I made a decision in December that I was going to get fit. Nothing uncommon about that. People make decisions like that all the time. They’ll cut junk food, lift weights, go running, do yoga.
One of the hardest things to do in a health plan is to keep to it. At first, there’s a great level of enthusiasm and you feel like you can see the results zooming toward you. But they don’t. After the first week or two, the original enthusiasm wanes from not seeing much change and the process becomes routine. The pounds aren’t dropping, you can’t hold the poses you thought you could, you can’t handle the weight you thought you could, it hurts so much and you hate being sore.
Perhaps something harder is missing a day, a week or longer and getting back on that plan. Things come up to occupy our time: job changes; relocation; injury; loss of a loved one. It is easy to say “Well, I’ll get back to it when things get better and I have time.” Sometimes things don’t get better and that time doesn’t come, other times the time does come and we’ve been out of it for so long that we think we can start later. We’ve learned to live without it.
In the past eight months there have been periods when I haven’t exercised. It’s the same excuses and reasons. I don’t have the time, too much work, I hurt my shoulder. It killed my motivation but I felt guilty because I still wanted to pursue my fitness goals. I asked myself why I was working out in the first place and found a motivation that has carried me through the times I can’t control and has helped me find time when I first thought there was none.
I want to travel. I asked myself if I could I handle a hike, a change in climate, fitting into clothes I might buy in other countries? I eventually want to get married. While it sounds incredibly traditional, could I be able to literally sweep my future wife off her feet without pulling my back, help move furniture in an apartment or house, go dancing? I thought of children, since I want to be a father as well. I want to be able to run with them, jump in a pool, help them practice sports if they decide to play, carry them when they’re tired or hurt and, if needed, physically protect them from harm. I then thought that if I didn’t work out, what were the chances that in trying to be active with my family that I hurt myself or simply can’t participate because I have not taken care of my body?
It is well established the an object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. There is a force that most of us do not account for when thinking about this inert state. The inner force of motivation that inanimate objects do not possess. So if we haven’t been to the gym in a while and are given the time and means to renew our attempt, it is our own motivation that determines if we will go back to the gym, get out the yoga mat or even order water instead of a soda. Finding that motivation can make the difference between a break in your plan or its failure. So when I say I’m exercising for me, I’m exercising for my future and everyone in it. I know I’ll stumble more because life is what happens after we plan things, but I do know that I’ll have a reason in addition to myself to get back up, and I’ll be sure to stretch before and after to reduce soreness.
