We still don’t get it. Human emotion. We think it can be packaged neatly and temporally controlled like in the sign above.
We compartmentalize, rationalize, yet never realize that we cannot control emotion that way.
We fight it instead of working to understand it and use it. One of humanity’s less attractive characteristics is our species-level hubris that we can alter reality to our preference.
And this problem is out-of-control when it comes to fitness.
It Sucks to Workout?
Most people dislike it, if not outright hate it. Which means they will do it only when forced to by medical test results, a spouse, bathing suit season, or a wedding. Some outside force or event forcing fitness on them.
All they think about is how much it’s going to hurt, how uncomfortable it will feel physically, how uncomfortable they will feel around more fit people who are in better shape and doing things they will never be able to do.
It’s all negative emotionally.
Feelings…Nothing More than Feelings
Every experience we have is tagged with an emotion as positive, negative, or neutral. A positive experience makes a strong memory (Those berries were delicious!) while a negative experience makes a monstrously strong memory (Those berries made me sick for a week and nearly killed me – avoid in the future!)
I used “caveman” examples in the parenthetical examples above to illustrate where this predisposition to have negative experiences make a bigger impression comes from. It helped us survive.
If you miss out on something that was positive, it’s unfortunate, but not deadly. If you find yourself in the same negative (likely life-threatening) situation again, you may not make it out alive.
As a result, a single bad experience can solidly define the emotional context of any experience. And a lot of people have multiple negative experiences when it comes to health, fitness, and wellness!
Without addressing the emotional response to the idea of “exercise” in people’s heads, the fitness industry will forever struggle to reach the masses with our unappealing weight rooms, overbearing instructors, and ineffective aspirational marketing.
There is Another Way
It doesn’t have to be that way. The Funtensity approach to exercise changes the emotional response to exercise almost immediately. Two examples from recent people:
- A couple who recently began coming to my Funtensity workout had a different experience than they’ve ever had after 30 years of trying. They both exercise, but husband prefers to workout alone while the wife prefers classes. The husband has dutifully tried class after class over decades and never found one he liked – until Funtensity. Now they do a workout together AND enjoy it!
- A new attendee had such an amazing experience that she couldn’t stop talking about it. She was like a one-person PR firm, telling everyone in the neighborhood about her experience while walking her dog.
These people did NOT have this experience because we crushed their muscles and made them sore for days. You rave about something when it makes you feel alive inside.
As I always say, “you can’t change your body in a single workout, but you can change your mind.”
If you, or anyone you know is affiliated with a studio or club that wants to start delivering experiences like the ones described above every day, contact me to set-up a workshop to get your staff to become different to make a difference.