Who wants to be fit and hot? It sounds like the millionaire question, right? Of course everybody wants to be fit and attractive, but very few of us have the time, determination or patience to reach our goals. Why is that? The reply is life. It has the tendency of getting in the way, and when your body does not move that much, you can easily get as lazy as I am, or better, was. Plus the term comfort food has a lot of appealing qualities that are difficult to escape.
But there is a good news. Friends can really help you getting fit and take you where your willpower alone can’t.
No pain no gain? No, thank you
Years ago Carlo was an athlete, and he was fit as hell. He used to train 5 times a week for a couple of hours almost every evening.
I honestly could not understand how strong his willpower was. Sweating and suffering that much just for fun? Unthinkable. Getting fit cannot be fun. It is painful.
Of course the results in the fit area were, and still are quite impressive, but as what motivates me is not pain, so I could not commit to the same, intense workout without making it look like torture in my mind. I was seeking pleasure, so the two things in my mind could not be linked together. Ever.
What did not help was that I have never seen any member of my family exercise in their entire lives. Sure, they had quite a physical job, but definitively the word “sport” was not in their vocabulary, therefore I was never introduced to any sort of physical activity or team sport as such when I was younger.
I mainly lived my life doing some aerobics and general gym to be decent and fit enough to wear a bikini in summer. Having not grown up by the sea and in Italy where everybody stares at you, this little physical exercise would have never happened.
In short, my philosophy in life was “move when you get too unfit“. If you really really have to.
So “laziness” has been my second name until the fear of turning 40 and my best friend knocked at my door almost simultaneously. Thank goodness.
Getting fit again having fun. Together
I have been trying any diet, training at home, exercise bike, tutorials on yoga, Pilates, and Zumba you can imagine. Nothing sticks for a time long enough to become a habit or to change my sedentary lifestyle. After a couple of weeks, everything I try, and I am really enthusiastic about, goes in the an overlarge box labelled “waste of money“.
For me there are 2 words that can lead to change. Pleasure and social engagement.
My best friend just caught me in a guilty state of mind and that did the trick. How? Few months ago we had to move and we found a new home in front of 2 health and fitness clubs. Literally in front. So no excuses, no procrastination allowed, she dragged me in one of them and I joined in with her.
I now find that I can do things I could have dreamed of just a month ago. My legs are more toned, my mood and my energy level have improved. I can see results. I even tried my first ever spinning class and, surprise surprise, I loved it. I was sweating and short of breath to the point of being a dangerous shade of purple, but I truly loved it. I was with my friend and we were silently pushing each other to get through it.
How all of this is possible? I made a commitment to my friend to get fit within 6 months and if I can let down myself and then beat myself up for that it is ok, but I would never do that to a friend. The gain you can have is much more than the pain and the results can be amazing.
I am actually having fun and I miss working out when I have to skip a class. Incredible but true I go even when my friend can’t. It is rare, but it happens.
Miss lazy has gone and welcome miss fit-to-be!
Celebrate your body by getting fit again. There is nothing better that the feeling that your soul and your body are fit and work together to enjoy life. The fitter you are the sexier you will feel and look.
Make a commitment to your best friend today and get that bottom moving. Now.
Let us know what worked for you in getting fit again by leaving a comment below.