Are You Making a Good Match?

At a recent meeting I attended we discussed what kinds of activities we like to do and what makes a particular activity or type of exercise a good fit for us as individuals.

I know from personal experience, that I am not likely to stick with something that takes a lot of effort for me to ‘get there’, unless it is something I reallly love to do.  I will drive to a golf course to warm up and play 18 holes.  But I will not drive to a gym to work out, or to a swimming pool to do laps.  Showering and changing clothes is something I would just rather do at home.

At one time I did a session of Jazzercise with a friend, and a couple of sessions of ballet lessons with that same friend.  Those were really fun outings so I put up with getting ready to go and the driving… but I also have done ciruit traiining on my lunch hour with a work friend and hated the rush to walk there, do the circuit, and then shower and head back to work.

So how do you know if an exercise or a workout or a physical activity is a good match for you?


It is right for you if:

• you look forward to it
  
• you lose track of time while you are doing it
  
• you want to extend it; you want it to carry on longer
  
• you hate to miss it
  
• you love the way it makes you feel physically and/or mentally
  
• you get a sense of accomplishment and self worth from it

It is not right for you if:

• you make excuses to avoid doing it
  
• you watch clock throughout and wish it were over
  
• you don’t put any real effort into it
  
• you don’t care how it turns out
  
• you feel cranky/uncomfortable afterwards
  
• you have a medical condition that is aggravated by the activity
  
• it causes pain
  
• you don’t care for the way it makes you feel about yourself
  
• it costs too much
  
• you just don’t engage mentally or physically

It may deserve another chance if:

• you sometimes feel reluctant but go anyway
  
• you don’t look forward to it but like how you feel afterward
  
• you feel it is doing good things for you
  
• you like the people you are doing the activity with or the atmosphere of the venue
  
• you experience muscle soreness at first but you want to keep trying
  
• it seems hard but not impossible and you can see yourself improving

Let’s face it.  All workouts and activities are not for all of us.  And sometimes you change your mind about things, or your body changes which causes you to look at new options… or a friend introduces you to something new that you thought you would never try.

Or you just get burned out and need a change, or some new challenge.

Be open to new experiences… don’t limit yourself with labels and stop wasting time and energy doing things you don’t really like to do.   There is too much out there that is fun so find a few things you love to do, and go get it!

What makes a good fit for you?

Are there any thing that make an activity just not worth it?  Cost?  Distance?  Gear? Weather?