Excerpt from Rachel Krause‘s great blog post:
Both Ford and fellow trainer Judy Kuan agree that being social while working out—going with a friend, or taking a group class—is instrumental in actually enjoying the workout. That’s the key: You have to find a way to enjoy something just a little bit—really, the bare minimum of enjoyment. You’re never, ever going to do anything you absolutely hate. I hate dance classes, so you will never see me at one of those, sorry to say.
Also! Take it easy. “Let’s say my client hates burpees because they get out of breath and nauseous,” says Kuan, “I’m definitely avoiding burpees when we first start training, and will slowly introduce ‘build-up’ exercises so that when I do introduce them, their body is ready for it and their minds are open to it.” This addresses one of my biggest challenges, which is the fact that I only think of working out as going hard. I can go to the gym and jog slowly on the treadmill for 15 minutes and then lie on the floor for an additional 15 until I’ve built up some endurance and am ready to do more. It’s OK.
The idea that I can start small and work toward bigger things is encouraging to me. It means I don’t have to feel like an abject failure if I can’t totally crush a SoulCycle class or run a five-minute mile tomorrow, even if I could when I weighed less than 90 pounds and did two hours of cardio a day like a f*cking lunatic.
Read more here.