If following Tina’s Best Body Boot Camp plan has taught me anything, it’s the importance of finding an exercise routine that I enjoy.
When I initially hopped on board the LiveFit Trainer train a few months ago, I thought it would be a great fit since I love strength training and wanted a new challenge. (I was never committed to the meal plan part of the plan.) I quickly found myself bored with the workouts and unenthused. I know many people love the LiveFit program, but it wasn’t the right fit for me.
Sometimes I think we get caught up in fitness trends and feel like we should be doing a certain kind of exercise. When that workout is actually quite miserable for us, we’ll power through and start to dread our workouts… or we’ll quit.
Here’s the thing: You don’t have to run a marathon. You don’t have to practice yoga every day. You don’t have to be a P90x-er or adore circuit workouts. You don’t have to enjoy CrossFit. You don’t have to be the best Jazzerciser in all the land. Find the workout that works for you.
I felt like I should love the LiveFit program because so many other people were singing its praises, but it just wasn’t the workout program for me. Tina’s boot camp is a much better fit for me and I always look forward to the workouts. Most of Tina’s strength workouts are performed in supersets or circuits that pique my interest and make time fly by. She’s a master trainer, that one!
(Picture from the first time I met Tina.)
I guess this is just my way of saying that exercise should be fun.
Sure, some of the workouts that I do basically suck when I’m doing them because they push me outside of my comfort zone, but they also challenge me and excite me and leave me feeling accomplished. In the end, I really like my workouts!
When I find myself in a workout rut or when I’m feeling unmotivated at the gym, I really try to reevaluate my workouts and begin a new exercise regimen that I enjoy. (If you’re going through this feeling right now, you might also be interested in this throwback post: Recharging Your Workout Routine.) I go through workout phases like everyone else. Sometimes I love training for a half marathon while other times I’m all about strength or circuit workouts (um, right now). Variety is where it’s at!
Today’s workout was probably my favorite one from the Best Body Boot Camp program so far, as it included three different circuits with three different exercises that I repeated as many times as I could in 10 minutes. The 30 minutes went by so quickly and I loved it. I’m saving this workout for a rainy day once this Boot Camp program is over!
Breakfast
Breakfast this morning came in the form of pancakes.
I added some chia seeds to the batter and sprinkled some on top as well for some fun texture.
Not a bad way to kick off a Friday!
Question of the Morning
- Have you ever felt like you should try a certain workout because it was “trendy?” Did you end up loving or loathing it?
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Not because it was trendy but when I was injured I lived on the cross trainer…so glad to be back running, spinning and circuit training!
Very well said! I totally agree and wish everyone could understand that. Also, I’m always jealous of how nice your pancakes look! Mine hardly ever look that perfect!
I tried LiveFit, thought I would like it but that didn’t happen. It just wasn’t right for me either.
I love sprinkling chia seeds on my breakfast toast with peanut butter! Gives it an exciting crunchy texture 🙂
So agree with you… exercise has GOT to be fun, otherwise it is not sustainable, boring and a waste of precious potential fun time.
Yes, this, definitely!
If I’m only doing something because I think that I should, then I get burnt out so quickly.
Though, I do try to remember, that some things aren’t always fun in the beginning, but become fun after a little more practice. Yoga was this way for me.
Those pancakes look delicious! I totally agree with you about workouts. I try to do classes at my gym and sometimes the only one I can make is Body Attack. I will always skip it because it is so hard (and not in a good way) and I just feel upset by the end of class instead of like I’ve done a good job. I tried to force myself to go but now I just leave it and go swimming or on the cross trainer instead.
i felt like that during a step aerobics class. i couldn’t keep up (people were twirling over the step) and i felt overwhelmed and frustrated the whole time. yet there were people in that class who LOVE it, which is awesome!
I tired a step aerobics class with a friend who loves it… 2 minutes of the twirling was enough. I walked right out of the class and right on to my first love… the treadmill. Great post, Julie!
Thank you so much for this post!! I’ve definitely had feelings of guilt for not enjoying trendy workouts. Bikram yoga was one for me – it cost a lot, was time consuming, and actually started making my heart muscles hurt, but I powered through every.single.day because the instructors told us that’s the best way to get the benefits. I’m so glad I stopped (especially since stopping, my heart muscles feel NORMAL again… scary!), but also because now I actually enjoy exercise again.
