Find Your “WHY”

When we put our mind to something, we get excited! Right? Anything brand new is exciting. It’s no different when we make the decision to up our health and fitness game. When we make that decision to get to the gym on a regular basis. Sign up for that membership. Get up at a certain time, work out at a certain time, making the conscious choice to eat right and throw away the garbage. We get hyped up. (As we should.) We get excited that this is gonna be the start of “a new me.” That’s the beginning.

As time goes on, that same “hyped” feeling can start to dwindle and eventually, if we’re not careful, it can affect our choices and we can even start to question as to why we started in the first place. We can start to beat ourselves up when we mess up ( Side note: You’re human and you will mess up! Been there, done that.)

There are so many times that my attitude towards getting in a good work out fluctuates. Sometimes I’m pumped about it but to be honest, most of the time, I gotta drag my butt there. I have to have a conversation with myself. Which usually starts with me getting all up in my feelings about things like “it’s too cold”, “it’s too windy”, “the gym is too full”, “I’m tired” and the list goes on and on…and on.

Here’s the thing, there will ALWAYS be a “reason” not to go. There will ALWAYS be an excuse waiting to overtake your willpower. There will ALWAYS be a more comfortable choice. I know this from experience because I’ve used all of them. This is something that I have learned the hard way. (And I’m still learning!) In all the times that I finally finished a good work out, I never regretted making the decision to go afterwards. I never thought to myself, “Man I should have stayed home instead of going to the gym.” But I have regretted the times when I decided not to go. I can feel the difference in my body and in my mental and emotional being. (That’s a whole other blog post.)

Me when I don’t wanna go

In the times when I find myself negotiating with…myself, I find that when I set my mind towards my goal and the results that I want, those are the times that I am more likely to get my butt in gear and show up. I want muscle. I want abs. I want a strong body. All of that takes work. It takes making that tough decision to tie up my laces, put on the gear, get in my car and show up. And it’s not always done “gladly.” But that’s what makes getting it done even more fulfilling afterwards. I can look back and say, my thoughts and feelings were saying don’t go but I took charge and went anyway. That’s discipline! (Yet another blog on that later on.)

What is your “why?” What are your goals? What vision have you set for yourself when it comes to your health and fitness? Weight loss? Muscle building? Getting stronger? I want to encourage you that whatever it happens to be, THAT’S your WHY! In those times that your feelings show up (and they will show up!) and you’re tempted to give in, that’s when you can envision yourself STRONGER three or six months down the road because you didn’t quit. Envision yourself standing IN your vision that is now realized because you kept your “why” at the forefront of your mind. Even when it was difficult. Those are the times when winning tastes especially sweet, because you had so much to overcome. And you DID!