6 Tips To Help Make Training More Enjoyable (Or Less Miserable)

I get it - not all of us like to exercise. I swear I’m not one of those trainers who thinks everybody should love it as much as I do (and sometimes I don’t even love it). I believe some people find more joy in expressing themselves physically than others…and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

But, whether we like it or not, we all should exercise and/or move our bodies in some way, shape, or form. Below are six tips to (hopefully) help make training a little more bearable for you:

1.) Find a buddy. This will both keep you accountable and add a social component to training. BUT, don’t just pick anyone - find someone who you know will keep you motivated and who you look forward to spending time with.

2.) Find your favorite form of exercise/ exercise. Ideally, everyone (with the exception of certain special populations) should try to touch on every form of fitness (strength training, cardiovascular training, flexibility training, etc.), but there are multiple ways to approach each one of these categories. If you would rather bike than run, then bike. If you would rather do a class than lift on your own, find a class that you like. Even further, if there is one exercise that you thoroughly enjoy and feel empowered doing (ie. bulgarian split squats….said no one ever), then you can base your training around that exercise. As long as you supplement with exercises that will balance your program, there is no reason that you can’t. Essentially, don’t do something that makes you want to gauge your eyes out, because that’s not typically a recipe for sustainability.

3.) Make it competitive. Whether this is with yourself, a partner, or a group, competition can always pull a little more out of us than we think we have. If it’s with yourself, I advise tracking your progress on a certain exercise/challenge and giving yourself goals to do better than you have previously. Simple as that.

4.) Change your mindset. I know…easier said than done, but check out my previous blog post on the importance of mindset in exercise. If we view exercise with gratitude rather than as a chore, it can completely change our relationship with it. 

5.) Embrace the suck. Exercise is hard, and it should be. Understanding that we have to get through the moments that feel like a 2/10 to get to the moments that feel like a 10/10 is what gets me through a lot of tough sessions. We should always aim to do at least one challenging thing per day, and one of these things can be exercise. 

6.) Find the right environment for you. My daily goal as a trainer is to create an environment that my clients feel comfortable and confident in. I want them to want to come back. I do this simply through positivity and by taking a genuine interest in their health and them as people. From there, we can get to work. If you haven’t found a place that you look forward to coming back to, keep looking. I genuinely believe there is a place out there that caters to everyone’s individual needs.  

Okay, go exercise!

Stephanie Spoto, CSCS