Why do you train and eat healthy?

mbellot05

I am training and eating healthy for the following reasons. I have a beautiful little nine month old, and she did not ask for an unfit father with health problems. That is my main reason...I want to be able to do all the "normal" things with her that my dad did with me. It doesn't matter that I have a sedentary job, high stress, genetic predisposition to diabetes and high blood pressure. What matters is that I am willing to change my behavior for her. She is a gift from God.

Also, secondarily I want to be fit to have confidence again, and be able to buy clothes in the "regular" section of the store.

I have failed many, many, many times. But the one thing common to all those failures was that I gave up...I am determined with God's help not to give up this time.

Why do you do what you do? When your why is big enough your what will change.

Feel free to add me as a friend...I want to help motivate folks who are on the same path as me.

tulips_and_tea

Good for you! You CAN do it and be successful. It starts with mindset. And, I really like this: " When your why is big enough your what will change." That's awesome!

Health and vanity are the main reasons I take care of myself. I feel so much better than I used to and making and reaching fitness goals keeps me motivated.

I also think one of the biggest hurdles is to over come the "I'm missing out!" thought process. If you (general "you") feel like you're missing out on good food or missing out on fun things because you "have" to workout then that is a recipe for failure. Once you get to the point of eating food you love in proper quantities and being active and grateful for all that your body can do then you have a much better chance at long-term success.

peaceout_aly

Your motivation alone is inspiring. The fact that you are changing your lifestyle to better yourself for your daughter (not only in order to be there physically for her, but to be a better role model) is heart melting. Good for you!

My motivation is to become the healthiest (and strongest) me that I can be. I have a trip that I'm attending in July which is basically a week in a bathing suit on a boat and that was really what got me going. I was already eating healthy in order to manage a health condition and keep flares to a minimum but the vacation pushed me to start lifting weights and pushing myself fitness-wise. I love the feeling of overcoming challenges, feeling the burn, and looking at how far I've come realizing, "Damn, a year ago - heck, a month ago - I wasn't even close to being able to accomplish this!"

Lizzy622

My motivation came from my doctor. I was looking at being put on a huge list of medications if I did not get my act together. As a by-product I also became a better role model for my children. They have learned that it isn't only about the sports or being recognized, sometimes it is just about being healthy and beating your own PR (personal record).

mbellot05

I appreciate all the responses, and I appreciate all the encouragement. Best of luck to everyone.

feisty_bucket

mbellot05 wrote: »

Why do you do what you do?

Because I think taking care of the body is part of Arete, excellence, living a good life.

"It was commonly believed that the mind, body, and soul each had to be developed and prepared for a man to live a life of arete. This led to the thought that athletics had to be present in order to obtain arete. They did not need to consume one's life, merely exercise the body into the right condition for arete, just like the mind and soul would be exercised by other means."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arete_(moral_virtue)

To me, it's not optional, it's just something I "have" to do.

Good luck, sir. You absolutely _can_ do this.

xmichaelyx

Someday I will likely be old, and when that time comes I want to be mobile and active, and happy with how I used to look. I also want to look back at my life and enjoy memories of physical accomplishments like backpacking and diving and things like that. So my diet and activity now is designed around what I want to be 30 years from now.

This is also why I think less of people who smoke, or have terrible diets, or are obese, or are totally inactive. I want to yell at them, "YOU ARE YOUNGER NOW THAN YOU'LL EVER BE; WHY ARE YOU WASTING IT? WHY DON'T YOU WANT TO BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY WHEN YOU'RE OLD?"

But then, I feel the same way about education.

feisty_bucket

xmichaelyx wrote: »

Someday I will likely be old, and when that time comes I want to be mobile and active

Yeah, yeah! I think about this a lot. Aging well. I'm 45 now and don't wanna be a wreck as I get older. I'm inspired by older people who are lifting and skiing and doing cool stuff, way way more than anybody else. Huge respect for them, and I want to be one of them too.

20yearsyounger

Yeah, my daughter lit a fire under my a**. When she's 20, I'll be 60 (or at least I have a better chance of being now than I did before she was born).

CharlieBeansmomTracey

Congrats,It sounds like you know what you want. you can do it. my motivation is my kids,hubby and my health. I got tired of not being able to do much because I let myself become overweight.. I want to be here in case I ever have grandchildren(both my kids are adults so guess I cant call them that). I also got tired of taking all the meds I was taking. now Im down to more than half of what I was taking.I also want to be healthier as I age. I have RA so Im trying to keep it at bay for as long as I can. I dont want to be crippled up.