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Maintenance 101: Fitness Should Be Fun

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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26 Comments

  1. bethh

    I’m getting back into cycling, at least a little bit. I’ve done three 10-mileish rides this year, and this Sunday rode 20 – and was SO wiped the rest of the day (though I still went square dancing that night). I’m going on a fun vacation that will have some biking in Napa in June, so I figure the more I train the more fun it’ll be. Right now I’m eyeing signing up for shorter lengths of Reach the Beach and Ride Around Clark County. I used to do a LOT of organized rides when I lived here before, but for the last six years the majority of my rides were about 3 miles or less… so I have some major work to get my endurance to get back. It helps to know that it WILL get more comfortable and I WILL be able to do more if I keep applying myself. It’s going to be a spotty training season though 🙂

    1. Lisa Eirene

      That’s so great that you rode! You’ll get back in the swing of things in no time. I haven’t really biked since October. I’m sure I’ll be wiped out my first few times. Especially since I haven’t done spin class at all this winter like I did last.

      Good luck with your rides!

  2. Roz@weightingfor50

    I agree 100%. For most of us, if it isn’t fun, we won’t stick to it. Great post as usual Lisa. Have a great day.

  3. Jill @ a Girl in Progress

    Great post! Sometimes, I think past negative childhood experiences with exercising can prohibit us from enjoying it as an adult (always being the slowest runner in gym class, being picked last for every dodge ball team, not being a natural athlete surrounded by those that were). I think we have to work past that and like you said, ultimately find an activity that works for us and that we enjoy. I work out at home to fitness DVDs – that way if I fall down or can’t do the moves, I don’t embarrass myself! It sounds strange, but it is what has worked for me for years.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      YES!!! As a kid I grew up hiking and backpacking but I HATED IT. Hated with a capital H. My dad was a Marine and it felt like boot camp. It made me miserable so I didn’t do it for a long time. I’m glad I got back into hiking a few year ago because it really does make me happy.

      I love your idea of trying it at home first. So smart!

  4. Biz

    I loved reading this post! I couldn’t agree more with it – if you don’t like spin class, find something else you like! I wish my husband were more active and we could do more stuff together, but I never thought of finding someone else in my neighborhood to do stuff with – I’ll have to check those sites out.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Oh cool! Glad the post gave you a new idea. Keep me posted on your fit-friend search. 🙂

  5. Nick Goodall

    I totally agree with you that you should try to make it fun, but there will inevitably be times when it’s just not working, and that’s where a disciplined mindset comes into action. I like to think of fitness as an old-fashioned water pump, at first you need to pump really hard to bring up the water (i.e. see results), but when the water starts flowing you can lay off a bit (don’t train as hard), but you’ve got to stay consistent!

    The ‘do it anyway’ mindset is invaluable when you don’t feel up for it, but I’ve found that if I really can’t be bothered and do it anyway, I usually have a great session and feel fantastic afterwards!

    Great insights Lisa!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I like your analogy a lot and I think you’re right. In the beginning of my journey I was super focused and rigid about my workouts and food because it was still a struggle. I knew I had to “just do it” and not be flexible in any way until it became a healthy habit. Now it’s not as big of a deal and I’m more flexible.

      There are often gym sessions where I cut it short because I’m bored/burned out/tired/not into it–even if it’s something I previously enjoyed. Sometimes a break is just ok.

  6. Trevor

    If you don’t enjoy your workouts, you’ll only ever give a half-assed effort. If you give a half-assed effort, you’ll only ever get half-assed results.

    So, you end up doing stuff you don’t like, and get half-assed results for your effort. Do you think you’re going to stick with this routine?

    At the start, it’s extremely important to find what you like and stick to it. Overtime, your tastes may change and you’ll end up liking exercises that you didn’t at first, like say running and hiking, but let it evolve naturally.

    Without the joy, there can be no long term success in training.

    Cheers!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      For sure. I definitely half-ass workouts when I am not into them. That’s what I used to do with weight lifting years ago–back when I hated it and thought it was a waste of time. I half-assed it and did my little circuit as quickly as possible and then wondered why I never saw results…? 😉

  7. Diane, fit to the finish

    It is all about sustainability and reality for me. It’s the only way, like you, that I’ve been able to maintain this 150 pound loss.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Sustainability is a great word. So true.

  8. Miz

    you know I ONE THOUSAND PERCENT agree.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      And your fitness ALWAYS looks fun!

  9. Robyn

    These are some really great tips! I definitely struggled with maintaining my weight loss, I think part of it was I cut back my working out (got really busy/bought a house/got a little lazy) and I also stopped being as vigilant about what I was eating, I thought I was “doing good now”, but it will be a lifelong journey I now realize and these tips are very true and helpful for me.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Oh I’ve been there! Thought I had it “Down”! Did not. I clearly need to count my calories because if I don’t, I get out of control.

  10. Sarah

    I really needed this post. I am definitely in a rut as I’m trying to shed the winter weight but am not motivated to go to class. Hopefully the spring weather will help and a few extra hikes in the upcoming weeks.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I know how you feel. I recently started a new personal training program that I’ll be writing about soon. I needed to get out of my rut too!

  11. Logan @ Mountains and Miles

    I’ve gotten to the point where a run or hike just isn’t as enjoyable without my dog. Just watching how happy he is when we’re out makes me enjoy everything THAT much more.

    I love hiking and I think it’s a great way for people who are just starting out to get active. It’s walking, so you don’t have to worry about your “pace” or how fast the person on the treadmill next to you is going, and there’s always a point to it – a view, a peak, a lake – which makes doing it that much more motivating and the hard work worth it.

    Lately I’ve been in a workout run lately, too, I hadn’t really been pushing my limits and had instead fallen into a same pace, generally same distance run every time I headed out. I started incorporating speed work and signed up for a few races and I get very excited about it all over again!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      That made me smile! One of the criteria for the dog the boyfriend and I want to get is that I want to be able to take it hiking and running.

      I agree, hiking is a good beginner activity because you can choose the difficulty of the hike, how fast you go or how often you rest. It’s nice!

  12. I ❤ 2 Eat

    Completely agree about keeping fitness fun! Part of the fun for me is seeing myself more toned and fitter when I have been eating right and working out regularly. My husband and I just got bikes, and I’m looking to change it up with some bike rides…haven’t been on a bike for years, so I’m looking forward to it! Thanks for a great post 🙂

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Yay! Biking is a great activity. Keep me posted on how it goes. 🙂

  13. Amy

    I agree that fitness should be something fun. I belong to a gym and I have made so many friends over the years. Going to class is a workout, but seeing my friends is also catch up time. I love it.
    I also love the outdoors. When the weather is great here in Portland I love to hike. I have recently discovered some really cool things right in town. I found the Portland Stairs book and we already did one of the walks. It was 3.5 miles and 600 steps. Not a bad workout. The next one is going to be over 5 miles and she have around 1400 steps.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      A friend of mine has the Portland stairs book and the Portland Hills Walk book. They loved both of those book.

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