I have found that I cannot stick to any one workout routine much longer than a few weeks because I become super bored with it. I have become very gung ho in the past about a specific workout program only to want to quit a few weeks later. For this reason, I constantly change things up, even if only for a few days. This keeps me motivated and loving my workouts rather than dreading them. I have always said, it doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are doing something!!
I made it 10 weeks into LiveFit and couldn’t even finish because I was so miserable- and I only had 2 weeks left in the program! I finally did what you did, stepped back and said why am I putting myself through this misery?
I totally understand what you’re getting at! I loved Zumba when I first started and after a while, my instuctor and my boss (at a fitness facility) kept telling me I should become an instructor. So I did. And I hated it. I didn’t do Zumba again for 6 months. I still haven’t taught a class and I don’t plan on it but I have since returned to participating every once in a while. Sometimes it’s okay to just enjoy the class and not try and be the teacher!
I couldn’t agree with you more. I tried Livefit trainer because I wan’t to amp up my strength training routine and challenge myself but I was bored with the program and didn’t make it past the 3rd week. I have also tried to get into yoga and I just can’t, it is too slow paced for me, I need to get my heart pumping in order to feel like my workout was worth while. I thoroughly enjoy Tina’s bootcamp because it is challenging and fun all at the same time. The workouts go by so fast.
Great post – 100% agree! And I’ve been out of chia seeds for days now and I’m going nuts!
Very well said Julie! Sometimes I feel like I “should” be doing some workouts because that’s what I’ve always done, and they’ve worked for me in the past (marathon training). I have always been a runner, but recently been getting more into circuit training, and I’m just going with my gut for now. Running will always be there if/when I want to get back into it, but the fast paced strength stuff is really keeping me charged these days! Thanks for the sanity check on this! 🙂
Thanks for this post! I get bored super easy and have to keep my workouts changing and some folks just don’t understand this and give me grief for not being able to “stick” with something.
I’ve also learned to accept that I am an afternoon/evening workouter. I tried and forced myself to workout in the morning because everything said it was the best time. Well, I discovered the best time for me was the one I could commit to and would enjoy
Such a fantastic post Julie! I recently found myself not enjoying my elliptical and strength training routines e6 days a week, especially in a big box gym. I am now practicing yoga, doing HIIT, and training with a personal trainer, and I have never been happier. He pushes me outside my comfort zone, and helps me believe and then achieve things I didn’t think I could do. It’s interesting, fun, and a killer workout in a small box. He says trainers train dogs. He’s my coach or teacher giving me the tools that I need to achieve my goals.
I tried Bikram yoga SEVERAL times, trying to make myself like it….but I just didn’t! I have done other types of hot yoga, so it wasn’t the heat, I just thought it was really boring. 90 minutes is too long for me, and I need something that has more movement and cardio. I have also tried to like spinning but it just makes my butt and ladyparts hurt too much!!
I’ve learned that running, circuits training, and vinyasa/flow yoga are right for me. I also like pure barre but can’t afford it at this time! 🙂
I tried BodyPump and fell in live with it. I even switched gyms so that I could go to BodyPump three days a week.
I would definitely say that Zumba is MY Livefit trainer. There as so many classes at my gym and I figured “if this many people like it, then it must be good.” The energy is great, but the one time I went I felt like I just kinda waltzed (I am not a good dancer unless it involves some Sir Mix A lot and a lot of margaritas) around the room for an hour. I need to be good schweaty or I don’t feel satisfied.
That is Dexter’s in Orlando isn’t it? Awesome place to eat!!! My girlfriend took me there when we visited this January….great food and atmosphere!
yes!!! have you been to their sunday brunch? so good!
I don’t know that I’ve ever stuck with a workout because I thought I “should,” but I’ve definitely stuck with ones even though I was bored or sick of them. I try to switch it up as often as possible because it is SO easy to get stuck in a rut!
I couldn’t agree more–sometimes you gotta bang one out, but most of the time exercise should be for health AND pleasure. And it’s definitely a ‘to each his/her’ own kinda thing. Oh and if those pancakes taste (feel?) as doughy as they look, I must make them ASAP!
