When was the last time you exercised and told yourself “that was SO MUCH FUN!”
Not because it would improve your fitness, burn calories, help you reach a race goal or make you a better athlete. But you were smiling, laughing or feeling like you were filling your soul with joy and happiness?
My last race of the year (Embrunman) was in August. I then spent another 2 weeks cycling in the French Alps. Since returning home, I've maintained a relatively high level of swim, bike, run fitness with structured training through October 11th. After Karel finished participating in the Ironman World Championship, I officially “shut down” my 2026 training and racing season.
Over the past few weeks, I've continued to stay active, with a few days here and there completely off due to life, travel and other priorities. But something I'm prioritizing is seeking opportunities to exercise for the fun of it.
I've been very excited to mountain bike with Karel, ride my road bike with friends, run on hilly roads while listening to a podcast, trail run and join the masters swim group. Not because I needed to complete a particular workout, hit a certain pace or achieve a training objective, but because each of these activities bring me a lot of joy.
Last Wednesday, I went for a group ride with friends, and we finished by riding through downtown Greenville to look at the Halloween decorations. I finished the 2 hour ride in the dark and rode home guided by the light on my bike. Last Friday, it was a beautiful afternoon, so Karel and I headed out to a nearby mountain bike trail at 4:30 p.m. simply to take advantage of the weather and being outside. On Saturday, my cycling buddies decided to climb up Panther mountain (a climb I’ve never done but have heard about). While the scenery was incredible, the climb was incredibly challenging - by far the hardest climb I’ve ever done (averaging 13% for over 2 miles and pitches well over 22%). Although there was a lot of suffering during the climb, I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard during a ride in a very long time. And the tree leaves were so beautiful. None of these experience needed a training purpose (or race) to make them worthwhile.
The difference between training and exercising for fun
When we train for performance, we need a high level of dedication, focus, time management and attention to detail. It requires a lot of mental energy to show up for purposeful sessions (specifically challenging workouts), especially when we're tired or lacking motivation. It requires planning and sometimes structuring our lives around training to support the demands of specific sessions. It also means making intentional choices about nutrition, sleep, recovery and other lifestyle habits to stay healthy and support performance.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this level of commitment. In fact, it's often necessary to reach meaningful athletic goals.
However, it’s not healthy (or realistic) to live your entire year with this mindset.
Also, it's worth recognizing that people exercise for many different reasons, and not all of them are necessarily healthy. For some, exercise becomes a coping mechanism for stress or difficult life circumstances. Others use workouts to compensate for eating, manage body image concerns or influence their weight. Some feel that their identity and self-worth are so closely tied to being an athlete that taking a day off (or exercising without high volume or intensity) feels uncomfortable. And for others, exercise can become compulsive and obsessive, making it difficult to function in life without a daily workout.
When exercise becomes something we always feel obligated to do, rather than something we have the freedom to enjoy, it’s worth reassessing your relationship with moving and using your body.
Remember what it was like to be a kid
Think about children who participate in sports or play outside with their friends. They run, ride bikes, swim, play games and explore simply because it's fun. They aren't thinking about improving their VO2 max, trying to burn calories or preparing for their next event.
As adults, it's easy to lose that sense of enjoyment. We often approach exercise with an outcome in mind. We want to get faster, stronger, fitter, lose weight or reach a particular finish line. Even easy or non-structured workouts can become another opportunity to monitor pace, power, heart rate, distance or calories.
But if every workout has to serve a purpose, we can lose sight of why exercise can be fun.
Always approaching exercise as a means to an end can eventually contribute to physical and mental fatigue, burnout, injury and a loss of enjoyment. We may become so focused on what exercise is supposed to do for us that we forget to appreciate what it offers us along the way.
Give yourself permission to enjoy movement without training for fitness
The off-season is a great opportunity to step away from the constant structure and expectations of performance. This doesn't mean you need to stop exercising. It means allowing some flexibility in how, when or why you move your body.
Go for a ride without worrying about average speed, watts, time or distance. Run for “only 20 minutes” simply to enjoy the fresh air. Swim with friends and don’t let your watch tell you if you are swimming “too slow.” Enjoy an activity that doesn't necessarily fit into your usual training routine.
And occasionally, do nothing at all. Rest is also part of being an athlete.
Training for an event isn't always fun. There will be workouts you don't want to do, sessions that leave you exhausted and periods when training requires considerable discipline, planning and sacrifice. That's part of pursuing performance goals.
But if you're always operating with a performance mindset, this way isn't sustainable. When your entire day revolves around training or training consistently takes priority over relationships, family, work, personal interests and health, this isn’t healthy.
The off-season is an opportunity to reconnect with the other parts of life that make being active so rewarding.
As we move into November and December, I encourage you to find ways to move your body that bring you joy. At least once a week, do something that makes you laugh, smile or think to yourself “that was so much fun!”
You don’t need to elevate your heart rate or conquer a lot of miles to feel productive in the off-season. Don't worry if an activity doesn't make you feel fit. And don't feel guilty if you take a day off from exercising because life gets busy. You don't have to earn your rest, burn your meals off, and you don't have to justify physical movement by duration, pace or intensity.
Gift yourself some time during the year to remind yourself that exercising can come in many different forms.
Enjoy the movement. Enjoy the people you share it with. And remember that there are times throughout the year when you are allowed (and encouraged) to be an athlete who simply exercises because it's fun.
