What’s Your Fitness Identity?

1. If You Hate Tomorrow Before It Starts

Ever start a workout plan, only to realize you’re already dreading tomorrow’s session? Pause for a second: that dread is a sign you’re doing fitness wrong — and it means it’s not going to stick.

When it comes to fitness, what matters the most is consistency. And consistency only comes from doing things you enjoy. And when you consistently do something that is joyful to you, it naturally becomes your Fitness Identity.

The beauty is, you get to choose yours. There’s no right or wrong one — just recognizing it creates a sense of belonging and makes it easier to commit, instead of forcing a path that doesn’t fit.

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2. Finding Your Fitness Identity

So what’s your Fitness Identity? Here are a few common ones:

The Tracker
You’re the one with the spreadsheet, the app, or the notepad in your gym bag. You follow a structured plan — maybe it’s 531, Starting Strength, or a classic push/pull/legs split. You probably know your numbers, your PRs, and your weaknesses. You like seeing progress, not guessing.

The CrossFitter
You live for varied, high-intensity workouts. You thrive in a group but care just as much about your own performance — how fast you finished, how heavy you went, how hard it felt. You don’t track everything, but you do care about progress. You're not afraid of a little suffering if it means getting better.

The Class-Goer
You're all about the group vibe. Whether it's spin, bootcamp, Orangetheory, or yoga sculpt — the energy of the room is what keeps you coming back. You probably don’t care about logging your split times or tracking your PRs — you just show up, move your body, and leave feeling good.

The Influencer Follower
You scroll, you tap, and you train. Your favorite fitness creator drops a new glute circuit and you’re on it. You like workouts that are fun, dynamic, and visually easy to follow. Structure? Maybe. Tracking? Not so much. You follow people, not programs — and that works for you.

The “I’m Not Fit” Identity
You’ve tried things, maybe hated them all, and somewhere along the way started saying “I’m just not a workout person.” But here’s the thing — just because you haven’t found your path yet doesn’t mean there isn’t one for you.

You might feel like you’re just one of these, or a mix of two or three. That’s normal. Your Fitness Identity isn’t about fitting into a box — it’s about finding a rhythm that works for you.

No matter where you fall, your identity shapes the kind of fitness you'll stick with — and the kind you'll burn out from.

3. Why Identity Matters More Than Intensity

Now that you’ve got a sense of where you might fall — why does this even matter?

Because the fastest way to kill consistency is to try and force a Fitness Identity that isn’t yours.

I’ve never believed there’s one “right” way to be fit — I’ve always followed what felt good in the moment. That’s why my approach has shifted with the seasons.

I’ve done the CrossFit-style WODs. I’ve followed powerlifting programs like 5/3/1. I’ve had my cardio warrior phase, my hypertrophy girlie phase… and I’ve even owned the Jillian Michaels DVD that’s been sitting on my shelf for twenty years, played maybe twice - it was part of a short-lived phase where I really tried to make that my thing.

Here’s what I’ve learned: sustainability in fitness doesn’t come from doing the hardest thing — it comes from doing the thing you actually look forward to, over and over again.

If you're a Class-Goer, stop trying to be a Tracker if logging reps bores you to death. If you're an Influencer Follower, don’t guilt yourself for not following some 12-week hypertrophy split. You like the energy of new workouts — so lean into that.

And if you’ve been walking around with the Fitness Identity of “I’m not fit” — I want to challenge you on that.

Start by walking.

Seriously. You might think it doesn’t count, but walking burns close-ish the same amount of calories as running the same distance. The more distance you cover, the bigger the calorie gap gets — but here's the thing: it doesn’t matter if running technically burns more if you can’t bring yourself to lace up. What matters is doing the thing you’ll actually repeat tomorrow.

4. Your Fitness Identity Will Evolve

But here's something most people don’t talk about — your Fitness Identity doesn’t have to be forever. It’s seasonal.

You might be deep in your Tracker era right now, following a strict program and logging every set… and six months later, you just want to move your body without thinking too hard. Maybe you were all about group fitness for years, and suddenly you're craving the peace of solo lifting.

It doesn’t mean you’re inconsistent. It means you’re evolving.

Your Fitness Identity can shift as your life shifts — and that’s not only normal, it’s smart. It's about giving yourself permission to lean into what actually brings you joy and fits your life right now.

  • You stop forcing the DVD you secretly hate.
  • You stop dragging yourself to a class when you'd rather lift in silence.
  • You stop pretending you're a runner when walking every day fits your life better.

Your Fitness Identity isn’t the end goal — it’s just the starting point.
Because the best fitness plan isn’t the one that looks good on paper — it’s the one that makes you want to come back tomorrow.