I Never Wanted to Exercise
If you told high school me I’d be a fitness trainer, I would have laughed in your face.
Seriously, I was the girl eating Doritos chips on my bed watching my best friend do sit-ups and donkey kicks on the floor. She already had most girls’ dream bodies: petite, thighs that didn’t squish together, and I had cellulite thighs that had probably never not touched.
She said, “Come on, Danielle, do these with me; they are good for you.”
To which I said, “You don’t need to do those; you’re already fit.”
“Come on, it’s good for you.”
“Come on, eat a Dorito; it’s good for you,” I said.
I loved being lazy.
I loved lying flat and watching her and the TV and anything entertaining.
I loved food.
I still love these things!
Anyway, that girl was slowly convinced by my friend to try some kind of movement.
We did a handful of Tae Bo workouts, and after 15 minutes I’d collapse on the couch with fatigue.
She was always cheering me on, telling me how exercise was good for me. I believed her, but I wanted nothing to do with the fitness life.
I got tricked into going to Bikram yoga by my creative writing teacher my junior year of high school.
I fell in love with the challenge.
It was me against me.
It was impossible pose after impossible pose followed by rest.
I loved the rest.
Most of the time I went to class just because I knew at the end I’d get to relax.
This is why, as a personal trainer, I end all of my sessions in some type of resting position.
I’m not down with the no pain no gain mentality.
Do you need to adapt to discomfort?
Yes.
Do you need to push past the complaining mind?
Absolutely.
Do you have to feel wrecked after every workout?
Nope, that’s optional!
I am sharing this story to remind you that fitness doesn’t have to be an intense marathon if that’s not something that motivates you or that you are training for.
Fitness doesn’t have to be Zumba dance classes if you hate dancing, or running long distances if you hate running or have knees and ankles that hate running.
Maybe you enjoy walking or hiking or biking or swimming.
Maybe you enjoy the challenge of various yoga poses or Muay Thai kickboxing.
Maybe you like tennis or soccer or volleyball or racquetball or pickleball or some other sport.
The goal isn’t to do all of these things—unless you want the challenge of training for some kind of athletic event.
The goal is to create an enjoyable fitness routine your 17-year-old self would approve of. Here’s what I tell myself every day:
Do what you can
Move your body in ways that feel good to you
Learn about your body
Challenge yourself
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Explore what kind of movement your body and mind enjoy
Do what you need to do to thrive
Develop a growth mindset, not because that’s been popularized but because you enjoy growing, changing, and seeing new results that matter to you
Move with function, with strength, and with confidence, with stability
Appreciate your body, everything it has lived through, and everything it does for you each day
Love Always,
Danielle Mallett
