Why Bother With Fitness?

This is a guest post from Greg at Live Fit Blog. Greg writes about fitness, moderation, and being a good dad at his blog. Go check it out.

Have you ever sat down and really examined this subject? Have you always been excited about fitness and health, or is it a grind for you? Why do you bother with fitness?

Six years ago, I found myself lying on the floor of my parentÂ’s house, with my feet propped up on their sofa, having just discovered that my blood pressure was obscenely high. At 242-pounds, I was at least 60-pounds overweight, and didnÂ’t even realize it. As I lie there, staring at the ceiling, I was struck by just how ludicrous my situation was — I was 32 years old.This wasnÂ’t how I wanted to spend the rest of my life.

My Moment

This was — My Moment. It made me realize I was sliding down a slope to a place I didnÂ’t want to be. I was slowly eating myself to death, and something had to give.

I suspect many others have found themselves in a similar position at some point. The demands of busy, hectic schedules insinuate themselves into our lives, and we start accepting small compromises. ItÂ’s an insidious process. For me, it began with steadily worsening sleeping and eating habits in grad school and later with job, then married life and kids. All of lifeÂ’s other pressures slowly crowded out the need to maintain my health.

That’s how I ended up lying there on that floor, wondering how I had become this guy, who in his (still young) 30′s was a physical wreck.

It’s also when I realized that my priorities had become skewed. I needed to change my lifestyle. And it wasnÂ’t because all of those other priorities weren’t important. It was just the opposite — I need my health to be right precisely because those other things are so important. That was the day I decided to change my life.

Repeated Successes (And Failures)

And it hasn’t been easy.

Like many people starting back into running, I picked a 5K run and started training with the famous Couch to 5K program. My goal was to just cross the finish line. It was a far cry from the glory days of high school and college. Those first months, staying motivated was easy. I made rapid progress, but after meeting my (admittedly) modest goal, things got progressively harder as life started throwing challenges in my path again. This process has repeated itself many times now.

It NEVER Ends

ItÂ’s now almost 6-years to the day since I found myself staring at my parentÂ’s ceiling, and IÂ’ve finally come to realize that IÂ’ll never cross the finish line in this race. Even though my focus on fitness has waxed and waned at times, I havenÂ’t given my goals up completely. So I would like to share a few tips that have helped see me through some of these challenges.

A Few Tips To Keep You On Track

1. Have a publicly stated goal. It doesnÂ’t have to be extravagant, but a stated goal communicates dedication and accountability. It also allows friends and co-workers to understand where youÂ’re headed, and explains to them why youÂ’ve decided to skip that lunch, dinner, or dessert.
2. Weigh yourself daily. Some people find frustration in this routine, but its another way to stay accountable. Be willing to accept some day to day of fluctuation, because it will happen, but watch the averages.
3. Read about fitness. When I started my journey, it was just with the goal of “losing weight.” I didn’t know how much weight I needed to lose, how many calories I should be eating, or how many calories were in the food I was consuming. Developing this knowledge is a skill that takes time and effort.
4. Understand when to relax. Moderation allows us make the transition from “diet” and “weight loss” to enduring lifestyle habits.
5. Try new foods. When I first started out, I planned to exercise my way out of being overweight. It took almost a year for me to figure out that doesnÂ’t work. Your weight is determined by whatÂ’s on the end of your fork.
6. Enjoy your exercise. Some kind of regular exercise is important for good health. It doesnÂ’t really matter what form that exercise takes, but just that it happens. Find something you enjoy and do it regularly.
7. Be vigilant. Research has shown time and again that the majority of people who lose 10% of their body weight fail to sustain that loss for more than a year.

When I set the goal of getting my weight under control, I vowed to be the turtle, hoping for slow, steady progress. By understanding why I made that choice, and following a few basic principles, I’ve achieved that goal. But I’ve also learned that maintaining that goal over a lifetime will require vigilance. But that’s no different than anything else worth doing, is it?

About the author: Greg Hayes is the author of Live Fit Blog, where he writes about balanced living, weight loss, what it means to be a father, friend, husband, and much more.