Love Your Exercise

            For about ten years, I was a heavy smoker. I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day, and in addition, I made poor eating choices and rarely exercised. My version of exercise was meandering through a local forest while drinking 20 ounces of coffee loaded with sugar, occasionally lighting up a cigarette. Gross.
            After I quit smoking, I wanted to exercise and thought I would give running a try. I quickly learned that I didn’t actually like to run. Sometimes it was cathartic, but mostly it was something I dreaded. It became a “should” part of my day. I “should” go running, so I went. While it is true the body produces endorphins that give us a boost of “happy” when we exercise, I can say for a fact those endorphins never changed how I felt about running.
            I often hear health and exercise media giving advice that goes something like this: Just suck it up! Once you get started, you’ll be glad you did! And I totally agree… if you love what you’re doing. If you don’t, you’re still going to hate it once you get there. Worse, you’re not going to learn anything from it. Exercise is supposed to lift our spirits, not bring them down. If we’re miserable the whole time, why do it?
            Now, I’m not saying that exercise should be easy—that we’re not going to feel tired, sweaty, out of breath or sore afterward. What I am saying is that if you love the activity, if you love the way you’re moving your body, then the exercise might be a challenge, but it won’t be something to “get through.”
            I know this is true because, while I didn’t particularly like long-distance running, I love kickboxing. Go figure. The fact that I’d rather do high intensity kicking and punching, push-ups, burpees, jump-squats and sprints than run a steady several miles doesn’t escape me as comical. But it does prove my point. I get just as sweaty, tired and sore in kickboxing as when I ran, but I actually look forward to kickboxing.
            And while I will admit I’m cheerleading a little for trying out a kickboxing class or two, the most important point I want to make is this: Listen to your body. If it doesn’t want to run, or hit the gym, or lift weights, what does it want? Does it want karate classes? Self-defense? Tennis, tango lessons or laps at the local pool?
            Our bodies are amazing, beautiful creations built to move and strengthen and grow. Let your body tell you what it wants—even if it scares you. My first kickboxing class terrified me! (See the first blog entry…). But it's all just a part of the learning curve. So I encourage you to think of something you’ve always wanted to do—and go do it. You won’t be sorry, no matter how difficult it might seem at first.