I have always had an innate interest in food and fitness. I like to cook. I like to bake. I always liked sports. I did aerobic workouts like Tae Bo and P90X back in the day for years and I enjoyed them. A lot. I had some really great weight loss results with those programs, but after a while, they started to get stale.
I started running in my mid-20's and pursued that for about a decade. At the time, I was moving around a lot and in medical school and residency. I was working a lot of long hours. Running I could do whenever I wanted. I didn't need a gym. I wanted to try to run a half-marathon and then a full marathon. But...I stopped. I took a step back from where I was at with training and abandoned it. I started to lift instead.
Why? This was hard for me to even explain. It was like one day I was just done. Let me share this very personal experience. Some might think my reason is vain, but aside from getting injured a lot from running, I just didn't like how my body looked. Running gave me a very thin and non-muscular physique. Deep down my WHY of why I worked out like I did (and do) is because I want a toned and athletic physique. Sure, I want to be healthy. I want good health markers and to be fully functional when I'm older, but why I pay attention to my food choices, why I schedule/plan my workouts like I do, and why I switched my mentality from that of a runner to that of a lifter, is because of how I'd truly always wanted to look. Even going way back to high school...yes, THAT far back.
If you think I'm shallow for thinking that way, that's ok. But I think that thought is the same for a lot of people. Do you like what you see in the mirror? I want to be satisfied with what I see at some point. I don't want to be skinny...and I don't want to age without any muscle mass and look thin and frail. I'd rather look and feel strong. I know I'm on my way to that physique now after almost 2 solid years of lifting. But there's still a long way to go. And I'm depressed it look me THAT long to realize and recognize what I had to do to reach that aesthetic goal and it wasn't running.
Is this how you feel? Deep down...what is your why and your goals for starting a new lifestyle? I'm here to tell you that if you want to lose weight and start lifting weights because you want to look dead sexy in a bikini with a nice ass...do it! So what and who cares what other people think. Yep, you can start a fitness journey to feel better, be less tired, improve your mental health, improve your sleep, improve your cholesterol, reverse your pre-diabetes...but if deeeeeep down you just want to look good...YES you can and should! There is nothing wrong with that and I'm right there with you. I feel like I have finally found my passion and my sport. I love lifting and how it makes me feel. That's partly why I also became a personal trainer and coach...to help others who feel similarly and guide them to where they TRULY want to be. Don't be shy anymore. If you want that rocking bod, let's go get it! I can't wait to see where it goes from here!
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