Posted on October 04, 2018 by Jenny Cromack

No, I’m not here to try and come up with some arbitrary definition of fitness.  I’m actually here to talk about what fitness means to me: my own relationship with health and exercise; what drives me to train, and why I enjoy the process so much.

A little about my background

Although slightly odd for a personal trainer I didn’t particularly enjoy sport in school (probably because I suck at football!). It wasn’t until about age 15 that I actually started doing any real form of exercise at all, and even then it was only a few laps running around my local field.  From there I ended up running a bit further, running 5k and 10k for the county and then running a few half marathons.  At university I got into Judo and Jiu-Jitsu, and ended up captaining my university squad for varsity, so I guess I was reasonably good at throwing people around.  After university I took up Olympic Weightlifting, which I train and compete in today.

Notice a trend?

All of the fitness activities I do are individual sports;  I like training on my own, perhaps because I like having as much control as possible, or perhaps because I don’t like the pressure of team sports.

So What Motivates Me to Train?

Since I’m not a big team sports player, I’m also not hugely driven by rewards like trophies and medals.  For me, I tend to be a lot more process oriented. So I’m much more driven by the act of learning and improving, especially if the task is technically difficult.  Sports like Judo, Jiu-Jitsu and Olympic Weightlifting all have a large technical element, and are each known for taking years to master, so they’re perfect for someone like myself who enjoys that learning challenge.

 

In short, I guess you could say that what fitness means to me is all about a way to challenge yourself and bring about personal growth.  Through getting fitter, stronger and learning new skills, I also feel like I’m improving and growing as a person.

How Does This Help You?

Take some time to reflect on what fitness means to you…

> Are you more introverted/extroverted? Do you like individual work or do you prefer to be part of a team?
> Are you more driven by rewards or by processes?

When you truly understand what motivates you, you’ll be a tonne more likely to enjoy your training and stick to your plans.

If you missed the rest of the teams blogs on what fitness means to them, click on the trainer’s names below:

Ieuan

Kate

Emily