My Love/Hate Relationship with Fitness – Finding My Own Way

I have always loved staying fit. My health, including mind body and spirit, has always been very important to me. I have been going to the gym for years, and living in Los Angeles, fitness is high on everybody’s agenda – including mine.

When Equinox, one of the “supergyms” opened next door, I enrolled, and I was very excited about working out there. I hired a personal trainer and leaned into my fitness formula of working out and eating that has worked for me in the past. However, this time I noticed that it didn’t work for me emotionally. I also missed my daily hikes in Northern California where I used to spend hours climbing hills and mountains completely exhausting my body.

After years of following a my surefire formula I realized that I didn’t enjoy personal training anymore. I didn’t even enjoy going to the gym at all, I was dragging myself there.

I decided to get back into Barry’s Bootcamp, which is a concept that incorporates interval training of running on a treadmill and working out with weights – a large group of people all perfectly synched to loud music and basked in a nightclub-vibe red light. I can’t quite tell whether I’m working out or partying.

I realized that I wanted a tough workout, one that challenged me, one that stimulated me more than what I could get in the gym. In the gym I wasn’t getting the rewards I get from a particularly hard hike or challenging class. At Barry’s Bootcamp, I was getting stimulated and challenged at so many different levels. I was pushing and challenging my beliefs about my body.

I think most people fail with their fitness goals because they force themselves to do things that are not enjoyable. One solution doesn’t fit all. Find or create your own solution and make your journey both enjoyable and impactful.

When I get up in the morning I get excited about going to Barry’s Bootcamp versus the dread I was feeling when I was going to the gym. It makes all the difference.

What activity may feed your soul? Mine is Barry’s bootcamp and hiking in the nature.