The Cure for Fitness Boredom
Inspire your fitness with this recipe for a more intuitive workout
Stop worrying about “the next level”
I turned 36 last month. I guess that undeniably solidifies me as a “grown ass man”. So far it’s not what I expected…
I thought I was supposed to have an assortment of aches & pains, low energy, a receding hair line, and a beer belly. But I’ve never felt stronger or healthier.
On the other hand, I also thought I was supposed to have life figured out by now. Somehow, I feel like I know less than I did 10 years ago. Now, more than ever, I’m aware that I don’t know a damn thing for certain.
Except for maybe one thing: There is no “next level”. Life is about continually listening, growing, and getting to know yourself.
Embracing that notion, my priorities have shifted. What matters most to me now is lifting up the people around me.
I’m trying to help change the current culture of health & fitness. Shut up about “taking it to the next level”. F*ck exercising. Be a free mover.
Current Status: Fitness Boredom
These days I’m in an interesting spot. I’m the director of programming at a small gym in Milwaukee. I’m caught in the middle of what the market demands and staying true to my own vision of holistic, healthy fitness.
“Factory fitness” (think: fast food gyms) sets the bar miserably low in terms of health. Full access to a room full of machines and weights. Classes or personal training to show you how to fitness. $10 per month.
Two big problems here:
- Consumers see fitness as something you buy, as opposed to something you invest in.
- Consumers compare all services to the cheapest possible option. Quantity of features often outweighs quality of service.
The market creates a set of unrealistic and unhealthy expectations around fitness. “Muscle confusing” excessive workouts AND chasing fast results have become the norm.
People hop from fad to fad but, inevitably, all roads lead to fitness boredom. It’s uninspiring, it’s low quality…and it’s is the current status quo.
I’ve got a different vision…
I want people to think more. (Your fitness is boring because it’s not engaging your mind or your inner kid.)
I want people to check-in and slowly start taking more ownership of how they move and train. Your body is your responsibility — understand it AND take care of it.
I want fitness professionals to get more creative, to challenge their comfort zones, to see human beings (not just bodies), and to be responsive to feedback.
Above all else, I want fitness to be more socially inclusive and relevant to real life. You can only keep chasing PRs for so long before you realize you want to be about something greater than your own ego.
Physically, I’ve been everywhere from lazy to crazy. Now, I advocate for a more balanced and sustainable approach to fitness.
I’m a grown ass man preaching a more mature way to practice. This is fitness for grown folks.
Not aqua aerobics or chair yoga (but that might be your future if you don’t start doing things differently). I mean an approach that’s rooted in growing intuition and listening to the wisdom of your body.
Transform your workouts into an experience that will add life to your years. This is my recipe for more intuitive training; my cure to fitness boredom.
1. Focus on the whole.
Don’t be so quick to break yourself down into parts: body & mind, exercises & muscle groups, cardio & strength. This compartmentalization reduces the body to machinery and constrains your better judgement. The body is an open system that interacts with the environment; respect the complexities. Honor your body by training for quality. Explore a wide array of movements. Vary your intensity based on how you feel — move at a low intensity often and turn up every once in a while.
2. Move in “rich” environments.
Rich for your senses. The environment should spark your curiosity. There should be fresh air, natural light and sounds, a variety of terrain and textures. Grab some friends and go outside — this is your best bet. Make hills, trees, trails, stones, and/or urban architecture part of the session. If it’s not possible, create a rich environment at home or the gym. Outfit your sessions with a mat, something heavy to lift, hang from, balance on, jump to, and something to challenge fine motor skills (ex: juggling). Disregard what fitness is “supposed” to look like. Create a playground for yourself.
3. Check-in with your body.
Take 10-minutes to see check your status. Do some ground movement and see how your body likes it (my YouTube channel will get you started). What’s your mood and energy level? How much more stress do you really need to place on yourself? The key is to listen to your body, not your crazy brain. Sometimes it’ll turn into a 30–60 minute check-in and that will probably serve you a lot better than the HIIT beat down you wanted to do.
4. Explore your space & get creative.
Assuming you’re feeling good to go, get a feel for the environment or start experimenting with movements. Think about how you can best make use of the space and use tools different ways. Explore movement patterns and interacting with the environment. What features of the environment can you leverage? What feels like it flows the best? There is a lot to be gained from unstructured exploration. You made yourself a playground, right? So allow yourself to play.
5. Build your workout around the environment.
As exploration solidifies into practice, focus in on the movements that you’re most drawn to. Keep it simple and work on refining these movements. From here you might start adding in exercises or thinking about working certain muscle groups. The flow of the session should progress and start taking shape, almost like telling a story. It becomes it’s own unique experience because of the environment and your mindset on that day. Ironically, a more mindful and mature way to train ends up looking a lot more like how you used to play as a kid. Everything in cycles.
Change Matters.
That’s it, that’s the recipe. It’s more like throwing together an impromptu dinner than baking a cake. No need for exact measurements, just 2 parts common sense, 1 part thinking outside the box. Pay attention, be adaptable, and it’ll come together.
In my “advanced age”, I’m realizing that slow change is lasting change. Maybe that’s another truth I can come to count on. I feel confident enough in this truth to write about it, make videos about it, teach it, and live it to my best of my ability.
Radical ideas and revolutions are sexy. What could be more epic than tearing down the existing structure and making way for a new regime? Who in their life hasn’t wished for the same kind of escape to a fresh start?
That’s a fairytale though, short sighted and idealistic. Because after the chaos of revolution, order resumes as it was. In time, everything repeats itself. We can find new science, new technology, new elected officials…but if people don’t fundamentally change themselves, nothing really changes.
Change happens from the inside out. It happens when we create space and connect, away from the noise. Change is possible, but it requires our time and our participation.
Moving often and intuitively is a good start. This is fitness for grown folks. And by now it’s probably becoming clear that it’s not really about fitness at all.
But that’s a conversation for another time.
A background is psychology and a passion for Natural Movement led me to create Movement Parallels Life. A blend of self-awareness and nutritious movement. It’s like fitness therapy.
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