My New, Sustainable Approach to Fitness

Fitness has been part of my life for as long as I remember. Younger Chloe genuinely loved to exercise. I would challenge myself to how long I could hold a wall sit or plank during commercial breaks just for fun. As I entered high school and college, fitness became less enthusiastic for me. It’s not that I had an unhealthy relationship with exercise, but it was definitely harder to find the motivation to work out, and wall sits certainly were not as easy as they used to be. I spent plenty of time reflecting on this and trying to find the way back to my old mindset. I tried various fitness programs, getting more sleep in hopes of increasing my energy levels, binged motivating videos on YouTube, but it wasn’t until recently that I found a long-term solution.

The trick was a change in my mindset in two significant ways. The first was the shift from viewing exercise as something I had to do to something that I am thankful I get to do because that means I can move my body. The thought of not being able to exercise is terrifying, and I never want to take for granted that I am blessed to have the ability to work out. I’ve heard people say that exercise should be seen as a celebration of what your body can do, rather than a punishment, and that is a game-changer.

The second, and arguably more impactful change has to do with my perception of the quality of workouts. Formerly, I had an all-or-nothing mentality: either I have an amazing, hour and a half long workout that leaves me super sore tomorrow, or it’s not worth it to work out at all. This is so far from true. Don’t get me wrong, I still love those kinds of workouts, but I see a walk or a low-intensity circuit as just as valuable. I have become a strong believer in the idea of getting some form of movement each day, no matter how small. This is a sustainable way to stay consistent, and the health benefits are numerous. I hope this relaization helps you as much as it helpd me!