How life pulled me away from exercise – and what finally brought me back
I’ve had a rocky relationship with exercise.
When I was younger, my relationship with exercise was hot and steamy. Soccer, volleyball, tennis, swimming. You name it, I played it!
Each sport came with its own labyrinth of workout routines, drills, and scrimmages to push my body to the limits of its potential. The key for me was that these sports were fun. I was making friends, playing to my interests, competing in healthy ways, and my body was supporting me through it all.
I was proud of my body. I felt strong, fit into my clothes well… I had a 4-pack for goodness sake, and life was good. Now I know of course age and metabolism play a large role in making this possible, but I heavily attributed my level of exercise to maintaining a muscular and healthy body.
But just like any relationship, there are ups and downs.
In high school I injured my lower back which resulted in visits to the chiropractor for 2 months, practicing yoga for building muscle strength and made me a bit more cautious on the field in fear of reinjuring myself.
College followed high school, leading to the classic freshman 15.
And all in all, life got busy. Schoolwork turned into corporate America and resulted in me trying to find balance between work and free-time. I quickly noticed that free time used to fuel me to get back on the field, court or pool, but has since shifted instead to taking me to the couch, movie theatre or local restaurant.
As much as I hate to say it, exercising stopped being a priority, and my body showed it.
I was stuck in a constant loop of wanting to look and feel better, but not taking any action. Pounds slowly added up, stretchmarks were discovered and the scale was showing the highest numbers I’d ever seen for myself. With each change of my body it made it seem that it would be impossible to return to my former state.
I felt ashamed.
Something that I worked so hard for, a relationship with exercise that was so close to me, was pushed to the side by habits that no longer served me. The mental drain kept circling and circling until I hit the bottom and needed to do something to pull myself out.
So I began to define R&R in a new way – Reflection and Realization. What were going to be the things to keep me motivated on my journey of changing bad habits, pushing towards a healthier lifestyle, and reigniting my love of exercising? After a long stint of R&R, here is what I realized.
I Don’t Want To Waste Time
I know being in my early thirties isn’t old, but time has a funny way of speeding up. It can be a blur, and clearly snuck up on me from being in the best shape of my life to realizing I was in the worst shape of my life. So what other tricks can time pull? I don’t want to find out.
I find comfort and determination in knowing that if I begin exercising again and starting healthier habits now, it is setting me up for long-term success to enjoy the majority of my life.
I need to stop the weight gain, and work to build a stronger body so that as it ages I don’t feel the strains as much as if I wasn’t exercising.
It’s like the metaphor that your body is a car, but you only get one for your whole life. In order for it to be reliable, you need to take care of the car by giving it the tune ups it needs to run smoothly and stay powerful. None of us want to break down, and we want to keep running for a long time, so it’s time for me to kick it into high gear and tune up my engine.
My Family Deserves My Best
I mentioned some of the drivers for why I exercised when I was younger: friends, competition, and, as vain as it sounds, looking good. As I reflect now, I realize that I have motivation that’s not exactly new for why I need to get back into exercising and living healthier.
In short, my motivation is that I have been blessed with a beautiful family.
I have a husband who I have the best time with, no matter what we are doing. Nieces and nephews that are growing up and changing every day. And parents that gave me the world when I was a kid so I could be set up for success.
I need to be there for all of them!
I want to experience all the future adventures my husband and I will explore in our lives together. I want to see my nieces and nephews grow up and see what kinds of incredible people they will become. To be there for my parents just as they were for me and provide as much support as possible. I need to not let myself get in the way of participating in all of this, and to do this I need to be at the top of my game.
This new mindset isn’t just for me, it’s for them, and knowing that helps in my motivation to keep trying and keep moving forward in my exercise journey.
Health Isn’t Guaranteed
Probably the most basic realization is that with a mindset shift and exercising more I would be giving my health a priority that it unfortunately hasn’t been receiving over the last few years.
When flying on an airplane, they say in the event of an emergency you need to place your own mask on before helping or worrying about others.
From a family history of high cholesterol, different cancers, and other health risks, why shouldn’t I be doing everything I can to keep my body in top shape to try and prevent these possibilities from becoming realities?
I need to invest in my own health if I want to be there for the people I love.
Maybe We Can Fall In Love Again
The final realization that I’m most excited to explore is that I did love exercising at one point in my life… What if that love is still there?
What if there is a new sport I’ve never tried, but that I will love and become obsessed with? What if love is reignited with a sport I used to play? What if I join a team and meet a new friend? What if I push myself to new limits that I didn’t even know possible?
The “What ifs” are usually scary questions, but in this use case, how could anyone not be excited by the possibilities?
My relationship with exercise never ended – we just took a break. We still may have our ups and downs on the days when schedules are tight, energy is lacking, or the couch just looks too good to be true, but from this day on exercising is a choice that takes priority.
This relationship may have been rocky, but it’s worth fighting for. And just like any meaningful relationship, it isn’t rebuilt overnight. It’s rebuilt one choice, one workout, and one step at a time.
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