What Floats Your Boat?

A couple months ago I wrote a blog “Motivation Comes and Goes Like a Bad Mood” which made the point that we’re creating healthy habits rather than waiting around for some elusive wave of motivation to come and wash over us. And it’s true that creating a habit of exercise will increase the likelihood you’ll actually do it.

But we can do even better than that.

Exercise can be a ton of kick-ass fun too!

If that hasn’t been your experience before then you’re in for quite a treat! The way you tap into the fun is by figuring out what floats your boat. That is, what kind(s) of exercise do you find pleasurable? Don’t worry if you don’t know the answer to that question right now. We’re going to look at several in the coming weeks.

Understand though, we’re not talking about “fun” in the same way that watching the big game or having girls’ night out with your gal pals is fun. I mean “fun” as in challenging, stimulating, exciting, exhilarating. That kind of fun. The kind where you feel a sense of accomplishment at the end. The kind where you feel a bit of bravado afterwards because you just did something pretty damn amazing.

Yeah, that kind of fun.

That kind of fun is addictive. Simply, it is a rush.

That rush transforms exercise from something you “should” do into something you can’t wait to do!

Here’s how it works for me: I get bored really easily. My workouts need to be mentally challenging, not just physically challenging. For that reason I like swimming and yoga – both require my full attention as I need to be very aware of my body position and good form.

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I also like moving towards a goal. Training for specific events meets this need for me. Whether it’s a marathon or a bike race, I like the build up and structure of a specialized regimen. This strategy works because each workout is progressively more difficult. The workouts build on one another; my progress is cumulative. I don’t want to miss a workout because each one is vitally important to my overall goal.

But this might not work for you. Maybe you’re motivated to move in ways that are more artistic or creative. Perhaps ballroom dancing does it for you. Or belly dancing! Maybe you like the camaraderie of a spinning class or the solitude of being out on the water, sculling at dawn.

Ultimately it’s less important what you do than why you do it.

The specific workout(s) you do will change over time. You may move away from your favorite Zumba studio. Or you get injured running (Ahem. Me.)

What’s more important is that you figure out what rocks your world. What makes you come back for more.

So giddy up, my friends! There’s a boatload of good stuff out there to help you torch some calories and earn your swagger. But you know what I always say:

“Ain’t nobody gonna hand it to you, you gotta go get it!”