It’s February, and with Valentines Day marking the middle of this month, it’s primed to be a month of love and desire. So, we wanted to share with you the love we have for fitness. Of course, we love fitness already, it’s what we do, and we are borderline obsessed and infatuated with it. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s plain sailing all of the time.

Fitness is like a long-term relationship, there’ll be amazing times, where you love and enjoy every part of how exercise makes you feel. You’ll ride high on the physical (and emotional) peaks and enjoy the post session after-glow, a feeling of empowerment and fulfilment, from doing something to maintain and improve your own health. On the flip side there will also be tough times. You’ll have setbacks; periods where it’s an immense effort; injuries that make it less fun; or life events that slow down or halt your available time to commit. It’s all part of the game, and in our experience, it’s necessary to ride out the ‘not so good’ parts to find pleasure and exhilaration in the good bits. As with anything in life, there’s no Yin without the Yang, and no highs without the lows!

So how do you fall in love (with fitness)? Try out different styles and types, we all have different preferences and tastes, so find something that’s a match for you. There’s so many options out there, so don’t be despondent if your first try isn’t a good fit. There will be something out there for you, you just need to find it.

Give yourself the reminder that anything that’s worthwhile takes effort, commitment and attention to detail. Give it your best shot and stay open minded in the early days. It’s rarely a smooth ride but there is value and purpose to keeping fit, and it will benefit your life. Acknowledge this, stick with it and the perks will follow. Know that feelings and thoughts are transient, there may be times when your enthusiasm and energy wains but show up even when you don’t feel like it. Consistently showing up for yourself is important, so step up, even if you have to take a slower, more relaxed pace. Do your best, stay positive and praise yourself for your efforts.

A love for fitness may be love at first sight, if you’re lucky, or it may take time to blossom. Its benefits will become visible and clear with time so be patient. Self-care and self-love are glorious gifts, so let the month of love be your start to a beautiful and rewarding relationship with fitness.