‘I’m an exercise avoider. Here’s what I learned when I challenged myself to change that.’

If there’s one person I’ll let dictate my life choices, it’s Elle Woods. But I have to confess that there’s always one moment where I dare to question her almost-impeccable judgment. 

And that’s when she declares, “exercises gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy.” It’s usually around that time of Legally Blonde where I furrow my brow and utter a confused “...really?” 

Not because I doubt the science behind it, because hey, if a clever scientist tells me something is true, I usually believe it. While I’m fairly cluey about some things, science has never been one of them. 

It’s usually because the thought of adding another thing on your to-do list – something you must do because it’s good for you – sounds exhausting. 

As an adult, with a lot of (okay, some) responsibilities, I always question when do I actually get time to do the things I wholeheartedly enjoy? After work, I’m tired and my brain often resembles mush, so to pick up a book sometimes feels entirely out of reach because you know, energy. So adding physical activity to the list, when I don't even have the energy to do something I enjoy feels sacrilegious. 

And let’s be real, when it comes to other women, I’m not exactly time poor. Some women have to juggle the load of being a parent on top of everything else. Life is... a lot. 

So yes, do endorphins really you that happy? As in happier than picking up a book or binging a new Marvel show in the little spare time you have?

I am skeptical. 

But when I heard Victoria is celebrating This Girl Can Week this September, it made me think, well, maybe this girl actually, you know… can. 

The week in question, 12-18 September, is all about empowering everyday women to get active, by trying something new in all their red-faced and sweaty glory. It’s also being held in spring this year, so there’s no better time to get out and about to try something new. 

So, in celebration of this week, I decided to conduct a little investigation. The criteria was simple: can exercise actually make me that happy (I’m looking at you, Elle), and does this 28-year-old, serial exercise-avoider have enough motivation in her to get active?

Here’s what I learned during my little experiment.

1. Getting motivated to actually feel motivated is the first step.

You’re probably thinking… what? But stay with me.

At the start of the week, my main issue wasn’t simply building enough motivation to get up and movin’. There was an entire step before that.

Because in order to get motivated to do something, you have to think it’s valuable in the first place and that it’s really worth the motivation.

Yes, scientists, doctors, and every human being under the sun can tell me the benefits of exercise, but is that really enough for me to want to get out of bed an hour earlier than physically required? Or give up some valuable reading and/or watching time?

So, in order for me to even consider it worthwhile – at least at the start of this investigation – I had to tie it to something I actually enjoyed. 

Which led me to get out of bed, pop in my earphones and begrudgingly walk around my local lake with an audiobook in my ears. 

And while I was like ‘ugh, fresh air’ at first, it was actually really nice to start the day with some time away from home and get in a few chapters of my book (two activities for the price of one!) before kick-starting my laptop, ready for a day at my desk.

My current audiobook. Image: Supplied.

2. It’s all about routine. 

Some people thrive off a routine whereas some feel crushed under the weight of one. I’m somewhere in the middle.

I see the benefit of a routine. When you have a proper, day-to-day routine, the good ol’ body clock kicks in so when you’re trying to wake up at 6:00am, it doesn’t feel as if every cell in your body is protesting this ridiculous decision.

But, routines can limit the space for spontaneity or just doing whatever you need to do in order to get through the day. 

However, if I learned one thing this week, it’s about routine. If you make an effort to put some sort of activity into your routine, you’ll do it. 

It’s all about habit building. 

The first few days of exercise didn’t come without resistance. The first day I had to really convince myself it was worth it. The second day, I worked from the office so I was like… when do people actually have time to commute back and forth, work, and exercise? (They do, as I learned myself.)

But as the week progressed, it did get easier. 

3. Your form of exercise doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s form of exercise.

I’m sure this won’t come as a surprise to you, but I find a lot of physical activity incredibly, well… dull. 

Here’s the thing though: your form of exercise doesn’t have to look like everyone else’s form of exercise.

I don’t like the gym. I don’t really find that much enjoyment in going for a run. But, I actually enjoying playing a game. 

Throw some sort of ball into the mix and I think, hey, this might actually be enjoyable. 

Towards the back end of the week, I shot some hoops at my local basketball courts and I played ‘football’ with my fiance. 

I won’t sit here and lie by saying doing the former in a public forum wasn’t a little embarrassing, but that leads me to my next point.

4. No one is actually watching you… seriously. 

Ever tried to kick a football and missed three consecutive times in a row? Yeah, me too.

It’s not the best feeling in the world. The swing of your foot touching nothing but air as the ball quickly passes it is a new low. It also probably doesn’t just feel awkward, it probably looks pretty awkward too. 

I’m also a little lanky so it doesn’t help that I’ve always felt like every move I make looks like a daddy long-legs on roller skates. 

Add the above on top of getting all red-faced and sweaty, it feels like a lot. 

But when I let go of all that – feeling and looking like an idiot – I actually had fun and learned a few things.

You are now looking at a gal who knows how to do a crossover and some other weird football set-up which I can’t really remember the name of now, but the point is I can actually do both. 

And here’s the final observation I made during my little investigation, and it’s probably the most important: when I shot a complete airball – as in, completely missing the rim, and not even touching the damn thing or the backboard – I looked around to see if anyone was watching, and no one was. Not even an amused glance in my direction. 

This leads to my final piece of advice: no one is watching you miss or get a lil' sweaty or turn (more than) slightly red-faced. Everyone is focusing on having fun themselves which is what you should do, too. 

So, you’re probably wondering right about now what my final conclusion is. Do endorphins make you happy? Why, yes. Yes, they do. (Sorry for ever doubting you, Elle). 

From September 12-18, VicHealth is celebrating This Girl Can Week, which empowers everyday women to get active in all their sweaty and red-faced glory. Check out these great events from around Victoria.

Feature Image: Supplied.