The Most Important Variable Of Any Exercise Program

If you were to look up the definition of fun, you would find words like enjoyment and pleasure. Fun, in and of itself, is a feeling you experience when doing something you enjoy.

Over the past weekend, my wife, myself, and my in-laws traveled up to North Carolina to celebrate the 4th of July. While we were there, we went hiking and fishing. As we were surrounded by the beautiful flowing creeks and waterfalls, I couldn’t help but take pleasure in our activities.

Little Bradley Falls in Saluda, NC

Hiking is one of my favorite hobbies. Living in Savannah doesn’t provide many opportunities, so anytime we’re in the mountains I try to explore as much as I can.

One of the reasons I enjoy hiking so much, is simply because it’s fun. I love being in nature. I love the breathtaking scenery you’re given access to that you won’t find in any big city. And because of this, I make sure to devote time towards it when given the opportunity.

And that is why it’s so important to have fun when doing any activity.

I’ve told this story before, but several years ago I became burnt out lifting weights. I got so tired of it that I gave it up for a while. I knew though, that if I was going to continue to pursue fitness as a career I needed to make a change.

I started off small by making a commitment of two workouts per week for 30 minutes. During those two sessions, I did whatever exercises I wanted to.

After doing this for a month, I increased my time from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. Then, once that became comfortable, I added an additional day to my training schedule. All in all, I worked up to 3 days per week for about 45 minutes each time.

This was only possible because I made it a habit. But one thing that helped me to make it a habit was the ability to have fun with my training.

Like I mentioned, I did whatever exercises I wanted to when first starting back. This allowed me to do what I enjoyed most. Overtime, I became more structured with my workouts and added in exercises that were harder.

That was almost three years ago. I’m at a point now where I still hit 3 workouts per week for about 45 minutes. How am I able to do that consistently?

The simple answer is fun. I enjoy lifting weights.

There are so many variables that come into play when designing an strength training program. There’s exercise selection, exercise order, sets, reps, rest, etc. While these things are vital to success, the most important variable of any exercise program is fun.

No matter what you’re doing, if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t stick with it very long. And this applies to everything.

If your goal is to lose 15 pounds and you go on a diet that makes you miserable, what are the odds you will stick with it? Not very good, I’d wager.

Or let’s say you hate running but decide to take up an exercise program that has you running 5 days per week because you want to drop a couple pants sizes. Does that sound like something you’d be successful at? Most likely not.

The main point I want you to get out of this article is that fun determines longevity. If you are doing something that you enjoy and take pleasure in, you’ll be able to do it long-term.

So, if you’re goals are weight loss oriented, you’ll have to change the way you eat and increase your physical activity. That much is a given. But, you don’t have to go about it in one particular way.

It all depends on what you enjoy and consider fun. Let that be the determining factor for you. When you do this, you’re more likely to not only accomplish your goals but maintain them for life.