How To Actually Enjoy Working Out
Why is it that some people enjoy working out and others don’t? Some people genuinely feel good doing physical activity, and others feel like they’re going to throw up. How nice would it be to actually enjoy the process of getting hot and healthy? You would do it everyday, wouldn’t you?
Believe it or not, you can enjoy your workouts, no matter the intensity. There are many ways of doing this. The first is imagination.
Your imagination is a powerful tool that can alter your reality, and the type of events that you attract into your life, which is why it’s so important to keep your mind in a good place at all times. Your thoughts are immensely influential. The Law of Attraction is quite powerful, so whatever it is that you believe and think about, you will attract those things into your life. Physical training is no different. If you imagine the type of effect you want your workout to have on your life, you will get it.
“Excellence must be pursued, it must be woed. With all of one's might and every bit of effort that we have…
Imagination turns a workout into a form of meditation. You take your mind off of your worries and just focus on your body. It’s also very motivating because, come on, probably the main reason we work out is to look better. Imagination will get you into the “zone”: a positive state of mind that your brain will want to reach again and again, and so working out will become a form of a reward.
As you workout, focus your mind on how you want to look. This will take your mind off the pain and discomfort, and make you work towards a positive image. Just keep that image in your mind, of how you want this workout to change you. When you are working a specific muscle group, say your thighs, butt, abs or biceps, imagine the exact shape you want this area to have. Imagine the part of the body you are targeting growing, firming, getting rounder, whatever you want.
This type of imagination is very important because it also makes training more effective. Celebrity trainer Justin Gelband said that when you pick up a weight and just start swinging, you are not working the target muscle very effectively. Other muscles of your body become involved and the pressure comes off of the target muscle. But when you focus your mind on a specific muscle group, you use it more, so it will see greater changes. Also, the slower your reps are, the better. It’s better to do fewer quality reps than many lazy and unfocused ones.
You can train your brain to view working out as a reward, and it will become something you look forward to! However, the reward needs to be something internal and present, not external and long-term. An internal reward is feeling good while you are working out, while a distant reward is remembering that working out contributes to a longer lifespan.
So reward yourself by listening to good music while you work out, and let it be the only time of the day that you listen to your favorite songs. Pick something that makes you happy, motivates you, or makes you want to dance, and put it in your workout playlist.
Another reward you can give yourself is using your workout out time to dream about your future. Think about your life and what you want to achieve. Think about you!
“…each day there's a new encounter, each week is a new challenge. All of the noise and all of the glamour, all of the color and all of the excitement, all of the rings and all of the money. These are the things that really linger only in the memory…
It’s also good to workout around other people - preferably those who you want to spend time with. Psychologist Jay Kimiecik explained that social interaction is very rewarding for the brain. Workout at the gym with friends; take a class. You’ll be able to feed off of the energy of others, and you’re less likely to get distracted.
Get yourself new gym clothing every now and then. Something that makes you feel good and something you’ll look forward to wearing. The key is to make the workout interesting. Also, your muscles get used to a workout routine after several weeks, so the workout loses its effect on your body. To avoid that, and to avoid getting bored, change up the routine!
Give yourself a sense of achievement by increasing the amount of reps you do little by little each day. Having a sense of achievement is very motivating, and it will make you want to do more and more.
A workout should be rewarding, soothing, and make you happy. It’s your personal time to better yourself and your life. Try to think of it like that.
“…but the spirit, the will to excel and the will to win, these are the things that endure.” -Vince Lombardi
