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How To Ditch Your Tamad Side And Force Yourself To Love Working Out

It's all about changing your expectations.
by Ysa Singson
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June 02, 2017
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The sad truth is, most women spend ~too much~ of our precious time stressing over weight. I don’t just mean how we internally punish ourselves for our guilty pleasures—we literally waste decades worrying about being too fat. And because so much of our self-talk involves hate and ugliness, we hold ourselves back even we attempt to do something about our health and wellness.

For example, whenever we try to lose weight—which shouldn’t be the main goal of your wellness journey, btw—we quit when we don’t see fast results. Again, this is because we’re too focused on the number we see on the scale.

Furthermore, according to a study published in the journal BMC Public Health, women believe that to have a real workout, the exercises have to be “seriously heart-pumping and sweat-inducing,” which is the complete opposite of the “relaxing” feeling most of us want during their free time.

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Think about it: Whenever somebody invites you to try a workout class after work, you probably declined because you were too tired and just wanted to relax, right? Or maybe there was too much pressure involved in committing to a class or a membership?

Michelle Segar, the lead author of the study, found that what most women really want is to have meaningful connections, feel free of pressure, and achieve their short- and long-term goals. The funny thing is, those are the exact things active women get from working out!

Being active doesn’t always mean going hard at the gym for hours. Segar told Health.com, “The new recommendations for physical activity really open the door for people to pretty much do anything that works for them. Women need to give themselves permission to use physical activity as a way to relax—to get together with friends or loved ones and take a leisurely stroll, simply because being active and outdoors boosts their mood and makes them feel good.”

TL;DR: You don’t have to suffer and hate what you’re doing for it to be valid. 

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