Have you ever struggled with lacing up your trainers and going for that run? Maybe you’ve even asked yourself if beginning the first step of your fitness journey is worth it.
I have. In fact, I know I’m not alone in feeling this. At some point in the fitness journey, I, alongside many of my clients, have experienced the heavy steps we take into the gym.
There are good days, and there are also days when staying on the couch seems more appealing. However, fitness is more than a chore. It’s an obligation. It’s a promise we make to ourselves and the people we love.
For these reasons, it’s too good a purpose for us to let a dent in motivation get in the way. How do I stay on track? It’s simple. I read some of my favorite fitness quotes online, on my phone, and on the walls of the gym (provided I make it this far).
These fitness quotes for women fire me up in a way no triple espresso can. Hopefully, it does the trick for you as well. Here are my top picks for the best fitness quotes for women:
“The Hardest Lift of All Is Lifting Your Butt off the Couch!” ~ Favorite Fitness Quotes
I love this one because it’s true for everybody — man, woman, or child. Everybody believes that the toughest thing to do is that 2.5 bodyweight deadlift, the perfect snatch, or a sub-3-minute Fran time (hey, CrossFit).
In reality, the one that sets a lot of my clients back is the refusal to get started for the day. Momentum is a valuable thing, not just in fitness but in everything outside the gym.
Momentum can be used to your advantage or against you. Once you get started, chances are you’ll never stop. This is true for the new workout plan you’ve started or a new diet consisting of lesser simple carbs.
Whatever it is, the important thing is to start.
“Suck It Up Now, So You Won’t Have To Suck It in Later!”
We all get into fitness for more or less the same reason — to get leaner. Whether you want to unravel your toned abs or simply lose a few inches, one thing gets in the way. Many of us (myself included) struggle with delayed gratification.
Many of my clients would probably fail the marshmallow test if it were administered to them. It’s often a struggle to put off the next slice of blueberry pie, but easy to put off a workout.
Giving in every now and then is fine since doing the hard stuff is… well, hard and boring. Nonetheless, it’s as Dan John says:
“Winning starts with doing the boring stuff.”
Truer words have never been said of fitness and life, in my opinion.
“A One-Hour Workout Takes 4% of Your Day.”
What’s the most common complaint you hear when you tell someone to get fit? You’ll probably have heard this excuse before:
“I don’t have enough time.”
For some reason, everyone who doesn’t exercise seems to think that workouts last six hours. For competitive bodybuilders, maybe. However, in reality, an hour of moderate-intensity exercise is plenty. You can ask the boys and girls at the American Heart Association.
Sometimes, I’ve found it helpful to remind myself that a workout requires less time than what’s commonly assumed. Go to a CrossFit class, and you’ll see this to be true. People come in, back squat, do the conditioning portion, and snap a few selfies after.
How long does this normally take? Crossfitters will say it takes no more than an hour, and they got a complete workout in!
Am I telling you to sign up for a CrossFit class? I leave that decision to you. All I’m saying is that an hour is more than enough for a great workout. That’s one hour out of the 16 in which you’re up.
“The Only Bad Workout Is the One You Didn’t Do.”
Here’s another one of my go-to no-sugarcoating fitness quotes. Let’s be honest, not all workouts are going to be PRs or invigorating. Nor will all workouts leave you with a new skill like a muscle-up or Turkish getup.
Despite all that, I’m a firm believer that every workout has value. No workout is unproductive. Regardless of how your last HIIT or TRX sesh went, you’re still walking away with two things — the workout and another drop in the habit bucket.
The habit is the most important reward you’ll get from a workout. For this reason, missing one (barring things like childbirth, injury, or disease) will make you miss out on developing the habit.
If you’re thinking of skipping a workout because you feel you won’t do well, think about your next achievement.
“The Best Ab Exercise Is Five Sets of Stop Eating So Much Crap!”
I’ll go out and say it.
It doesn’t matter what the fancy infomercials have told you. Other than the one used for liposuction, no machine can remove belly fat. In fact, no exercise can do it for you, either.
Here’s a saying I heard from five-time CrossFit Games champ, Matt Fraser:
“You can’t out-train a bad diet.”
If you want to reveal those abs, working out is great. However, don’t you want faster results? You can cut your cutting time significantly by looking at what you eat.
Abs are made in the kitchen, so what you eat is probably more important than what you do in the gym. You don’t need a degree in nutrition to nail your diet down. Just subject a portion of food to the Great Grandmother Test.
The Great Grandmother test works this way:
Take any food product, and imagine asking your great-grandmother to identify it. If she can’t, chances are it’s processed and it’ll sabotage your fat loss.
“You Don’t Get What You Wish For. You Get What You Work For.”
One thing I hate about The Secret is that it over-emphasizes wishing for something in order for it to be true. I guess it works for some things.
However, will wishing for better flexibility make you more flexible? I doubt it. You improve flexibility by putting in the work — by stretching and maybe signing up for a Yoga class.
Fitness and health are just some of the things where work must be put in. Without putting in the gym time, there can be no results. It’s that simple, and it doesn’t matter how much lamp-rubbing a person does.
Putting in the work means wishing for something, coming up with a plan, and working towards the goal. It may take a long time. Nonetheless, you know what they say about victories being sweeter the longer the battle.
“Sometimes, You Don’t Need To Go Fast. You Just Need To GO.”
This ties into what I said about momentum and getting started. Whenever you look at social media, it’s easy to get trapped in the impressive numbers someone is lifting. It’s also easy to come across people with chiseled buns and abs.
When you get caught in the trap of comparing their success to where you are in your journey, you’ll be discouraged. As we both know, with discouragement comes a dip in your momentum and motivation.
You’re on a journey, and it’s important to remember that. Whatever your goal is, it’s in the future. Right now, the important thing is to get started. Don’t sweat it if you’re not feeling it or you get discouraged. Take it from me — just go, and the results will come.
Pumped Up Yet?
These are some of my favorite fitness quotes for women. Hopefully, these will have you downing a huge cup of Joe and running to your next HIIT, Yoga, or CrossFit class.
Let me know if these fitness quotes helped and share them with a buddy who needs that extra kick in the pants!
Sources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/exercise/faq-20057916
