It was windy and raining. That’s never a good combination when you’re setting up a tent. Sure enough, it ripped and I never went camping again. That’s why this answer to a question about fitness caught my attention.

“Would you be willing to spend a month alone in the woods with no electricity to instantly complete your fitness goals?”

Almost 30% said yes.

I understand the romantic appeal of time alone in nature, but I suspect those who said yes didn’t think through ALL of the implications. A month alone with no electricity means ZERO contact with any other humans. That’s bordering on solitary confinement. No electricity also means no refrigeration for a month. That’ll limit your food options. You likely won’t get a month of perfect weather. I’ve already done the tent in wind and rain thing and it’s not fun. Alone doesn’t include wildlife…a lot of which likes to prowl at night while you’re trying to sleep. And, lastly…don’t forget nature loses its romance really fast when it also doubles as your bathroom.

Yeah…I doubt those who said they’d be willing to spend a month alone in the woods with no electricity for instant fitness considered all this. Or, maybe they did.

What are your fitness goals? Is there anything you’d be willing to do to have your those goals instantly completed? Some of the other options on the survey by Freeletics included:

“Eat plain oatmeal every meal for a year” (33%) 

“Shave your head” (30%)

“Give up sex for a year” (30%)

“Spend a week in jail” (25%)

That means, about 70% of those asked would not be willing to do any of these for instant fitness. I get that. There are some on this list that I wouldn’t be willing to do either.

But, here’s the one that really has me puzzled. Would you be willing to do this for instant fitness?

“Spend the day in line at the DMV” (24%)

There’s very little about spending the day waiting in line to get a new license, turn in old tags, or register a vehicle that sounds fun. But, it’s just one day. Still, 76% said they would not be willing to stand in line for instant fitness.

Most fitness goals involve some combination of wanting to look better, feel better, and live better. These are game changers and 76% said they were not willing to have one bad day to make this happen. What’s up with that?

I understand that for some people the distance between where they are right now and where they’d like to be regarding fitness is not far and they really aren’t willing to give up a full day at the DMV to close that gap. But, that’s probably a small minority.

So, I’ve been pondering…why would three out of every four people NOT BE WILLING to spend a day at the DMV in line to reach their fitness goals?

I’ve come up with three possible reasons:

THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN PUSHING THE FITNESS FAST FORWARD BUTTON

For some people fitness is actually fun. They enjoy their fitness activities and the sense of accomplishment as they keep moving forward. They’re simply not interested in instant goal completion.

I’d be a part of this group. I also believe fitness is a life-long journey not simply a goal to be reached. For me completed means…well…COMPLETED. Not sure I want to stand in line at the DMV all day only to have my funeral as the reward.

FITNESS IS JUST NOT WORTH IT

There are a lot of people that have no desire to pursue fitness. They are fine with life just as it is. They know people who did all the “wrong things” and still lived a long and happy life. Even if they acknowledge maybe they “should exercise more” it just doesn’t have that much value for them.

This group also would include people who actively push back against fitness. A good friend of mine likes to say his daily step goal is to get under 200. He knows mine is a bit higher.

He has other people in his life who are pursuing fitness. Add in the daily assault on social media and I wonder if he’s just had it with fitness “shoved” in his face. For him, and others, fitness is not worth any sacrifice at all…even one bad day at the DMV.

FITNESS IS FOR OTHERS

There’s also something unspoken about these “offers”. Fitness isn’t one and done. In other words, even if I could make fitness happen instantly, I still have to maintain it.

How many of us have suffered fitness failure? I have decades of fitness goals that were never achieved. Most of those goals crashed after only a week or two. You can start to believe that fitness is for others, but not you.

In other words, why would I stand in line at the DMV for a whole day to get a goal that I can’t maintain? That would just make me feel even worse.

FITNESS IS HARD

There is no fitness magic bullet. Even if I wanted to stand in line at the DMV for an entire day in return for instantly completed fitness goals, it’s not a real option.

The reality is that fitness is hard and it takes time. It requires some intensity which is often not fun. This is why so many don’t even try.

If you have found a fitness activity you enjoy and have some momentum, you have a great gift. Nurture it carefully. Let others see how much fun you’re having, but don’t be obnoxious about it. I mention that only because I can easily drift into that lane. I apologize if you have felt that reading this blog.

If you struggle with fitness…maybe even feeling like you don’t have what it takes…I don’t believe it for a moment. Most fitness fails are the result of starting the wrong way and choosing the wrong activity.

It’s all about starting small creating a fitness habit with something you enjoy doing. I strongly recommend walking!

After you get a bunch of fitness wins, momentum starts to happen and you can gradually increase the intensity. As your capacity for fitness grows you keep moving forward towards fitness transformation.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY

If you don’t have a daily Fitbit goal, I want to challenge you to give it a try. It will help you create that fitness habit which builds fitness momentum and eventually leads to fitness transformation.

I recommend The 30 Day Fitness Challenge. This free guide will walk you through how to get started. It’s very easy.

If you don’t have a Fitbit I recommend the Fitbit Inspire HR. This is the Fitbit I use to track my 20,000 steps a day. The Inspire HR also tracks your heart rate and sleep so you get an even wider picture of your fitness progress.

(By the way…if you use the links in this article to make a purchase this blog will receive a small commission. It won’t add anything to what you pay, but letting you know is the right thing to do)

This blog is designed to help you embrace walking as a fitness activity. It’s sustainable, flexible, effective, and fun. Every week I post new articles with stories and helpful suggestions to Win at Fitness.

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