Why am I so horrible at fitness and exercise?

Arnold Schwarzenegger
Not me. Never will be…

I think, like most people, I start off with good intentions. I make a commitment to eat better, and exercise regularly, and for the first few weeks, I am pretty good about it. Android and Apple apps are bought and installed, and perhaps a gym membership is purchased…oh yeah, and some home exercise equipment. And I start an exercise routine or regiment religiously.

And then it all falls apart. Usually somewhere around the 4 to 6 week mark.

I’m not alone, for sure. There are probably thousands of people out there like me who start off with good intentions and then within a few weeks, or months, everything seems to stop – despite having invested time and money.

Why?

Perhaps the question should be, why do I feel the need to exercise? Is it guilt? Or is this something I truly want to do? One would think if it’s something that I “want” to do, then I should be more motivated to do it. After all, I don’t feel any guilt throwing money around on programs, instructors, apps and similar that I just don’t keep up on. 

Unfortunately, I think part of it comes from the so called “exercise routine”. The problem…is they are routine. They get boring. And from what I’ve read, simply repeating the same exercises over and over isn’t really good for your muscles because they remember the routine and don’t grow as much as if you switched things up a little bit. I guess that makes sense.

I have been collecting a ton of exercises from articles and snippets based on areas such as core, abs, legs, chest, arms, etc. And I do them for a little while, then I go on to the next thing. First it was pushups daily, then squats, deadlifts, etc. You name it. And while those exercises have formed some sort of exercise routine and they have worked (sort of) I only stay with them for a short time. Sometimes I plateau. Sometimes I just get tired of them or bored.

Yeah, attention span for exercises is REAL. 

Why do I want to exercise in the first place? 

Weight loss? No, not really. Perhaps weight maintenance. Weight loss is in the kitchen and the key is nutrition, eating the right foods more often, cutting the sweets and bad sugars, and moderation.

Strength, endurance? Yeah, that’s part of it. 

I think it is really to just feel better, or at least feel good! Feel healthier. Release stress. Exercising releases endorphins. After exercise I feel great. That’s what it’s all about.

I don’t really want to have an athlete’s body, or look like a muscle head. For starters, it’s a lot of work and dedication. And it won’t necessarily make me happier. I will feel pressure to keep it up, and will probably beat myself up if I start to slip or have an occasional cheat day. That won’t make me happy. Or necessarily healthier. It’s not about body image – it’s about making myself feel my best. And yeah, looking my best too. 

OK. So I know why I want to exercise.  

The next big question before my brain is how…how do I exercise regularly, and stick to it? Do I need an exercise routine after all?

I think that probably requires more of me looking like this:

Megamind
I’m probably closer to this than Arnold when it comes to exercise and fitness.

Developing the perfect exercise routine…for me

Goal: To develop “something” that makes me exercise more consistently in the new year that solves the following problems:

  • Persistent motivation after the first few weeks
  • Cheap, as in, I don’t want to spend any more money
  • Not too stressful or difficult
  • Something that breaks traditional exercise routine (so it’s not routine)
  • Relatively quick, so I can get on with my day
  • Portable, so I don’t have to necessarily be home or at a gym to do it

Challenge accepted. 

 

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