Redefining My Why

Over the last year I have found myself, at times, highly unmotivated, apathetic and temperamental towards exercise. Moments of ̈eh, I'll go tomorrow ̈ and ̈ugh, I suck.¨ Then I noticed some personal changes outside of the gym so I have had to reevaluate why I go to the gym. Here are my new whys:

1. Stress Relief: Work, relationships, cars, life takes a toll at times. Exercise helps with my mindset on life. When I miss multiple days in a row at the gym, I am frustrated quickly, have poor judgement, desensitized to food choices, etc. When I am consistently in the gym working out 4-6 times per week those areas change. I think more before making decisions, I am more compassionate, I think about that family size pack of oreos, etc.
2. Community: Being in a class, not coaching, not working, checked off my phone, interacting with adults/teens is indescribably valuable. I learn about people, I get advice, I get a lot. It also offers chances to give, a laugh, a smile, a compliment. Community is c r u c i a l.
3. Health: For years CrossFit was an opportunity to have a competitive outlet, and it still is but it is not my why. Is it fun to do a competition? Yep. Is it fun to compare my time to my time from four years ago? Also, yes. Is it also fun to try to top the top score of the day in the gym? Absolutely. But CrossFit is first and foremost about being healthy. Building strength. Growing lungs. Moving better. Becoming better.
4. Competitive Outlet: Yes, I’m not in CrossFit for competing purposes anymore but that doesn’t mean I’m not the most competitive person I know. My general day-to-day doesn’t provide me with chances to compete so I compete at the gym. Sometimes it’s beat this person or stay within a round of that person but most times it’s beat myself from last year or last time. Competing for me is fun....as long as I don’t let it define me.

These changes in my why may change over time (and for you they may be completely different) but not having a why results in burnout, quitting and a generally an unhealthy lifestyle. I, for one, want to be as healthy as possible through every decade of my life and beer, Disney+ and stressing about the little things are not going to get me there.