“The worst workout is the one you did not do!”
I’ve come across a common theme in training not just clients, but those who had an interest in exercise and fitness. Daily I get this question:
“I’m not sure what to do today, my legs don’t feel like it, I didn’t get much sleep last night”
…and the list goes on.
As a younger trainer, I used to have the mindset that it was okay to accept these precursor ideas of individuals. It still is okay to engage with people about these conversations, but doing so puts me at risk of going down “the rabbit hole” and eventually allowing the individual to give themselves affirmation to not engage in physical activity.
Don’t get me wrong!
Everybody experiences different obstacles and barriers in life differently. It is critical to have compassion with someone who is “a little bit off”. But at what point do I as a trainer draw that line in the sand? And at what point as an individual do you identify a hurdle that you are choosing not to jump over?
Over time, when someone has approached me about an obstacle in their way, “I will do this task tomorrow instead of today” (for example), I began reminding that individual of “The Why”.
Why did we start in the first place if we are not going to follow through and finish all the way to the end to the best of our abilities?
Giving this response typically leaves the individual fumbling to put the words together to create their next “excuse”. Because of that, it’s easy to enter a “fight or flight” response.
When we hold one another accountable, depending on the type we are interacting with, there is typically a sense of pride or ego that gets in the way. This is why how we approach one another is so important. Because it is common to see individuals go from a flight response (the excuse) to a fight response (pressured, trying to avoid the conflict by deflection).
Now, after listening to someone who is struggling to find the motivation to pursue an activity, I meet them where they are and find some commonality with them. This shows on my end a sense of understanding and that it’s okay to not feel okay. It’s normal actually.
But I will always reassure everyone of this simple phrase:
The worst workout is the one you did not do!
And my rationale is this:
I have never had someone tell me they were glad they decided not to exercise today. I have never had someone tell me they wish they did less. And I have never had someone tell me they feel better from not doing something.
Because what it boils down to is consistency, in the gym, in the kitchen, and in your life. It boils down to attendance, where sometimes the hardest part indeed is just making it to the gym. It boils down to the investment in yourself, where knowing that doing something is better than doing nothing.
At the end of the day, you are either moving forward or backward in almost all aspects of life. If you are not doing the little consistent things daily to progress, it will become easier every day to miss out, make excuses, and regress backward.
It is up to us individually to establish healthy habits (make time to exercise, focus on our nutrition, put the social media down and pick up a book, have a set sleep schedule/ routine, make time for self-care daily, surround our minds and bodies with positives, taking that extra walk, etc), and the most important habit to establish is an active one.
In my opinion, this is why the worst workout you can possibly do is the one you never actually did. Because, if you are willing to skip out on a physical and positive challenge, what else are you willing to make excuses for in your life?
