Working Out vs. Exercising
Earlier this week, a fellow trainer at the gym made a comment to the effect of “you’re pretty fit for someone who never works out”.
Um. Excuse me, sir. What do you mean “never works out”?
He was yanking my chain, but clearly he struck a nerve because I have thought about it at least once a day since. I bounce between laughing at the ridiculousness of it and observing my own defensiveness about the comment. Of course I work out, how could he say that?
But the more I think about it, the more I think I understand why he said that and why it has stuck so firmly in my head. It comes down to the term “working out” itself.
For context, and to satisfy my own defensiveness, I spend a good amount of time every week exercising. I love to do different activities and move my body in many different ways. I run, play beach volleyball, walk around town, have dance parties at home, occasionally play frisbee in the park, juggle soccer balls anywhere I can…and yes, I also meet with a trainer of my own and do corrective-type exercises and strength training. I am currently enjoying using my body to its fullest potential.
I have also experienced long stretches of time when I haven’t exercised very much. Times when walking was the best I could do and even that was a struggle. Times when no activities sounded fun or I couldn’t summon up the momentum to do any of them even if they did. I was no less valuable as a person in those times than I am when I exercise a lot.
What I don’t do are mindless weight lifting workouts in the gym and then post it on social media. I don’t feel like I have to crush myself for 1-2 hours in the gym 3-5 days a week for it to “count.” I don’t feel like I have to tell everyone what my workout was today (I learned long ago that most people don’t care). I don’t lift the heaviest weights with the loudest grunts and flex in the mirror. I don’t wear the latest, hippest, matchiest workout outfits. But all of these things are still a factor of me feeling defensive. As my brother, who also happens to be my editor, said, I reacted to someone judging my style of exercise and immediately turned around and judged right back. Posting about workouts on social media and wearing cute outfits aren’t bad things, they just aren’t my current chosen style. (Even when I’m ranting I like to leave my options open…)
Defensiveness and judgemental tendencies aside, “working out” has taken on a certain connotation of intensity and has an image that can be very limiting and exclusionary. I have worked with many clients who come to me after spending years in an “all or nothing” cycle of working out so hard they can’t move, so they stop. Or they go all in on a 6 week program, do 2 weeks and then nothing for the next three months. They struggle to start back up again because they are overwhelmed with the idea that it has to be intense or it doesn’t count, and they’re often intimidated and exhausted at the idea of starting yet again.
In my opinion, all movement “counts”. Our bodies like to move, even though sometimes our brains forget this. When we call it working out, we are subconsciously implying that we need to move our bodies in certain ways in order to feel accomplished enough that we can check that box for the day. Of course, there is plenty of science investigating the varying levels of intensity that are appropriate to train different systems in the body in order to achieve certain goals. I am not discounting those in the slightest, but for the average person who wants to move well and feel good in their body, there are simpler places to start:
Try calling it exercise or movement instead of working out, just for the next week.
Try asking yourself, “how does my body want to move today?” on the days when you have some flexibility in your options.
Try moving your body intentionally for 5 minutes every day for the next 2 weeks.
Pick your favorite way to move and add at least one day of that movement into your weekly routine.
Often, taking the pressure off makes something fun again. And if working out is fun for you, that’s great too! Just know that it is not the only option worthy of acknowledgement. Exercising is important for our health and working out is one option for exercise.
Have fun out there!
Originally posted February 14, 2022.
