As a frequent gym-goer, I find myself counting down the days until January 1 with utmost dread because I know that if I do not hit the gym at the crack of dawn, I will be swimming in a pool of resolutioners, most of whom will not last until January 30.
Every year, the most common resolution that seems to surface is that of the gym resolutioner: “I’m going to work out more.” But why is it that most people don’t seem to uphold such a resolution? Sure, I understand that life gets in the way occasionally. It did for me the past four months, and I’m trying to bounce back as quickly as possible. However, working out is productive and healthy. At first it seems like a drag, but in time it becomes a habit. Why is this habit so hard to keep?
Maybe it has to do with the phrase itself: “I’m going to work out more.” It carries a negative connotation, implying that the speaker does not have a positive view of his/her body and that working out is the only way to solve such an issue. As we are entering an era of body positivity, this phrase renders itself completely toxic.
There is a distinct difference to wanting to lose weight and wanting to be healthy.
Working out is not the only answer to body negativity. A healthier lifestyle, on the other hand, is. If spending hours at the gym does not make you a happier person, it will not matter how you look in the end if your mental health does not agree. Living a healthy lifestyle requires the body, the mind, and the spirit to be on (or mostly on) the same page, enforcing a positive feedback loop. Because of this, many different aspects make up a healthy lifesyle, and by using the phrase "I'm going to work out more," one limits himself to one sole action. Diet, the way in which we eat, sleeping habits, and hygiene are a few other facets to a healthy lifestyle other than physical activity. Combining all of those aspects achieves the ultimate nirvana of healthy living, but to what extreme is up to you.
I believe that an active lifestyle is a healthier lifestyle, but there are so many different ways to be active that you have the distinct ability to do what makes you happy, and your body will thank you for it.
