Last week, I was talking about things and stuff with a friend of mine, when the subject of working out came up. How, she wondered, do you find “the thing”? What she meant was, how do you find that one kind of movement or exercise that you really love? How do you go from working out because you’re supposed to, to working out because you want to?
No, Kurt Russell, that’s not The Thing we mean.
The bottom line? You have to try stuff out. That’s really the key to finding what inspires and motivates you. Maybe running is torture for you. Try power walking! Maybe you aren’t bendy enough for yoga, but Pilates makes you feel strong and amazing. Machines not moving you a the gym? Try free weights. There are so many ways to incorporate physical activity into your life – from belly dancing to basketball, from the elliptical to boxing – that there is probably something out there that you’re really going to love. You just have to try a lot of things until you find “the thing.”
One of the dozens of pairs of sneakers I’ve worn out over the miles.
For me, for a long time, “the thing” was walking really, really fast for a really, really long time. I started power walking in 2007, and since then I’ve completed 11 half marathons. Walking long distances made me feel powerful and strong. But then my legs, which had carried me for hundreds and hundreds of miles, decided they’d had enough. Well, my right leg in particular. And pretty soon I was injured more than I was not. When I severely sprained my ankle last fall, it really solidified for me that it was time – at least for awhile – to find another “the thing.”
Sometimes you love a thing so much, you do it even when it’s wicked cold out.
Now I swim. I swim at least three times a week, and those minutes in the pool are among the best of my days. This is a whole new way for me to feel powerful and strong. I feel so lucky to have found another thing that I love just as much (and right now, even more) than walking. And my leg and ankle are very grateful for the extended vacation.
This is the closest thing I could find to a photo of me in the water.
The truth is, you might never find “the thing” that works for you. Hopefully, you will find some form of movement that you at least don’t loathe, but you may never find passion for something physical. And that’s okay. As they say in Avenue Q: “Maybe you’ll never find your purpose. Lots of people don’t.” Even if you never end up finding “the thing,” that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to appreciate exercise for all the benefits it brings you. All you can do is try.
I wonder what these puppets like to do for exercise?
