Falling in love is about finding your perfect match and connecting on multiple levels, whether it’s the perfect partner or a workout routine that excites and excites you.
If your fitness routine fails to excite you, follow these tips to ignite a flame that will ignite your passion for training and will help you fall in love with fitness.
READ MORE | 6 tools to boost motivation and achieve your goals
#1. Play the dating game
Finding your fitness soulmate may take some dating. Despite all these, how can you know what’s out there for you unless you play the field (pardon the pun).
And you won’t find your ideal partner by staying in and failing to put yourself out there! Your fitness or sports passion is waiting to be discoveredso put yourself out there, go on a few fitness “dates” to find something that excites you.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and ‘date’ outside your comfort zone! Take part in a bike race, tackle a trail, try a CrossFit class or join a conditioning class. You never know what you might find when you’re brave enough to look!
#2. Find what fuels your passion
Most of us fail to fall in love (or fall in love) with sport and exercise when we engage in an activity simply to achieve a goal or result.
When we choose to fuel our motivation with these external values, we often end up choosing to do things we don’t necessarily like doing in order to achieve an outcome. And This approach is a surefire way for your relationship with your fitness flame to end in a breakupas finding joy is only possible when you achieve the result or reach the destination.
If you want to keep your fitness love affair going, you have to do what you love and love what you do, day in and day out.
When you cultivate that inherent desire to engage in a certain activity because you they love the process and the act itselfnot just the destination, you’ll fuel your love of fitness with a desire to participate in the activity every day, no matter the weather or how you’re feeling.
#3. Love more than what you do
While passion for what you do every day, whether it’s hitting the gym, hitting the road for a run, or hitting the trail on your mountain bike, gets you out the door, creating an appreciation for how these activities make you feel and improve your life will help you fall more deeply in love with your favorite form of exercise.
While it’s great that you love working out at the gym—the environment, the atmosphere, the people—recognizing and recognizing the other ways your fitness flame enriches and enhances your life will help you fall deeper in love.
While looking good is great, how amazing is it to be strong? How does the functional strength that lifting weights or the fitness that other forms of exercise create make you a better person – a better employee, parent, partner, friend?
And don’t forget the rush of endorphins that flood your body after a great workout, which constantly puts you on cloud nine.
When you consider all the features that add to the charm of your chosen fitness partner – less stress, better moods, move better, live with plenty of energy… There are endless reasons to fall in love with fitness over and over again!
Recognizing and accepting these qualities will also help you build your self-esteem and confidence, all of which lead to a place of unconditional self-love. In this context, working out serves a greater purpose: instead of just working out to look fit, exercise is your way to feeling and living fit!
#4. Keep things interesting
Keeping passion and attraction alive in any relationship takes deliberate effort. When you stop looking for ways to keep things interesting in a relationship, you can quickly descend into chaos.
So keep your fitness flame alive with a little spontaneity and creativity.
- Find fun ways to put a new spin on your regular mobility routine with yoga or pilates classes.
- Go to a CrossFit appointment to apply the strength and power you’ve built up in the gym and get some extra conditioning, cross training and functional movement benefits at the same time.
- Take the fitness and stamina you’ve built up on the roads and trails to the OCR course for a serious test of your toughness and resilience.
Find different ways to celebrate your fitness flame testing your strength and fitness will ensure you continue to grow in your relationship.
#5. Find your person (or persons).
Life is often better when you share the love! That’s why immersing yourself in a fitness group or community can add to all the “feels” that come with working out and reaching your goals.
However, don’t get the wrong idea here. There is a place and time for solitude training – we all need that ‘me time’.
But humans are ultimately social creatures, and belonging and a sense of community are basic human needs. And group dynamics are a great way to up the fun factor to fuel your love of fitness!
Working out with a group, whether it’s in a yoga class, in the CrossFit box, or on the road with your training crew or colleagues, allows you to share the experience with other like-minded and equally passionate people, which will create feelings of belonging and companionship and enrich your experience and life.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sports or health and fitness, Pedro is most likely out training for his next marathon or ultramarathon. He has worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms specialist. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.