By Chinups_and_Cupcakes | March 27, 2015

A few weeks ago, I wrote the “Enough with the Excuses” post. I got a tremendous amount of positive feedback from you guys on that one and about 280 views that week, so thank you all for continuing to read and share Chinups & Cupcakes! This blog has become one of the greatest blessings in my life and I’m so thankful to be able to share it with you. I’m bringing this up because I was asked an excellent question shortly after publishing that post that I found extremely interesting. (REMEMBER: I LOVE QUESTIONS! They force me to use my noggin.)

Reader said, “That post made me realize that I make excuses, especially pertaining to getting to the gym. The problem is that I just lack the motivation to get there because I don’t enjoy it. Do you think that I can learn to like working out? What makes you like it?” I REALLY wanted to do a blog post answering this question because:

1: I think it’s a fantastic and valid question

2: I think it can apply to a wide range of people.

I’m going to answer it in a minute, but first I want to go over a few things. Making yourself go to the gym, especially when you’re first starting out is definitely difficult. However, clearly there was a reason that you made the decision to join the gym in the first place. I remember what it was like when I joined (Planet Pizza?) at 17. LOL. Anyway, I didn’t have any idea what I was doing. I thought I’d get made fun of. I didn’t put in the effort because I didn’t enjoy it. I was going through the motions, but there was no real passion. I didn’t have any real goals other than the fact that I wanted to look better. I didn’t like working out. So what changed? and when?

The moment it changed for me… was the day that I realized I was actually getting stronger. My passion was born on the weight bench in my 95 degree garage in the middle of a Florida summer. I was able to actually put weight on the barbell that I was benching. I used to give Josh and my dad such a hard time… I’d say, “Nooo, I’m not gonna bench with you guys because it’s pointless to just do the bar. There’s no point. I’d just look stupid.” (WHAAAAT?!) Bahaha. I said that, I really did. See, at that point in my life I was one of those people that believed working out was easy, that, it just wasn’t for me. I was embarrassed to just bench the bar, but what I didn’t understand at the time was that EVERYONE started with the bar. YOU HAVE TO START SOMEWHERE. I would refuse to do shrugs because I didn’t want to become a no neck (facepalm). Nowadays, I feel an absurd amount of joy when my traps come out to play or I catch a glimpse of bicep or shoulder pump. Does that make me vain? I dont know. Maybe. Do I care? No. Not really. I’ve put in a lot of effort for those “wittle guys”. See, I began to enjoy it more as I made progress. You have to give these things time. You know the saying, “you have to learn to walk before you can run?” The same thing applies to working out. You have to bench press the bar (that weighs 45lbs on it’s own, by the way…) before you can add weight to it.

It took me a while to notice that I was actually getting somewhere but once I realized it, I was HOOKED. My progress turned into PASSION. I loved the feeling of achievement I felt from setting a new record. I fell so in love with it that I’ve literally dedicated my life to helping others feel what I felt that first day I noticed progress. That’s how much it impacted me. I have that much faith in it, and I believe you can feel the same way.

So why do I like working out? Here’s my answer. I like the way that it makes me feel (physically, mentally and emotionally.) I feel healthier, more focused and more productive. I’m happier, quicker, stronger and more confident. I think more clearly, and it’s taught me patience. Breaking my personal records has become something I crave and when I do, it’s nothing but pure bliss and raw satisfaction. I’ve never been so passionate about something in my life. There are days that I dread working out, but you know what? 95% of the time, I do it anyway. 9 times out of 10, those are the days that I set PRs. It’s not so much the act that I love, it’s the benefits that follow the act. Although I do really, REALLY love the act of it too 😉

So are you one of the many, many people that don’t like working out? If you are, you’ve probably asked yourself the same question my reader asked me, but let me ask you this. Do you enjoy going to work everyday? Do you enjoy paying your bills? Do you enjoy doing chores and cleaning the house? Doubtful. I’m gonna give you a harsh truth. Sometimes, there are things we MUST do, even if we don’t enjoy it. We don’t HAVE to like everything we do, sometimes we just HAVE to do it. Do you like getting your paycheck? Do you like having power, water and cable, even if you don’t like paying the bills? Do you enjoy living in a clean, organized house? Probably. You don’t have to enjoy the act of working out but I promise that once you realize all of it’s benefits, you’ll understand. You’d probably even agree that it’s kind of growing on you. Would you enjoy feeling stronger, slimmer and healthier? I bet you would. My answer is YES. You can and will learn to like it, you just have to keep at it. Feeling comfortable in your own skin is worth every moment of feeling discomfort at the gym. Trust me. Give it time. You never know… it could become your new found passion.

^^^ That’s basically God telling you that if you’re smart, you’ll do your squats. LOL. But seriously. Do your squats.

Until next time…