I totally agree about workout trends! It always seems like I come across another new program, class, or studio that I should be trying. Sometimes, I do give them a whirl and end up loving them- and others I absolutely hate! The best part is you can always experiment without committing to a certain exercise. I ended up trying Body Pump about 2 years ago after reading about it on your blog, and it has still remained part of my weekly workout routine! I think its important to definitely stick with what works for you, and not whatever is “trending” at the moment!
When I was in college all of my roommates and good friends always wanted to run. Like All. The. Time. And they never really wanted to do anything else.
I enjoy running a couple times a week, but I prefer to mix it in with weight training and circuit workouts. I would go with them but I just felt tired all the time and soooo bored. I am always on the lookout for something new! If I get bored, I quit and that is no good. =)
I wish everyone understood this. I always get told what I ‘need’ to do (always something trendy that doesn’t last). It gets a little annoying……
So true. I love circuit workouts and I love Jillian Michaels, but for some reason I have hated every workout video of hers that I’ve tried. All of my running friends love races. It’s easy for me to run 6 miles, so I figured a 10k would be a blast – no, I hated it. So racing isn’t for me.
Funny you should write about this. Just a few weeks ago I decided that I am not having fun riding bikes and that I need to go into retirement for a while (like Brett Farve style…I’ll be back). I asked myself “why the heck am I forcing myself to do someting I dont want to do!?? I’m in charge of me and I’m going to do what I want”. So I’ve hung my helmet up for a while and have stuck to what I love…running.
I really liked this post! New to your blog and I find myself checking it daily! I just finished my 3rd month of crossfit and although I loved the fast results I’m not quite sure it was for me. Don’t get me wrong I loved pushing myself to the max but sometimes a good ol fashioned run or relaxing yoga can do wonders for the mind and body. I think the reason I stuck with it for so long is because everyone around me seemed to think it was amazing. This week is my first week back in my regular gym and I never thought I’d hear myself say something like this but I actually missed the stairmaster! Crazy, I know. Anyways, thanks so much for all of the insightful information on your blog. I really enjoy it 🙂
I have been enjoying Tina’s Boot Camp too! I’m going to do todays workout tomorrow and I can’t wait. My body needs a little break so I might just do the do your own workout today! I love how it is so flexible! (:
Well said! So often I feel like I have to do certain workouts based on trends of what others love to do. But what I enjoy most is often not what is on trend – I’m a big time cycler, swimmer and love strength training!
I really loved this post! I have found that over this Summer, I’ve been socializing a lot more which has put working out on the back burner a bit. However, when I do workout, I make sure I do 30 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill followed by 20 minutes of strength. It keeps my metabolism up and I feel better mentally.
Haha I’ve definitely found workouts I don’t like, so I avoid them! Mostly bootcamp type things, for example: burpees, bear crawls, starjumps, squat jumps… all these things may be a great calorie burner, but I HATE them. I don’t even feel good when I finish because I hated it so much! Haha give me a 13 mile run over a bootcamp class any day!
In college, my friends loved Zumba and took the classes at our gym regularly. I just couldn’t get into it-I’m much more of a treadmill/elliptical girl than a dancer. I tried it with them a couple times and looked absolutely ridiculous! It was fun, but I just never worked up a good enough sweat. I know it works for some people, just not me!
I love this post so much! I agree that people sometimes only seem to follow workout plans because it’s the trendy thing to do. Finding what YOU like to do is important because, if you get bored or are unhappy with your workouts, it could lead you to have negative feelings towards exercise, which is completely wrong! I’m all about finding what works for me and my body. We’re all different, so obviously we’re all going to like different stuff when it comes to working out.
this is so true! i feel like i get stuck doing exercise i think i SHOULD do not that i enjoy doing. by the way, i made your banana vanilla protein pancakes and they are my new favorite recipe and daily staple =) thank you!!!
Great post — so much truth!
If there’s one thing that should be done just for you, it’s exercising!
It’s hard enough sometimes to find motivation, and it’s much harder if you’re trying to motivate yourself to do a type of workout you loathe just because it’s popular.
Do more of what makes you happy! 🙂
I LOVE this! I agree with this sentiment exactly! I totally LOVE to exercise (and teach classes), but it must be fun for me, or else I won’t do it.
