A common question I get is, “Have you always been a fitness person?” My answer is usually, “I played sports as a kid, but never really worked out outside of sports until I started at Lincoln Nutrition & Fitness.”
While I enjoyed playing sports, I rarely enjoyed the workouts that came with them. It took over 20 years of not being a fitness person and 10+ years of trying to be one to truly understand the purpose of fitness in my life and how it can benefit others. During this journey, I encountered people who fell into the category of “fitness haters.” They hated working out, thought it sucked, and believed it just wasn’t for them.
Some of these fitness haters were my closest friends, which made it difficult for me to connect with them as I was on the path to making fitness my life by becoming a coach. I saw the benefits of CrossFit and wanted everyone I cared about to experience it and love it as much as I did. Looking back, I realize I may have made them hate fitness even more…
Taking what I know now about why people might “hate” fitness, I’d approach it differently. Here are a few reasons why someone might dislike fitness:
- They had a bad experience in school where they were embarrassed or forced to play a sport.
- They saw the types of people portrayed in the media who didn’t look or act like them.
- The only people they knew who worked out weren’t very nice and always smelled like protein powder.
- They might have tried working out themselves but were doing it wrong.
At the end of the day, fitness improves every aspect of your life. There is plenty of science behind the idea that movement benefits your physical and mental health. I’ll leave the science to the experts and focus on how you can enjoy fitness and not hate it.
Over the years, I’ve learned that some activity is better than none. So instead of trying to force CrossFit on my friends, I should have invited them to go for a walk or celebrated their bike rides. As a coach and a friend, I want everyone to find a way to move each day that they enjoy. If someone hates fitness, they’re likely approaching it the wrong way. Instead, they should take a step back and find something they enjoy—something that makes them look forward to moving rather than something they do just to lose weight.
Like a relationship, fitness takes time to develop. Start small—maybe 10 minutes once a week. Give yourself room to build and grow. If you hate the first thing you try, switch it up. Try something you look forward to, knowing that you’re working to improve all aspects of your life.
Now, as a coach, it’s my job to get people to join CrossFit and encourage them to come regularly. I’ve found the most success by creating an environment where people enjoy themselves and look forward to coming. It might only be once a week at first, but soon enough, they’ll crave it and want to come more. If they end up hating it, I encourage them to find another form of movement they enjoy.
If you hate fitness or your current routine, branch out and try something new. If that’s CrossFit, I’m here to help, and our community is the perfect place to start. If it’s a dance class or Jiu-Jitsu, that’s awesome too! I’d love to hear about it.
Coach Emily
If CrossFit is something you want to try, Click Here for more conversation about getting started!