this is the part where people usually get stuck and I come in to help. I work on this a lot with my clients in my 1:1 Coaching Program. 

4. Let go of it needing to be perfect. 

You’re never going to do anything perfectly 24/7, and exercise is no different.

You don’t have to be good at it to enjoy it. Only have 10 minutes instead of the hour you hoped for? No problem — just do the 10 minutes.

Something is better than nothing, and consistent is better than perfect. 

Which of these 4 steps do you need to focus on more so exercise can be more fun? Let me know in the comments.