I love teaching BodyPump & Zumba, but I don’t like teaching step, don’t want to teach yoga, and I really hate kickboxing. Hah. I also like to run <—but not all the time. I def go through phases!
Have a great weekend
I was doing the Firm religiously for awhile back in college, but one of the instructors, Annie, annoyed that crap out of me! She was robotic in her speaking and never blinked. Obviously a product of Skynet (Terminator).
I actually love Zumba, but am waiting until my work schedule changes (have to give two week’s notice for schedule changes) in order to go a couple times a week.
Julie, thanks so much for this post. I have been feeling in a workout rut lately and have used your blog to get some great new exercises. Thanks for the motivation:)
Yes! I tried to do barre workouts (pure barre/bar method), both because I had just moved and thought it would be a good way to make some friends, and because everyone was always raving about it.
I was basically the comic relief for the entire class – falling over, all twisted up and hanging from the bar weirdly…
Definitely not for me 🙂
I agree.. I feel you should find something that makes you happy and excited to workout. I tried some programs, but never followed for more than a day. I don’t think I like structure, I’m more of a “see how I feel” exerciser 🙂
This is a great reminder b/c it’s easy to feel like we should do a certain work-out b/c it’s popular. I have never enjoyed yoga. But I enjoyed Pilates and now I’m obsessed with the Bar Method. It really is amazing when you find a work-out you truly love. I would go to the Bar Method everyday if I could. My schedule and soreness after each class remind me to space it out, though. 🙂
I actually did that with Zumba. I was ecstatic that it was starting at my gym…as were the other members and there was no room to participate so I bowed out. However I’ve been told that numbers dropped so I may pick it up again
I enjoy trying new workouts–but I’m good about deciding whether or not it’s really for me. If I don’t enjoy it, I move on to other things. I wouldn’t keep at it just because it’s trendy. I love working out too much to not have fun with it!
My trainer that I have been working with intermittently is in LOVE with CrossFit and I just HATE it…I work really hard during the workouts and am a sweaty mess, but I don’t find them very fun, and I haven’t really seen results.
I am a HUGE fan of circuit training and I am trying to get back to that groove. Thanks for this post, Julie! 🙂
I completely agree with you that each person has to find out what works for them! And it’s funny that you mention LiveFit, because, while I’m not following it strictly at all, I’m doing the exercises from each day of the plan, but tweaking them and rearranging them into circuits and supersets. Like you, I love circuit and strength training, so it’s been nice to use the exercises as a resource to design a workout that works for me! Thanks for the great post!
Zumba is an exercise I just can’t get into, yet people are raving about the fun and benefits they are experiencing. Just can’t get into it, and that’s ok!
I feel like I should give CrossFit a try, since it’s “all the rage” these days. But I don’t know how I’ll feel about it …
I completey agree with you, though! You should love what you do!
We tried a Zumba class in first year. It was fun, but we didn’t find it that tough of a workout compared to what we’re used to. Nothing beats running for us!:) It was fun to try something new, though.
What is the Liebster Award? The Liebster Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.
The Meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.
The Rules:
1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
2. Then answer the questions the tagger sent for them, plus create 11 questions for the people they’ve tagged to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Notify the people you have tagged.
5. No tag backs.
My Questions
1. If you were a cereal, what cereal would you be?
2. What’s your favorite go-to snack?
3. Favorite animal?
4. If I gave you a million dollars, what would you do with it?
5. Who’s body would you take over if you could?
6. If you could go back in time, what moment would you go to?
7. Favorite quote or lyric?
8. Spring, summer, fall, or winter? Why?
9. Favorite unwinding activity
10. What’s in your purse/wallet?
11. You see a group of people in regular clothes run by (not in panic though), what do you do?
Love this post! And yes … you do have to do what works for you!! I’ve tried so many other workouts and through trial and error learned my style is more running and pilates – it’s what works for me 🙂
Awwww!!!! I feel so touched. Complimenting my workouts is like giving me the biggest, warmest, mushiest compliment and “i love you” all rolled into one. 😉
And seeing as that pic is from when I was preggo with Baby B 2 years ago…we NEED another just you and me experience in the nearest future possible!