I am of the impression that there is no better feeling than the rush of endorphins after a good workout. Sure, your muscles are aching and your body hurts in places you didn’t even know existed, but you feel good. Everytime I run a little bit farther or faster than the last time, I feel unstoppable. My legs may feel like melting rubber, and I might be drenched in sweat, but I’ll still feel some kind of good.

And that kind of feel-good is addicting. Like any drug, those feel-good hormones in your body can be addicting to experience. Luckily for us, going to the gym is a healthy way to feel a natural high. For any gym-going beginner (like me right now!), you probably know the stages of your gym addiction. In case you’ve forgotten, or you’ve never experienced, here are the five stages of your growing obsession with working out..

1. The Beginning Stage

This is the easiest part, where you haven’t quite found your legs yet but you know it feels good to move your body. Like the little tadpole in a big pond, you’re not quite sure where you are all the time, or what you should be doing. You do your best each day to figure out the new machines you’ve never used, and find out about each of your muscle groups that you work out on alternating days.

2. The Self-Doubt Stage

This part of your journey to a healthier, fitter you can be challenging at every turn. Everything hurts more than you expected, snoozing your alarm is easier than waking up and going to your early spin class, and you aren’t seeing any progress. By now, you would have thought you would have lost a few pounds and gained some muscle, but you aren’t seeing anything. You just keep wondering, are you doing something wrong?

3. The Discovery Stage

For the first time, you’re noticing your muscle gain. That weird line down your calf wasn’t there before - right? Or the curves in your arms are becoming more defined. You’re feeling stronger than you were when you started this adventure. You’ve finally begun to realize that all of the hard work, early mornings, and sore muscles are worth it.

4. The Risk-Reward Stage

What if you run a little bit longer this time? Will you be able to do it? Or maybe you can push yourself more when you’re lifting and add five or ten pounds. As you discover your capacity for self-confidence, you begin to work harder. You take careful risks, like adding another rep into your workout, or trying a new class. With each new thing you try, you feel better and better with each reward you receive.

5. The Acceptance Stage

So you’re here now. Each day you’re in and out of your favorite gym, you find it easier to get up earlier and push yourself for longer. You look forward more towards the days you’re working out rather than your rest days. The people in your gym that were strangers at first are now your family members, your personal trainers, your cheerleaders.

Take a minute to appreciate all that your body has done for you to get here, and train a little harder today than you did yesterday. After all, if it was easy, everyone would do it. But it isn’t easy, it’s a challenge. And the challenge you give yourself each day is what’s going to make you stronger.