October 6, 2024

Being Healthy Outdoors:Get Out of that Gym! By Steve W. Weiss

When people fail to reach their fitness goals, they always blame themselves when maybe what they should be blaming is their definition of  “workout.”  Being flexible with your definition of what a “workout” means, allows new experiences to enter your health and fitness world. Consider adding a non-workout, workout every once in awhile! Mixing up your approach to fitness will keep motivation fresh and your healthy living inspired!

I have never been more motivated in my life to be active.  There are reasons for this:

I don’t have any “fitness” goals.
Goal setting is crucial for anyone to succeed but let’s be honest; some goals are much more fun to reach than others. Instead of pushing my body to bench 255lbs, squatting 400lbs, run a mile in a certain amount of time on a treadmill or stay at a certain weight for example, I now set goals that sound more like, trying to finish a 5.12 rated rock climb (easiest is a 5.1 hardest is a 5.15a), V8 boulder problem (easiest is a V0 hardest is V15), hike in the backcountry & snowboard difficult chutes, or push through difficult road biking or mountain biking climbs. 

My goals have a physical purpose.
Having the general goal of staying healthy is challenging to reach because health is determined by perspective. Whereas, a hiking goal to hike every 14’er (a peak that is 14000ft) has a definitive beginning and end and being healthy, does not. Specific goals serve a purpose, they’re measurable.

It’s not just physical, it’s mental too.
Being healthy is not just about the physical. Being mentally healthy is just as important. How often do you see someone working out in a gym who looks like they’re in almost a brain-dead state, zoned out and just mind-numbingly bored? Instead of pushing your body but not your mind, why not do both! For example, rock climbing is a great way to push both your physical and mental limits. Rock climbing takes lots of physical strength and endurance, but it takes just as much mental strength to figure out the problems/routes. Think of the rock or climbing wall as a big puzzle.

Travel is my #1 motivator.
Travel is a great motivator to expanding your fitness. Because I climb, snowboard, bike, hike, etc I always am looking ahead to the next trip to do those things. I want to stay in shape so I can perform my best when traveling. Also, travel and new experiences brighten our lives, and gives us a good story to brag about to our friends.

So get active outside of the gym every once in awhile, get dirty, and get ready to be motivated and inspired!

Steve W. Weiss is an avid road tripper, adrenaline sport junkie, and social media nut based out of Utah. When he is not out climbing or snowboarding, he is blogging on his websites: TheMostEpicTrip.com, MountainEnthusiast.com, and SteveWWeiss.com. He also co-runs a twitter chat specifically for rock climbing called #ClimbChat every Tuesday at 7pm(MST). His main goals in life revolve around traveling the world for rock climbing and snowboarding, while doing other outdoor sports as well. It might just be easier to connect with him on twitter at @SteveWWeiss.

Comments

  1. @ginabegin says:

    Nice post, fellow The Most Epic Trip co-owner! Travel definitely is a motivator as well as being able to keep up with friends and push my own limits in the outdoors. It’s not about how long I can run on a treadmill or how much weight I can press on the bench, it’s about how long I can hike in the backcountry with my skis and having strength to do power moves when needed climbing.

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