What is your WHY?

MikePXstream
MikePXstream Posts: 965 Member
in Getting Started
Hey everyone,
More often than not, I see the same statement come from a lot of people about their fitness journey. "I started up, but then I quite xx amount of days later." Or, " I made it 2-3 months, but couldn't keep up with it." So I started thinking, what is it that keeps people from continuing on? What was it that kept me going on? I read or listened to a small segment by Darren Hardy called Making the shift, I believe that was it, and he touched on the subject of what is it that drives us to pursue something. The main reason, your WHY has to be strong enough.

Imagine that you are on a high rise building and there is a skinny platform about 30 feet long going from your roof top to the building across the way from you. You are asked to cross to the other side. Chances are, you probably don't want to. Now imagine there is a $10 bill on the other side. You might be more tempted, but is it enough to really make you want to do that? Probably not. Now, imagine your child or loved one is in danger on that other side. I'm willing to bet that you are going to do everything you can to get to that side. What changed? Your WHY changed. Crossing a 30 foot platform just for the thrill of it or $10 wasn't a big enough reason why, but a loved in danger might be.

Now, imagine applying that same mindset to your fitness journey and life style change. Is your WHY big enough? I believe one of the reasons why some people don't make it past that few day or couple month period is that there WHY isn't big enough, so the willingness to stick it out and achieve their goal isn't really there.

My why goes beyond wanting to look good in shorts or have 6 pack abs. Mine is to avoid a hereditary disease and live long enough to see my children's children grow up. My family has a history of diabetes. Both great grandparents, my grandfather, mother, and uncle all have or had diabetes. My uncle was just diagnosed a few years ago, and my mother, god bless her, lost the fight a few months back. A couple of years ago I weighed the most I ever had, didn't care what I ate or drank because I assumed I would be one of the lucky ones that the disease skipped. I then realized that was a bad mindset, so I changed it. I made the choice to want to eat better, exercise, and prevent the possibility of contracting diabetes and being insulin dependent. I did not want to leave it up to chance. Sure, I would exercise a little, go for a run here and there, eat something healthier, but my WHY wasn't defined, Therefore I was inconsistent and not really doing myself any favors. So, I changed my WHY.

I understand that at times, life can get in the way and slow us down. An injury, drastic change in your lifestyle routine, but when it boils down it it, your reason will remain the foundation for your success. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or you have been making a lifestyle change for years. Do you truly know why you are exercising? Do you really know why you have chosen to eat a little cleaner? When you understand why it is important to YOU, you are more likely to succeed and stick with it.

I hope this has you thinking a little bit. If so, then what is your WHY?
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Replies

  • roozielynne
    roozielynne Posts: 52 Member
    Great post OP!

    My why is listed in my profile as I want to get healthy because I am going to Paris in 2015 but lets face it that is just a timeline goal. I have a million reasons to lose weight and have had them a hundred times over for the last 10 years. Still working on figuring out the one that sticks. I will say that this round seems more on point as I seem to have made a mental switch and just decided that now is the time I lose this weight for me and nobody else. I realize my life will not get magically better by losing weight. That in most ways I will still be the same person. This more about being good to myself. Feeling good about myself and learning to accept me as the person that I really am. (Not sure if this is making sense to anyone else?) Ask me again in a year! :wink:
  • iRun_Butterfly
    iRun_Butterfly Posts: 483 Member
    Fantastic post! I love this so much!

    My whys: I got tired of waking up and hating, absolutely hating, the body I was waking up and living in. Tired of fooling myself into thinking that I don't feel that bad and didn't look that bad. Tired of using food and alcohol as a drug to cure my boredom and my self esteem issues.

    Instead, I decided I want to wake up and use my body to surprise myself, find out all of the fantastic things its capable of doing. I wasted the first 15+ years of my adult life being ashamed of it. I want to look in the mirror and realize that while I don't look perfect, and what I see is flawed, it's pretty awesome. I want to have a relationship with food that is about not JUST about enjoyment, but about fueling my body.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    I've been thinking about this question a lot this week, and I've come to the conclusion that I just don't know. I've tried and failed to lose weight many, many times in the past. Why is this the time that has worked most effectively? No clue. It could be just a perfect storm of "kids are older and I have more time" + "knowing more athletic people I want to emulate" + "having an app in my pocket that helps me keep track of my food." Or it could be something completely different. I wish I knew so I could use it for other areas of my life!
  • thomaszabel
    thomaszabel Posts: 203 Member
    I originally started because I needed to lose 60 pounds, and wanted to be able to keep up with the kids, go biking, take up running, quit smoking, etc.

