I started going to Orange Theory Fitness a few months ago as a way to make sure that I get to have at least some exercise throughout the rainy winter season. I never feel motivated going to the gyms, but fitness classes work quite well for me. It feel more social (I also invited my neighbor Mike to join me recently). More importantly, classes are structured, so I don’t have wonder what I need to do–I can just be led to completion. The structure takes the guesswork out of the process, and I think there’s great value in that.
I’ve been going to a weekend class led by Coach Maddie. There’s one line I quite like from her. Whenever we are about to something difficult, she would give the class a heads up on what to expect, like an “all-out” is coming up, and we will have to run fast we can for 1 minute. Then she will kick off the exercise by saying, “Let’s get very uncomfortable in 3, 2, 1…”
What strikes me is how that simple line sets up the entire body and mind to be ready to exert itself. Part of it is knowing that the exertion is time bound. It’s not going to last forever and you can count down the seconds left. But I think a big part of the motivation is simply to accept the fact that it will be uncomfortable for a while. Like fear, discomfort is something that loses its power once we confront it head on, instead of trying to avoid it.