Hand in hand with eating better is, of course, getting moving. And y’all, I think I might have accidentally tried every workout in the city (and in several other cities, too.) CrossFit, Boot Camp, Pilates (and Megaformer Pilates), Yoga, Hilliard Studio Method, Cycle, Kickboxing, Kettlebell, Orange Theory, the good ol’ YMCA… Am I forgetting anybody?
If I’ve taken away anything in this unofficial quest, it’s that all the non-scientific platitudes and all the very scientific findings ring equally true: Exercise does something to your mood, mind, and body that’s hard to recreate any other way. But here’s what I’ve also noticed – when I talk to the runners, the swimmers, the gym-goers and weightlifters, the regulars at each style of workout class, every single one of them exclaims that they’ve cracked the code. This is the workout that works, that they love, that clicked in after their other failed attempts at regular exercise.
They’re devotees, and their regimen has become as routine as waking up in the morning and brushing your teeth. So here’s my suggestion for you as you resolve to add in exercise this year. There’s a way to sweat a little, move your body, and get in a workout that won’t feel like work. Heck, it might even feel fun. And when it doesn’t, it’s no wonder your resolve tapers off. You don’t have to hit the treadmill if you hate it, and you don’t have to sweat through hot yoga if it makes you miserable. Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore because it doesn’t really have to take a particular form.
Maybe yours this year will look like a hike one day and a dip in the pool the next. Maybe you’ll drop into a class that makes you feel almost immediately at home, from the music to the lighting to the gathered crowd. Maybe you’ll join the Y and find a room of the gym where you can post up for 45 minutes every day and totally clear your head. Maybe you’ll hop on the torture-device-looking Megaformer and surprise yourself by getting the best workout of your life. Maybe you’ll lace up and hit the pavement every evening because a run just feels right. Find your own way, and get those myriad exercise benefits for yourself in the form of a healthier mind, body, and spirit.
