Why Do You Train So Hard?

 I get this question a lot. It usually comes after one of those sideways looks, the one with the curled lip and just a hint of disgust, and always from someone at least slightly overweight. I’ll admit I’m in very good shape for a thirty-something mother of 4. What people don’t seem to understand is why I’m still in the gym 5-6 days a week when I already have a slim, toned body. So I’m setting the record straight.

First of all, I swear I’m not doing it to make the rest of the world (at least the people carrying around some extra pounds) look bad. While I’ll readily admit there’s at least a hint of vanity behind my workout and nutrition regimen, (Hey. I’m human. I want to be hot.) it’s definitely not the main reason I’m so vigilant.

Nor is weight loss my reason for exercising in the first place. There’s a problem with a goal of losing some arbitrary number of pounds. What happens when you reach your goal? Do you go back to life as usual, eating whatever you feel like and rarely going to the gym? Remember, that lifestyle got you in your predicament to begin with. Statistics show people are more likely to stick with a fitness and nutrition lifestyle change if their overall goal isn’t weight loss, but health.

I train because I want to maintain a healthy body, one that I’m comfortable in, one that isn’t prone to sickness or injury. I don’t ever want to feel winded going up a flight of stairs. I don’t ever want to hurt when I bend over to tie my shoes. I want to be able to run and bend and stretch. Having a healthy fit body is very freeing.

Do I like to work out? Not particularly. I’d much rather lay on the couch and watch late night television while munching on potato chips. But after years of consistent exercise, it’s really just part of my routine now. Something I do almost without thinking. But I do feel good about myself when I leave the gym. There’s something that boosts your self confidence and your self-esteem when you know you’ve done something good and right even when you didn’t want to.

Even though I may look pretty good in a bathing suit, I haven’t reached all of my fitness goals. There are yoga poses I still struggle with. I want to be able to do 10 pull-ups. (I’m at 5 right now.) I want to be able to bench press 100 pounds. I want to be able to throw an awesome round kick in karate. They may be small goals, but they keep me climbing, striving, moving forward. But when I reach these goals, I’ll just set new ones, because in the words of a possibly cheesy Miley Cyrus song, “It ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.”