Back in August, after our move that relocated us out further into the country, I canceled my gym membership. It wasn’t that I felt that I wouldn’t go – it’s more that I didn’t want to drive 13 miles to the nearest gym, when I had all the tools I needed right here. It wasn’t worth the added gas expense. To me.
Last week, I started incorporating Physique 57 into my workouts, again. I was hoping I could get into it, considering I’d seen so many people raving about barre workouts. I’m going to have to put it out there – I’m just not a fan. I am totally 100% bored with it. I’m not sure if it’s that I don’t like their workouts or if I don’t like workout DVD’s in general, but it was boring. To me.
I don’t do CrossFit. I’m not going to take a dig at anyone who does it, but it’s far too expensive for my taste and I have a few other reasons. (I don’t want to cause an uproar with otherwise innocent observations. I love far too many CrossFitter friends. It works for them! They kick ass at it!) CrossFit just doesn’t seem to be appealing. To me.
Running is superior to all other exercise. It’s badass. To me.
Yoga is far better in a studio than on a DVD. To me. (Side note: I’m sure barre workouts are as well, which is why I plan to attend classes when my schedule clears a bit.)
Vitamin supplements are useless, I don’t believe in them, and I prefer not to pee out $100 a month. Protein, creatine, aminos, blah.blah.blah…get it from the food you eat. Supplements are a waste. To me. (Side note: I do take a prenatal vitamin as my multivitamin. I have since I got pregnant with our first daughter. I have tried other supplements, and the more I learn, the more I stand by all of the above. However, I’m completely aware that the population, on average, does not get what they need from what they eat. We need to change this, yes?)
Food journaling is a phenomenal tool that has seriously opened my eyes to my behavior. It’s a must-have tool in weight loss. To me.
The point in all of the above?
We’re all different. We’re individuals and we’re unique. So why shouldn’t what works for us be any different? My opinions are my opinions. (Although, in the words of my wonderful husband, “I may be wrong, but I doubt it.” Hehe, okay, I kid, I kid.)
When you’re staring down a goal to lose weight or a goal to be healthier or a goal to simply become fitter, leaner, or bulkier, do your research and don’t stake your claim as “the biggest failure” if it doesn’t work!!! Workouts are not created equally. Tools are not created equally. Brains and body are certainly not created equally.
If you’re trying out barre workouts on DVD, like me, and you hate them, like me, don’t banish all barre workouts. Try them in studio. (Or vice versa.) The same goes for yoga. If you hate them both, maybe you’ll like Zumba better. Or CrossFit. Or simple step aerobics. Or maybe you just enjoy a good ol’ free weights session in your own workout room or in your gym. If you hate running (either because you’ve never pushed yourself to try it 
or because it’s really just not for you), then try cycling or swimming.
Do what works for YOU!
Don’t fall prey to trends and secretly loathe the work you’re doing. Find something that sparks passion!
Don’t start food journaling and keep going despite obsessive thoughts or fear. Do it because it works!
Don’t be afraid to say, I just don’t like it.
Everything you do for your health and your own fitness is all about you – no one else.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.
Make your fitness yours: find your fit.
(And PS: Don’t be afraid to eat your own words one day. What doesn’t work now, may work one day. )
QOTD: How have you found your fit?
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Love everything that you said here! (And agree with you on a lot of it, too–yay running! Meh, CrossFit…)
I’m always telling people that what I do is not “the answer,” and they need to find THEIR thing to make fitness fit them.
I love that you tell people you don’t have “the answer”. No one does. All we have is the resources and know-how to get people to “their answer”.
I agree! Making time for health and wellness takes serious commitment, so it’s important to find what works for you. It’s a whole lot easier to carve out time for something you love. Find what your passionate about! For some people that means doing new thing and keeping it fresh, for others it’s just one focus, either way you just want to enjoy yourself! That a huge part of taking care of you!
