No, really…stop!

One of the most common questions I get is, “What kind of exercise is best if I want to lose weight?”  (AKA get skinny)

Well here it is…

NONE

“WHAT?!  Andrea!  You LOVE exercising!  You’re a personal trainer and Crossfit junkie!  WTH!  Have you been hacked?!”

Nope! Not hacked!  I just truly am not a fan of “exercise”!  For serious.  Never have been, never will be.

Exercise is mundane.  Exercise is something you do out of obligation.  Exercise is a chore.  And as I’m sitting here reading the comments and pictures that people have shared with me in response to my “I Love My Ugly Body” post and I’m seeing a trend that proves my theory.  Exercise in NOT where it’s at…TRAINING is!

The readers who are sharing their proud #ilovemybody pictures are those who love their bodies for what they are capable of doing…not pictures of themselves in bikinis but pictures of themselves running, swimming, cycling, lifting heavy weights, dancing, doing martial arts or crazy yoga poses…and more!

You know what all of those things require?  TRAINING!  These are people who found something they enjoyed, stuck with it, set goals, created a plan and worked hard to make it happen.

They aren’t gym rats.  They are athletes who come in all shapes and sizes!

AND I FREAKING LOVE IT!

You don’t have to be skinny to be fit.  I’m living proof of that!

The ONLY reason I have been successful in my weight loss and more importantly FITNESS is because I found something I love, something that drove me to work harder to improve.  For me that was Crossfit.  It’s what makes me want to be better and in return allows me to do the others things I enjoy doing like surfing, skiing and whitewater kayaking.

I’m not a runner and I never get on machines in the gym.  I simply spend four hours a week training to be being faster, stronger and better than before.   I keep track of that progress so I can see how far I’ve come…that’s what motivates me.

I am training to be awesome.

I hope you are too!

Stop looking at exercise as a chore that’s going to make you skinny and start training to be fit!  TRAIN your body to move faster, jump higher, lift heavier, dance longer or whatever it is that YOU want your body to do.