    Now I've met all those goals, but I find that MFP is great for helping me maintain my current healthy weight. Plus I like the social aspect of it. I have groups of friends that talk about food options, running and biking tips, etc.

    Now I'm training for my first marathon, and it is fun talking to others who are also training.

    I get the feeling that if you just use MFP to hit your goals, and then you quit, there is the risk of packing on the pounds again. It takes hard work to get in shape, but it also takes effort to prevent yourself from falling back into the same rut. MFP is doing a great job helping in that respect. Plus the longer I continue to monitor intake and output of calories, the more it will become a habit, so that even if I stop using MFP one day, I'll still subconsciously pay attention to what I'm doing.
  • FitMe758
    FitMe758 Posts: 177 Member
    Hey everyone,
    More often than not, I see the same statement come from a lot of people about their fitness journey. "I started up, but then I quite xx amount of days later." Or, " I made it 2-3 months, but couldn't keep up with it." So I started thinking, what is it that keeps people from continuing on? What was it that kept me going on? I read or listened to a small segment by Darren Hardy called Making the shift, I believe that was it, and he touched on the subject of what is it that drives us to pursue something. The main reason, your WHY has to be strong enough.

    Imagine that you are on a high rise building and there is a skinny platform about 30 feet long going from your roof top to the building across the way from you. You are asked to cross to the other side. Chances are, you probably don't want to. Now imagine there is a $10 bill on the other side. You might be more tempted, but is it enough to really make you want to do that? Probably not. Now, imagine your child or loved one is in danger on that other side. I'm willing to bet that you are going to do everything you can to get to that side. What changed? Your WHY changed. Crossing a 30 foot platform just for the thrill of it or $10 wasn't a big enough reason why, but a loved in danger might be.

    Now, imagine applying that same mindset to your fitness journey and life style change. Is your WHY big enough? I believe one of the reasons why some people don't make it past that few day or couple month period is that there WHY isn't big enough, so the willingness to stick it out and achieve their goal isn't really there.

    My why goes beyond wanting to look good in shorts or have 6 pack abs. Mine is to avoid a hereditary disease and live long enough to see my children's children grow up. My family has a history of diabetes. Both great grandparents, my grandfather, mother, and uncle all have or had diabetes. My uncle was just diagnosed a few years ago, and my mother, god bless her, lost the fight a few months back. A couple of years ago I weighed the most I ever had, didn't care what I ate or drank because I assumed I would be one of the lucky ones that the disease skipped. I then realized that was a bad mindset, so I changed it. I made the choice to want to eat better, exercise, and prevent the possibility of contracting diabetes and being insulin dependent. I did not want to leave it up to chance. Sure, I would exercise a little, go for a run here and there, eat something healthier, but my WHY wasn't defined, Therefore I was inconsistent and not really doing myself any favors. So, I changed my WHY.

    I understand that at times, life can get in the way and slow us down. An injury, drastic change in your lifestyle routine, but when it boils down it it, your reason will remain the foundation for your success. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or you have been making a lifestyle change for years. Do you truly know why you are exercising? Do you really know why you have chosen to eat a little cleaner? When you understand why it is important to YOU, you are more likely to succeed and stick with it.

    I hope this has you thinking a little bit. If so, then what is your WHY?

    This is a truly powerful post. Thank you for sharing it with us. I am sorry about the loss of your mother.
    I wish I could save this post to read later on. I needed to hear this.
  • airdale8263
    airdale8263 Posts: 2,155 Member
    Fantastic post!!

    My WHY --- to live longer without medications. Lose weight, lose medications - plain and simple. I am no longer taking insulin and my oral medication is 1/4 of what it used to be. No BP meds. Can walk up and down stairs without gasping for breath.

    This lifestyle I have made is a commitment to the end. Yes I have flaws in the body but the body is looking better each day and feeling even better with less drugs being pumped into it.

    Staying in contact through this site with folks who have the same WHYs makes it easier to maintain.

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