How Learning in Community Supports Your Health

Living a fit lifestyle doesn’t begin with a gym membership or a new workout plan. It begins with setting your priorities. While most of us conceptually understand that health and regular exercise are important, when it comes to the day-to-day, these priorities often fall to the bottom of the list. Life gets busy. Obligations pile up. And when we’re tired or overwhelmed, exercise easily becomes just another task; one more responsibility that feels like a chore.

When you're running on empty, it’s tempting to forgo exercise in favor of rest, especially when exercise is viewed as a duty instead of something rewarding. But the truth is, there may be no greater long-term return on investment than regular physical activity. Extensive amounts of research have shown that consistent exercise has a profound impact on both lifespan and healthspan. It improves mental clarity, physical health, emotional well-being, and dramatically reduces the risk of almost every known human disease. No medicine in the world comes close!

Despite this, we rarely receive strong social reinforcement for making exercise a daily priority. We’re consistently told to be better parents, more productive employees, and responsible adults who contribute to society. These messages are framed around caring for others and achieving financial or professional success. Rarely, however, are we reminded of the importance of caring for ourselves, of reinforcing health behaviors for our own well-being. That’s a message we must learn to tell ourselves. And it helps when it's echoed in a community of people with shared values. 

Priorities are tied to our identity

Recognizing that exercise is a priority in theory is one thing. Living it daily is another. This requires more than motivation, it calls for an identity shift. There’s a distinct difference between people who wake up willing to exercise and those who see it as something they have to force themselves to do. The real difference lies not in their energy levels or time management, but in how they see themselves.

If you currently see yourself as someone who doesn't enjoy exercise, the idea of becoming someone who does may feel unrealistic. But identity isn’t fixed. It can change. My personal story is a testament to this. As a child I was encouraged to focus on school, and my scholastic achievements became a reinforcing message of my identity as an academic. Meanwhile, my small stature was often cited by others as a barrier to being successful in sports. These childhood narratives were deeply etched in my psyche and impacted my decisions about how I spent my time - studying for hours rather than honing my fitness and sports skills. Thus, behaviour reinforces identity,  for better or for worse. 

A bit of my own story

Fast forward to today and I'd certainly say I'm more athletic than scholarly! That bookish young girl, so successful in the classroom only dreamed of being a great skier, fast runner and strong lifter with visible muscles. I was never taught the incredible feeling that could actually come from the temporary discomforts of a workout. The feeling of being fit, confident and energetic was the delayed reward of daily exericise.  I could never fathom that the stress of a workout could yield the calmness of recovery: better mood and improved sleep. The realization that these outcomes were the result of my exercise consistency could only be made by starting to act like a fit person would, exercising day-in and day-out, regardless of internal desire, motivation or the level of convenience. The result has been a transformation, not only in my fitness but in my identity.   

We will always act out what we believe about ourselves

James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, writes that identity change is the root of lasting behavior change because people will always act in accordance with who they believe they are. Fundamentally, our identity shapes behaviour but so does behaviour shape identity. If we begin to focus on acting today as our future self would act, then over time, these repeated behaviors begin to reinforce our sense of self.  You become what you consistently do. 

Even with a shift in mindset, barriers will still arise.  Externally, life gets in the way. Meetings run long, kids get sick, the unexpected happens.  Internally, the obstacles can be even more challenging. We face moments of indecision, cognitive distortions, and excuses. Thoughts like “I’m too tired,” “I don’t have time,” or “I’ll start tomorrow” can sabotage our intentions. It is a misconception that people who exercise as a life habit do so because their lives are less busy or more predicatable or that they are more motivated to do so. In reality, people who exercise as a daily routine, do so because it's who they are. They eat, they sleep, they move. Doing anthing different feels discordant and at odds with how they have learned to live. 

How things will start to change for you

If you’re serious about building a habit of regular exercise, there are a few foundational tools to start with. First, continually reaffirm the importance of exercise, not just as a task, but as a commitment to yourself and your health. Second, begin to adopt the identity of someone who is active and healthy, and ask yourself "what would someone who exercises daily do in this situation?". Third, seek support from people or communities, like Women Who Want Muscle, that align with your goals. And finally, schedule your workouts. Make them non-negotiable, like brushing your teeth or eating dinner. If you have to move them, reschedule them as you would any other important meeting. 

It’s not force - it’s alignment.

As you build these practices, continue to challenge the stories that might pull you off course. Notice what activities you allow to replace exercise, and what that says about your real-time priorities. Sometimes it’s a competing obligation, but often it’s a belief that you’re not capable right now, that you’re too tired, or that it won’t matter. Those are the moments where real transformation happens- when you choose to act as your future self would, instead of giving in to old narratives.

Ultimately, becoming someone who enjoys and prioritizes exercise isn’t about forcing yourself into something you hate. It’s about aligning your daily choices with the kind of person you want to be. That identity shift is powerful. And it’s the key to building a life of health, energy, and self-respect.

Here we build community around this shift - you don’t need to do it alone.

This post has images of real women in my programs who have all experienced the power of learning in community, and that is what makes joining Women Who Want Muscle different. Being surrounded by women who are choosing and prioritizing their health amplifies your own choices.

If the content here resonated with you, and you’re feeling ready to make lifting a part of who you are rather than just something you have to do, then you might be ready for what my coaching programs can help you build.

WWWM is taking new clients beginning July 2025.