It should be no surprise that I love exercise, really love it. But most people don’t. Most people hate working out. And I understand why. It’s because most people set up exercise to feel like punishment. But you can completely change that mindset and start to experience movement as a reward! Aren’t you ready for that?

Do you view exercise as a punishment or a reward?

If you feel like working out is a punishment or penance, it’s not your fault because that’s how it’s marketed. “If you want to have pizza, you better earn it at the gym.” Not only is that statement just plain wrong, it’s also the wrong mindset. You’re not a child who forgot to clean their room and needs to be punished, you’re a grownass adult! And you haven’t done anything wrong. 

When you see exercise as punishment, you’re focusing on how many calories you’re burning compared to how many you ate, how high your heart rate is, how much you're sweating. And that pain becomes a badge of honor.

Stop punishing your body and start cheering for it!

What if you stopped punishing your body and started cheering for it? What if you decided to care for your body and focus on longevity, cardiovascular health, and strength? You deserve to feel amazing. And you deserve to feel proud about what you can accomplish with your body.

When I walked out of the gym today, I felt like Wonder Woman. It was a good day, and a good workout. I felt like a million bucks. And that’s because I began my workout with the end in mind. I knew what I wanted to accomplish and I went into it with purpose. It felt great. It felt like a reward.

Calories, heart rate, and even the amount of weight you lift are useful as data points. You want to be aware of how your body is doing over time. You want to be aware of when you’re fatigued. And you also want to be able to celebrate the days when you’re full of energy and able to really go full steam! But there’s a huge difference between high-fiving yourself for pushing yourself through a 700-calorie workout, and telling yourself that you have to burn 700 calories because you ate pizza yesterday. 

3 ways to change your mindset

So how can you move away from seeing exercise as a punishment?

1. Choose workouts that you actually enjoy. Or try something new. Do you default to exercises that don’t mentally stimulate you? Try something that engages you so that your mind doesn’t wander.
2. Create a purposeful mindset before, during, and after your workout. Do some breathing exercises before you start. Get in the right headspace before just jumping into your workout. 
3. Consciously set goals that have nothing to do with calories or weight. Goal-setting is a powerful tool. And if you want to walk away from a workout feeling like a boss, set a goal that’s focused on performance, on what you’re physically achieving.

Step away from punishment and start approaching your workouts with purpose and with an end result in mind. If you’re not quite sure what that end result should be, then let’s have a conversation and start putting a plan together! Let’s create a workout plan based around things you love to do. Let’s make exercise a reward!