In one of my favorite personal development books, I learned the term “Soulmate Workout.” This is the workout that you love, gets you great results, you enjoy doing, and will come back to over and over because you know it’ll always do right by you.

Many people feel like exercise has to be a chore. They hate running, but know it’s effective so they do it…then they procrastinate, stop running, regain weight, etc. That’s not the way to go. There are so many options for getting in shape these days that finding a workout style, or program that you love is possible.

Pro tip: To help you not view exercise as a chore, say “I get to” workout, versus “I have to” go workout. #mindsetshift

My cousin Ari never worked out a day in her life. For some strange reason she tried a barre class one day, and immediately fell in love. She took classes all the time, and actually woke up early to attend them before work. She found her soulmate workout! She was so great at it that the owner of the company asked her to teach classes.

For me, running is my soulmate workout. After doing track & field all of my life, it’s just a part of me. It’s like that great friend that you speak to once in a blue but immediately fall right back in to that deep comfort level, jokes, familiarity etc as if not a minute passed by. I put on my sneakers and running looks at me and is just like “hey guuuurl.”

So, how do you know if a workout is your soulmate?

1. You love it and enjoy doing it (duh)
2. Your body gets good results from it
3. You look forward to doing it
4. You’re really good at it, or have the desire to be really good at it, or love doing it even though you completely suck at it and likely will never get any better at it at all. (now that’s love!)
5. You learn more about it on your own
6. You introduce your freinds family and even strangers to it often
7. When you try other workouts, you always come back to it

How can you find your soulmate workout?

1. Know yourself – Do you like gyms, private studios, classes, one on one instruction, working out at home? Do you like dance workouts? Weights? Variety? Fast pace? Jumpin’ around? (I love jumpin’ around) Yoga? Pilates? Biking? Swimming? Go with what you like best and find workouts that fit in that category. I am a lil bit obsessed with OTF (Orange Theory Fitness)
2. Try a variety of workouts – you don’t have to spend a lot of money to find your soulmate workout. Try a few for free on youtube to see if it suits your style. My fave, Grokker gives you a 14 day free trial of so many different types of workouts. You can also do a workout program swap with a friend. I traded my coach friend T25 for her P90X3 so we could both try out something new at no cost.
3. Give it a fair shake – You’ve got to give whatever you’re trying a chance. I hated spin class the first time I took it. It was so uncomfortable on my nani and boring to my soul. I tried again with a different instructor, and it was much more comfortable but still not my cup of tea. Tried a few classes with a popular instructor and almost had a good time! LOL. My point is, if I didn’t try again after the first class I would’ve written it off alltogether. Spinning classes are just not my go to workout, but I enjoy it more than I did after my first go at it.

What is YOUR Soulmate Workout?

Check out a bunch of workout plans to try on my pin board: Exercise – Fitness – Wellness