Christine H is an early quitter and she’s cool with that.

This time last week, I thought I had my fitness plans for 2021 all figured out.

I had stumbled across a free 12 week program that seemed perfect. A high energy instructor, a plain background, and a progressive program that made sense to me.

It didn’t look *easy* but it looked like I could work up to it. And the fact that the program was all laid out for me took any day-to-day decisions out of it.

I decided to go for it, right away.

I wasn’t even going to wait until the new year, I wasn’t going to wait until the next day, I was going to start that very day.

So, I did it.

I joined the mailing list.

I subscribed to the YouTube channel.

I promised myself that I would adjust any exercises that I wasn’t ready for.

I said, aloud, that it was okay if I had to work up to the levels in the video.

I pressed play.

I started with enthusiasm.

I hated it.

The music was jarring. The enthusiastic instructor wasn’t speaking. The exercises were repetitive to the point of (my) frustration.

I was BORED and ANNOYED.

I tried to stick with it, figuring that it was just that I needed to let it grow on me.

I started to give myself grief about giving up before I even gave it a chance.

But then I remembered that the best exercise is anything you will keep doing. Anything you ENJOY doing.

Exercise is not a punishment.

And, I knew then, 21 minutes into a 30+ minute video that I was never going to want to do this program.

I would dread it. I would avoid it. I would curse it.

I had no doubt the program would work but it would never feel like a fun part of my day.

And this wasn’t about me not wanting to work hard. It was about me being so very, very, very bored.

Over the past year, I have done a lot of reflection and put a lot of effort into figuring out how to work with my brain instead of fighting it all the time.

Choosing to continue this program would be ignoring all of that effort and going back to battling my brain.

So, I quit.

At around 23 minutes into the first day of a three month program, I noped right out of there.

And it felt GREAT!

It felt right. It felt like a reward.

I had no lingering sense of ‘shoulda.’ I didn’t worry that I was just giving up. Actually, I just keep thinking about all the FUN ways I could move instead.

I haven’t decided on a new program but I am considering a few things. And I will be working WITH my brain while I figure it out.

In the meantime, I’m taking the dog for slightly longer walks each day and I’m doing a little extra practice on my TKD patterns.

I may not have a plan yet but at least I’m not BORED.

PS – I am not going to mention the program or the instructor because they have put a lot of work into something they are offering for free. It is a high-quality program but it is just not right for me.