As countless fluorescent pink Lorna Jane singlets will attest, true happiness and personal fulfilment is just a workout away.
We’ve all read the quotes on Instagram.
Go hard or go home. Don’t be average, be awesome. All you gotta do is move, nourish, believe.
Deeply inspirational slogans aside, exercising does improve your life. Science says so. Studies show it can reduce cardiovascular risk, assist in controlling weight, reduce stress, improve mood, overall mental health and even moderate anger.
So why is it that so many of us can’t find the time to exercise regularly?
Typical modern lifestyles don’t really lend themselves to physical activity. If you work a stressful 9 to 5 office job with a whopping long commute, vegging out to Married At First Sight is probably far more appealing than a hectic bout of HIIT after work.
That’s why finding exercise that you actually enjoy is key to getting off your keister.
If the idea that finding pleasure in physical activity is entirely foreign to you, it’s not that you’re lazy; you probably just haven’t found the right sweat-inducing pursuit for you.
We asked some self-confessed reformed couch potatoes of the PEDESTRIAN.TV office what workouts get them out of bed and/or off the La-Z-Boy and into the groove. These are their stories.
Small group training is where it’s at for me. I prefer getting up at dawn’s crack to exercise because then it’s just done and I can be smug for the rest of the day. But I find that if I exercise alone I’m just not motivated. Doing group training with other girlfriends that live in the area means I’m held accountable and I actually get my arse into gear at 6am each day. Also, we get to gossip between burpees which makes the intense levels of sweating all that more bearable.
– Josie, Head of Editorial
I always hated the gym and could never get into it until I discovered F45. The trainers get you so motivated and 45 minutes is the perfect amount of time for a workout. But now I do laps in the ocean because it’s glorious and I am living my best life.
– Anna, Producer
I am severely unfit and eat a burger maybe once – twice a week (three times if I’m particularly self-indulgent). But then I woke up one morning and decided to try that thing called exercise. There was no way I was going to tackle a gym because that would be embarrassing for everyone so I started watching ‘Popilates’ on YouTube. She’s literally the most motivational person ever and I found myself doing her pilates workouts everyday. Proud to say I can now carry all my grocery bags inside in one go.”
– Steff, News Writer
I’ve found the only way I’ll push myself is if I’m trying to win something – I’m talking competitive sport. Give me ANY team competitive sport and I’ll push myself so hard I’ll spew. Maybe this plays into my people pleasing issues but I hate letting ~my team~ down, so I’ll run harder, push myself and pretty much trip someone over in the name of winning a game. Netball is my drug of choice but I’m partial to touch footy, softball and dodgeball too.
– Melissa, Senior Style Editor
My athletic endeavours in high school started and ended with indoor cricket, meaning I entered my late teens barely able to climb stairs without exploding my lungs. So I started running. Then I ran too much, turning me into an emaciated corpseboy. A couple of years back I picked up pretty basic weightlifting, and I’ve since tacked some of that mass back on*. It’s good! My lungs still feel like exploding every now and again, though.
– David, News Editor [*quick editor’s note here, David is swole, he’s just being modest.]
I have always been into team sports because that makes you feel like you ‘have to keep up with everyone else’ but when I finished playing footy, I had no motivation to go to the gym or for a run. I think that’s why a PT works so well – because they push you more than you are going to push yourself. Having said that, they are EXXXY! So I joined a group-fitness style gym (Gymmy Squatz in South Yarra) which is a HIIT workout. That way, I can get both cardio and muscular workouts in, it feels as though I’m a part of a team (as well as kind of having a PT with me) and it doesn’t cost nearly as much.
– Blair, Advertising & Partnerships Manager
I was a terribly unfit child and teenager; Pepsi Max for breakfast, Runescape k-holes for afternoon tea. Team sports never appealed to me, but once I finished school I signed up to a gym and realised pumping iron alone was my speed. I could listen to my own music, go at my own pace and look at myself in the mirror for an hour. I haven’t looked back.
– Me, Lifestyle Editor
I was so unfit about a year ago to the point that my boyfriend would go the gym down the road (literally down the road, 200M at most) after work and I would stay at my desk and watch Dr Phil on Youtube until he was done so that he could pick me up. Then one day I saw they did fitness classes and I was like meh I’ll give it a crack on a free trial. Did the first class which was cardio, hated it, but the endorphins afterward were so addicting and now I do them at least five times a week. I’m hardcore into it.
– Jamiee, Advertising & Partnerships Executive
I was that freaky kid in high school that did swimming squads on a Friday arvo, had netball practice twice a week and spent all Saturdays (and some Sundays, thanks Reps) at the courts and would come first in the cross country without breaking a sweat. (That’s a lie, I’m a very sweaty human). Come university, I stopped all of that and found it really hard to get motivated to do anything. I majorly dislike the gym, exercising by myself is torture so I don’t do it, and I also hate the idea of paying for something that, theoretically, I could do by myself for free. Also, all that netball in high school broke me (physically, my ankles, shins, knees and shoulders are all stuffed). Enter pole dancing! I’ve always enjoyed dancing, and watching people who are good at pole dancing is mesmerising and inspiring. It’s great for my strength, and muscle toning, and I just strut around thinking I’m the best. I love it.“
– Elise, Digital Marketing & Product Executive
I actually have been pretty active my whole life but I’ve found going from working in retail to sitting on my ass 8+ hrs a day has not been great for my figure, so I try and get to the gym as often as I can, and also do team sports like dodgeball, AFL9s and Community Cup for a good run around and to meet some new pals.
– Courtney, Multimedia & News Writer
I used to always think I had to run to stay in shape and get fit. As soon as I was finally honest with myself that I found running such a chore I have found all the joy in weights. I love lifting now. I feel stronger than ever, have finally found consistency in training and all pretty much without breaking a sweat… dream!
– Annie, Senior Advertising & Partnerships Manager
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