YES! The commitment! BIG. I think of it this way…I’m not married to someone I hate or loathe simply because he’s the “it” man or meets the standards of everyone else, right? I’m not spending the rest of my life “settling”. It’d be stupid, right? So why would we do it when it comes to our health?
YES! make it your own and never apologize for what you do. I can’t tell you how many people make little stabs at my commitment to running. I am so glad you found your fitness nest, I agree with many of your opinions about fitness, except the supplements.. I take Omega 3′s, Pro Biotic and Vitamin D simply because I don’t feel we can get enough from the food we eat , there are some studies out there that support this theory. With that said, muti-vitamins and certain others are a pee pee waste. Wish we were neighbors, the country sounds like a wonderful place to raise a family and go for long peaceful runs. Have a great week! xo
I think my big thing with the supplements are that way too many people take them not really understanding what they do and what they’re for…and there is a HUGE possibility to hit a level of toxicity. (I, too, take Omegas once in a while when I feel as though I’m not getting enough of them in my diet.) If we’re eating whole foods, we’re getting what we need, and those studies are certainly true…because the average person in this country does NOT eat well. lol (And of course there are people who are part of the population that need more than the average person – medically, etc.)
Those little stabs tick me off, too. Big time. Do your own thing, I’ll do mine. You know? Health and fitness is NOT cookie-cutter. What I love, you may not. What I believe in, you may not. And that’s what I love about people like you…you’re not writing me off because I hate supplements, are you?
I have TONS of friends who take them, and that’s their thing. I won’t hold it against you or them.
You do what is right for you in all things in life
Do what YOU love!
AMEN.
Hi! And I hear ya on just about all the points you have made. I am basically a runner and only a runner and can’t stand the gym atmosphere because there are so many people there trying to sell you on either vitamins or fitness products. I know most people have the grace to leave you alone, but I prefer to just get outside and work it on my own
I tend to be the same way…a loner when I work out. I’m not big on socializing when I’m in my zone, and I certainly don’t like the selling. This is why I’ve figured out that I could never be a gym personal trainer. lol I do like the gym for machines, but I don’t like them for free weights. I HATE being watched. Hate it. (And this is the reason my husband won’t work out with me. He hates being watched.) We all have our own thing, and finding it can be frustrating…but fun.
Yes, I love how you worded that. Find your fit.
Thanks, Iz. <3 I see it the same way I see the “you run fast, I run slow” bit. I can run faster than a lot of people and for a longer distance….but there are TONS of people out there that run much faster and for a much longer distance. I might lift heavier than some, and some may lift heavier than me. My fit is my fit, and theirs is theirs. There is nothing wrong in any of it, right?
Love this – get this and applaud you for knowing what YOUR fit is. Oh, and yes – running is totally superior to all exercise and it totally badass!
It sure as heck is. <3 Thanks, friend. I always love your encouragement.
“What doesn’t work now may work one day.”
SO
TRUE.
I used to swear I’d never be a fast runner. I’d never try a track workout. It just “wasn’t me.” Now… interval training is my very favorite workout. Sure, it’s hard. Sure, it leaves me sore. But I love the rush and then the relaxation. I wouldn’t have things any other way… It’s a good thing I didn’t stick to my guns on that “never” thing.
I hated intervals for a long time, but luckily, I’ve discovered they do actually improve your pace! Wee!
amen amen amen!! The biggest thing I have learned from fitness and food journalizing etc, is what works for me may not work for you and vice versa! While I am sad that the barre DVDs aren’t ‘it’ for you – I am not all that surprised either. Nothing beats a live class! I SO wish we were closer and you could come take one! But I know you will find what works for you! always!!
