By “Do what you love and you will not work a single day in your life.”
I agree. However, it isn’t that easy to stumble upon a job that you will gladly enjoy spending 40 hours of your week doing.
Most of the time, work is a necessity and a means to an end. Some jobs are only temporary until we are ready enough to take the jump across the pond or are surprised by the opportunity of our dreams.
Until those dreams come, work is work – for most of us. So why would we want to add more work (in the form of a workout) to our schedules?
Working out should be a time where stress and tension can be released. An hour where the mind and body are engaged and bad thoughts are replaced by tingling sensations and feelings of power. The endorphins at the end of a workout are cherished by many of us and keep us addicted for life.
However, the truth is that working out has now become a daily commitment to spend 1 or 2 hours each day following a specific routine of home workouts or gym exercises with little or no variation. In theory it sounds like work, right?
At our “real” job we usually work on projects, cover incidents, meet up with clients, send some emails, have meetings, etc. In theory it sounds like a workout, right?
It is not surprising that nowadays, “real” work and working out are not that different. These are two places that we will most likely visit each day, know the people that visit them and engage in similar tasks on a constant basis.
Working out has become the new job. When a work shift is more engaging, appealing, and amusing that workout time, then it is time to ditch our workouts and do this instead:
1. Play Sports
Sports are hobbies that we choose to do during our free time as they genuinely respond to our individual interests. Besides from professional athletes, sports are never work. In fact, we “play” sports.
During our childhood, we freely responded to our interests by engaging in the sports that we truly enjoyed. Whether that was track, basketball or even rollerblading, they hold pleasant feelings in our memory because they were de-stressors from studies and work.
2. Move Mindfully and Naturally
Sitting at work, sitting on a plane and even standing for 6 hours leave us sluggish and occasionally sore. In order to keep moving, we must keep moving. Our bodies have a physiological need to move. If we need it and our body asks for it then it shouldn’t be work.
Our bodies tell us how to move, they can speak if we listen. It is as easy as responding by what feels right. Perhaps it is a solo dance session what feels right. The weights or the treadmill will be there tomorrow.
There is no need to work out. We don’t have to say it or do it. We have enough work going on to sign up for another commitment. Instead, let’s play more and move more.
In theory, that sounds like fun, right?
