Do you exercise, work-out or train? What’s in a word? Are there significant differences between these words that we use?
Exercise: a time-bound action, often avoided
Have these words ever crossed your lips? “I need to get some exercise, I haven’t exercised in a while.” Or how about this? “I’m too tired to exercise today.” Has this phrase ever effectively motivated you? “If you want to lose weight, you gotta exercise.”
Some people manage to grit their teeth, exert their iron wills and force exercise into their daily routines, but for many the word ‘exercise’ becomes yet another thing on the “to-do-but-rarely-done list” weighing them down.
Exercise, an action bound to the confines of a specific moment, becomes something people spend their time wishing they could do, or finding ways to avoid.
Work-out: a time-bound mind-set, often missing in action
But maybe “exercise” isn’t the word you would use to describe the physical activity you do (or aspire to). How about the word “work-out”? Perhaps you have said something like: “I haven’t worked out in a while. I’m going for a work-out.” Or maybe even: “I had a great workout today. I love working out.”
Like exercise, working out is an action, something you do when you hit the gym or your home cardio machine. Unlike exercise, it may have become a great mindset, something you think positively about. However, it is still an action tied to a moment, and as such, it’s easy to let it slide.
If you tend to use either of these words to little effect, keep reading… there is a weigh out!
Training: progress-oriented action and mind-set, leading to results
Training is a word that can give you much more traction in your quest for losing weight, gaining muscle or decreasing your risk of heart disease. For those that use “training” in the context of physical activity, you might hear phrases such as: “I’m training for {a marathon, a competition…}. I have a training session later today. I do strength training 2 times a week.”
To us at Maxim Fitness, training implies goal-oriented action and mind-set, something that is not confined to a moment. It can include exercise; it can involve working out; but training is so much more than either of these. Training implies an accumulation of effort over time, progression that can be measured and tracked, and with that, a positive reinforcing cycle. With training comes noticeable improvement, and with noticeable improvement comes the desire and the will to train more.
Words can make or break your best intentions
If you’ve been disappointed in your fitness efforts, why not try thinking about the words you associate with what you’re doing. If training is not part of that vocabulary, consider making a mental shift and see how that affects your daily physical activity. And let us know how it goes – leave a comment below!