My thoughts, exactly. I’m so blah with the DVD’s. I feel ridiculous lots of times, and I’m the same way with most yoga DVD’s. I have to be in a studio where the instructor can tell me if I’m misaligned or not lifting high enough. Then there’s the whole group feeling. If and when I’m up north, you can bet your butt I’ll come to a class. I’m not writing off barre…just those DVD’s. lol
Yessssss. Make fitness your OWN. Do it because you LOVE it. If you don’t love ‘it’ (whatever ‘it’ might be), find what you WILL love it and then make it your own. Couldn’t agree more. (and ps. realllllly wish I could fly you up here to take a class with usssssss, I know you’d love an in-studio barre class, I KNOW it..hehe you knew I’d say that though!!)
xoxo
Haha, you need to see my reply to Jo. She said something similar. I knew you two would respond the way you did, in regards to taking a physical, in-person class. I want to. The classes here are so far away. I just couldn’t wrap my brain/energy/love around the DVD’s. (Sigh. I wanted to. Oh well.)
If you made a shirt that said “Running is badass”, I would totally buy it. Just sayin
Love this post! I totally agree with what you say and I tell people all the time “you don’t have to run just because I do and it works for me. Find what works for you, what YOU enjoy.” Now, that barre DVD intrigues me, I need to go google that…
BEST HASHTAG EVER!! I find my fit in lots of ways. And it’s true, it’s FITTING! No need to conform. yes?
LOVE YOU!
Great post. I just recently came across your blog and so far, love it! I am all about finding “your fitness style.” I am currently getting started on a blog (fitnessmommystyle.com) and hope to get my PT in the future to inspire those that I can! My style is my business Alaska Fit Mommies (a stroller fitness group) and i love it… thats my style! I look forward to reading more of what you have to say!
I love your post!! I am not sure I have found my fit yet, and every time I think I am getting close something in life changes and I have to start over again. I tried journaling a couple of times but I end up giving up or forgetting about it after a few weeks. I love running and weight workouts, however my current living abroad situation doesn’t allow for that. So I am not sure where my fit is… I want to run a half marathon but training seems to be impossible in a graduate students life style…still working on my fit.
Love this post
I know what you mean about what works for one might not work for others. We just need to stop comparing ourselves to everyone and be comfortable and comfident that what we’re doing is working for us. I love running and I just can’t understand people who can’t get on with it. But then I despise workout DVDs, I just can’t motivate myself standing in my living room flailing around. But then some people love them and do them all the time!
Love love love this! Do YOU! So true. It has to be what works, motivates, and inspires each person. Otherwise it just won’t work.
Ooh! I’ve got one! Personal Training and Coaching (the latter seems to be treated as mandatory for triathletes). I have a hard enough time fitting in all the workouts I want to do without having to keep a given appointment time. I never really liked paying someone to tell me what to do when it’s my body doing all the sweating either. That’s not to say I never get help or take a class or anything, and I’m well aware of the advantages professional help can convey but FOR ME, fitness/training is DIY venture.
Seems like every post you’ve written lately I’ve been exclaiming “Amen”
Totally agree on finding your fit … for me, I’ve always preferred running/walking outdoors over pretty much anything else. Which is why it killed me (figuratively) when my GP told me after severe shin splints last fall to stick to the exercise bike once they healed. Umm, I don’t want to stare out a window (or at a tv or my smart phone) or sit on a bike going nowhere ALL the time to get exercise! (Not to mention it bugs my knees from time to time). I like my lone workouts at my convenience, although, if a yoga, barre, or crossfit place was closer than an hour away (or in the case of yoga, offered in the evenings/on weekends locally), I’d attend classes periodically just to mix it up, especially during the baking hot Texas summers!
Love this. It has to be YOUR own path and YOUR own journey. That’s the most important thing. And each of our journeys are different. This is totally at the forefront of my mind right now because I’m trying to decide on a yoga teacher training course and there are so many different styles and approaches and feelings in a yoga studio. A huge part of my process right now if figuring out what is going to work for me – not just what someone else says about the training. xox
Yay to looking into a yoga teacher program!!! You’d be fabulous as an instructor, I know it! And your approach is super smart. I love it. If you’re not into the program and it’s not right for you, it’ll show in your practice and your students.
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