My fitness journey began after the birth of my first child, when I tipped the scale at just over 200 lbs. There was no way I was going to allow myself to stay in that place. All esthetics aside, I was unhealthy and unhappy. I wanted my kids to have a momma that set a healthy example of being strong, not skinny. My kids have always been one of my main reasons for pursuing fitness.
Sometimes your reasons shift. Your “why” changes and that’s okay. In my opinion, re-assessing the reason you are doing anything is a very healthy way to ensure you are still chasing the right things. Is it still worth your time and energy? Does your “why” align with your end goals? Recently, my own reason for working out has shifted, completely unintentionally but here I am with a new reason “why.”
I took a three week running hiatus after facing a family tragedy. Three weeks may not seem like much to many, but to me that was an eternity after previously training the last 10 weeks for a full marathon. In addition, I did not lift weights, workout or really do much of anything for about a week. I found myself in a place of complete brokenness.
Until one morning I woke up and said no more. I put my running shoes on and planned to go for a 1-mile jog. No intention to push myself, simply wanted to get my heart rate up a little and run one single mile. As I ran down the street, my legs pulled the ground behind me. My arms pumped, hamstrings tensed, lungs burned and my heart was beating. To my surprise, I wasn’t jogging, I was running and I was running fast. Mile 1, 7:30 pace. I looked ahead and kept going. Mile 2, 7:25 pace. I finished and I cried, hard. I wasn’t dead despite what I had felt for the 3 weeks previous. I wasn’t broken. I was very much alive and that became my new “why.”
I’m bent, but I am not broken.
Sam M.
I have to lift, I have to move, and I have to run because I am not dead! And if I’m not dead, there is room for progress. I am so thankful God continues to hold me in this difficult season. He pulls me up when I cannot stand and gives me strength I could not muster on my own. I am reminded I have one body and one life to live and I choose every day to live it well.
In your current season, why do you choose (or not choose) to fuel your body well and exercise consistently? What holds you back? What musters you forward?
Let today be the day you say “no more.”
Lace those shoes up; we have one life to live.
Let’s live it well!