Read This Article, Published on CNN

Woman who likes working out standing on mountaintop on one leg.
Since I’m an active person, many people assume I like working out, and that this has always been the case. But that’s not so. Yet it’s not inaccurate, either. I’ve always enjoyed riding my bike, for example, and walking. Both my junior high and high school were just under 2 miles (3.2 km) from my house, so I was walking at least 4 miles (6.4 km) a day, Monday through Friday.

That being said, I never really enjoyed gym class. Sure, I liked certain sports – volleyball and badminton, for example – but I wasn’t super talented at them, which annoyed the more athletic people on my team. Gym class became one of those classes I just gritted my teeth through.

Learning to Like Working Out

I don’t want to ruin what’s in the article, so I won’t say too much about how I ended up enjoying exercise. Let’s just say it happened when I was an adult, and it happened accidentally. I was lucky, as we all now know how important it is to be active. 

Because it’s so important, I urge everyone to keep trying to find something you enjoy doing. At first, you may just need to find something you don’t hate doing. Something you can tolerate. Perhaps this activity will eventually become one you love. If it doesn’t, try something else. The important part is to keep trying until you find something you can do regularly. If it ends up being walking, that’s fine. Walking is a great form of exercise!

Don’t be afraid to change things up, either. At one point in time, I was big into step aerobics. Then I loved stability ball classes. When I wasn’t able to run as often as I used to, due to age and hamstring issues, I began hiking a lot more. When COVID started, I began doing Les Mills online classes at home, which I’ve gotten hooked on. They’re also great when you’re on the road. 

Good luck in your exercise journey!

©2018 Melanie McManus – All Rights Reserved

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