“Yes… but it also has to remain enjoyable!” We often hear this from customers, and we understand that remark. Watching your diet isn’t necessarily fun either. When everyone around you is having a glass of wine except for you, it takes effort. Just like how exercising after a long day of work sometimes isn’t enjoyable at all. We get that, truly! Yet, I (Emilio, Head Trainer at BOOST) recently had to ponder this.
I was out for a run, and let me tell you: I don’t enjoy it at all. In fact, I find it extremely boring. I much prefer lifting heavy things and martial arts. However, I engage in conditioning work because I know it’s good for my health. It never occurred to me not to go running that morning. And nowhere did I attach the condition that it had to be fun. Why is that? I came to the conclusion that exercise should also remain enjoyable for me. Just not today. Not now. Not while running.
I find it important to maintain a representative level of fitness for my profession, to not be hindered physically in my daily life. I also find it important to not only live long but also live as vibrantly as possible during these years. Because, honestly, I find all of that quite enjoyable. It should remain enjoyable for me too, but sometimes you have to do things you don’t enjoy so you can later do more things you do enjoy.
Those same customers who say ‘it has to remain enjoyable’ also tell me weekly how unpleasant they find being overweight, having too many aches and pains, or being unfit. That doesn’t sound enjoyable to me. You want it to remain enjoyable, but is it actually enjoyable now? Or should it become enjoyable instead of remaining so? And do you need to put in some extra effort for that?
When you look at it that way, you realize we’re already doing that quite well with many things. Doing your homework wasn’t enjoyable, but if you did well in school, you might now be reaping the rewards. Doing the dishes isn’t enjoyable, but having a dirty kitchen is even less enjoyable. Actually, no aspect of housework is particularly thrilling. But a clean and tidy house is still quite enjoyable! And take something as simple as brushing your teeth. It’s not particularly exciting either. But you do it because you value hygiene.
I don’t want to make you feel guilty about the choices you make. This isn’t a blog to tell you that it’s easy or to tell you that if I can do it, you can too. Our situations are different, after all. I don’t want to judge the choice you make, but I do want to make you realize that every choice has enjoyable and less enjoyable aspects. Because you choose your joy, but you also choose your pain. What do you want? The pain of tonight’s workout or the pain of the consequences of being less fit? Do you want the pleasure of tonight’s Netflix on the couch or the pleasure of living in physical freedom later?
It’s not black and white, and there’s definitely room for both. But are you satisfied with the balance you have? I’m not the one to tell you which choice to make. Choose your pain and choose your joy, and make sure you fully stand behind them. You don’t want to look back later on a life where you left more undone than you thought it was worth, but you also don’t want to look back with regret if the final bill is higher than you expected.
Are you able to live according to your values? In our BOOST Your Life program, we help you with that. With making appropriate choices. Do you need help choosing your pain? And enjoying exercise? Book a trial class with us, and we’ll help you get started.
