Yesterday I had a great conversation with someone who said she loves her Peloton but can’t seem to get into a consistent routine. My interest was immediately piqued. She went on to say that she was only doing certain workouts with certain instructors because they were hard and pushed her, but she had such a hard time wanting to workout. I asked her if she thought maybe her inconsistency was due to a strongly held belief that it has to hurt, be sweaty, and/or be hard to work.
Lightbulb!
I asked her if she thought she would be more consistent if she was kinder to her body on days when she didn’t feel like being hard on it. She said she never thought about that before. She said that might be why she doesn’t go back to it more….because it’s so hard.
The truth is, breaking out of this thought pattern is what is REALLY HARD. Movement and exercise don’t have to be. In fact, we’ve found exercise is much more enjoyable and sustainable when it’s not punishingly hard because guess what? Humans are wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. If your workouts are painful, you will avoid them. And if you don’t, they will eventually avoid you in the form of an injury. That’s your body’s built-in safety mechanism to protect you from your deeply-held (and harmful) beliefs.
Ultimately, when we start to change our beliefs about exercise, we’re having a face off between our ingrained beliefs and newer (and arguably less rooted) ways of thinking. Honestly, the hardest part is shifting the mindset to let go of what isn’t working and embrace what does.
This week, try to be consistently kind with your body and notice how you feel. Need some positive motivation and sound guidance? Check out our free functional fitness program, It Doesn’t Have to Hurt to Work, and please share it with a friend (or 10 
). A little self-love goes a long way for both your mental and physical health.
