The REAL reason(s) I work out…

Today… this morning… at the butt-crack-of-dark when I got up (and by “got up”, I really mean rolled over to grab my phone off the night stand so I could check Facebook and Twitter before I REALLY got up) I noticed some of my dear friends were either STILL up… or had just gone to bed according to their latest status updates… and this is not because said friends live half a world away where it would make total sense that they would be up due to the time differences and all, we are talking about a 1-2 hour time difference if that… (and I’m rambling a bit) and THEN… one of my dear dear darling friends asked me this:

and you must know that I completely ADORE her – and if you haven’t read her site at all you totally should because she is snarky and funny but mostly real and honest… qualities I treasure…  but back to the point…

I was the self-dubbed QUEEN of the midnight workout… no doubt.  I’d sleep in until I absolutely HAD to get up to get to work on time… (and we have a fairly flexible schedule where you’re “late” after 9:00-ish) and even justified that by sleeping in a bit later, I was missing most of the rush hour traffic, but that’s not always true…

So, why the change?  Did I miraculously get sprinkled by fairy dust when I wasn’t looking to turn me into the crazy lady who gets up at the butt-crack-of-dark early hour to work out?

No… and in truth, it take MASSIVE effort to haul my lazy ass outta bed most mornings… so WHY do I put myself through this?  Several reason… (and although I should talk about the health benefits or setting a good example for my kids… my reasons are FAR more superficial than that)

7) Fewer people at the gym – I know that the world does not revolve around me and yet, there are those days – when I don’t go early and end up at the gym during peak times and am surrounded by people who look like they don’t NEED to work out (you know, because they DO workout) and I’m judging myself against them… worse though, I’m assuming they are judging me.  On those days, I head straight to the cardio cinema because, well, it’s dark in there and no one can see me jiggle but when I want to use the weights, I want solitude… and the people who are at the gym at the unspeakable hour, well, we have an unspoken respect for the fact that it’s too early for judgement… at least in my mind.

6) I haven’t made any bad decisions yet so might as well start with a good one – Ever have one of those days where you go to work and someone brought in doughnuts or breakfast tacos and you have one (or more) and then realize that you’ve fallen off track and well, the whole day is shot so you might as well just keep going downhill becaues TOMORROW is a new day?  yeah… me too.  So, I figure if I start off at the gym, at least I’ve gotten off on the right foot.

5) Someday, I’m going to look in the mirror and like what I see – Ok – I have no misconceptions that I will become the next bikini model at car shows or gracing the cover of some magazine… that’s not my goal.  My goal is to like what I see no matter what the reflection in the mirror shows.  I lift weights so I can feel as outwardly strong as I feel inwardly.  I do cardio to remind myself that NOTHING can stop me but me.  I know that with determination, and perserverance, I will eventually replace every negative thought I’ve ever had about myself with a positive one and each morning is one step closer.

4) I’m Selfish and I’m ok with that… Working out is a time for me where deadlines don’t matter, kids aren’t clamoring for my affection or attention, friends aren’t needing my assistance – and even if they are, I don’t know it because this is the one time that my phone isn’t permanently -almost surgically- attached to me.  This is my unplugged time where I’m not twitching to check in with twitter, Facebook, or any other number of social media platforms I’m fascinated with.  True Story.

3) The best revenge is Success – Ok, there is this part of me that can not wait until the day that not only do I like what I see in the mirror looking back at me, but the day when I can flaunt it in front of all those from my past who told me things that contribute tot he negative voices… True story – In High school, I was so distraught by the loss of my first love that I lost a grip of weight (with the help of nutri-system at age 14 – another story) and wore my favorite size 8 Red Rocky Mountain Jeans that TOTALLY made my ass look AMAZING to the pizza joint where he worked just so I could flaunt my gorgeous self.  It’s not the Red Rockies that did it, it was the confidence I had wearing them.  ok, that leads me to number 2…

2) To fit back into my Red Rockies – I do not care if I bought them in 1992.  I do not CARE if they are not in style any more.  I’m TOTALLY going to fit back into them and look FUCKING AMAZING and I will wear them in public and feel confident as all hell.  Yup.  I’ve saved them all these years.

But the #1 reason I get up so I get up so damn early…. I wake up at four so I can get to the gym by 5/5:30 because if I don’t get my sweat on early it. won’t. happen. And if I don’t get my sweat on, I might start killing people. And if I started killing people, I’d end up in jail… Which would mean seeing my kids through bullet proof glass and wearing orange jumpsuits… And I dont look good in orange… so I wake up at 4. 🙂

I guess what I’m saying is it doesn’t matter WHY you do it… as long as you do it.  So What’s your reason for hitting the gym, treadmill, road, bike, or whatever gets your sweat on?

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Comments

  1. Working out is actually one of the best things we can do to lose weight and to stay fit all the time.. Exercise is very important thing in our life especially as we get old..

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