I love this process... and here's why!

What do you love about what you are doing to make yourself better? (Healthier, stronger, etc)
What keeps you fired up and motivated about doing it again?

So often we focus on the things we hate (feeling hungry, pains, tiredness), and not enough on the things we love... so let this be the place where you share why you love what you're doing so much!

Maybe your enthusiasm will catch on to someone else!

Replies

KickassAmazon76

For me... The day after a heavy lift session, my muscles feel like they're THERE. I feel like I have these super strong legs and super strong biceps, and I want to take on the world! I feel like I could smash watermelons (I can haha), and like I am three seconds from totally hulking out.

It makes me feel powerful!

And in a world where there is so much feeling of powerlessness right now... it's a wonderful experience!

MaltedTea

Great thread idea!

For me, it's seeing muscle definition in my pecs, like ACTUAL VISIBLE muscles ...even though it means my bewbs have paid the ultimate price. I've already thanked them for their service but it's Gains Time now.

KickassAmazon76

I also love feeling like I can do what I never used to be able to do. I love feeling like I'm setting an amazing example for my kids and showing them that there is no such thing as I can't. Or "I'm just a girl". That they can do so much more than they ever thought possible - all they have to do is work at it, and believe in themselves.

KickassAmazon76

MaltedTea wrote: »

Great thread idea!

For me, it's seeing muscle definition in my pecs, like ACTUAL VISIBLE muscles ...even though it means my bewbs have paid the ultimate price. I've already thanked them for their service but it's Gains Time now.

HAHA OMG I feel the same way! I feel like we need a memorial service for our bewbs... (Another thread? haha nope, that'd get locked down!)

But seeing the striations across the upper pecs is TO DIE FOR. I love it!

Chef_Barbell

Hitting PRs feels so good!! I just hit 280# PR on deadlifts! Love this thread! 💜

KickassAmazon76

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

Hitting PRs feels so good!! I just hit 280# PR on deadlifts! Love this thread! 💜

Boom! Way to go!!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

KickassAmazon76

I went to a powerlifting competition... And I think I cried the whole damn day! When someone would smash a PR, the happiness and laughter and jumps of joy, the celebration from EVERYONE IN THE ROOM, it was magical.

And conversely, when someone would fail... The support and love, and encouragement for the next attempt from their friends and from complete strangers was a sight to behold.

Mr_Healthy_Habits

Honestly honestly honestly....

Eating mostly salads for dinner, 4am workout, monitoring my in take, staying active, splitting up cheat meals, measuring and tracking body measurements...

It's all as automatic to me as breathing at this point... It's like an auto pilot function ingrained deep within me at this point...

That being said... I'm really not all that into fitness these days... Mental self development is kinda my jam atm, and I love as always what it does for me...

That being said... Deep inside, I still get teary eyed whenever I see someone who is where I was, doing there best to jog down the street 🥲...

kinetixtrainer2

All of these are great!

chuckle_bunny

I sign up for anything that involves aqua or lime colored clothing

ythannah

I love that it's such a dynamic process and I've shifted the goal posts several times so far.

I started out wanting more bone density so that meant resistance training. Shift to weight lifting because that seemed to do the job better and hey, I should probably preserve muscle too. Ohhhhh, muscles look really good on women, maybe I can grow some of those...

Now the goals are more aesthetic but that's okay because my original objectives are still being met.

PlentyofProtein00

Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »

Honestly honestly honestly....

Eating mostly salads for dinner, 4am workout, monitoring my in take, staying active, splitting up cheat meals, measuring and tracking body measurements...

It's all as automatic to me as breathing at this point... It's like an auto pilot function ingrained deep within me at this point...

That being said... I'm really not all that into fitness these days... Mental self development is kinda my jam atm, and I love as always what it does for me...

That being said... Deep inside, I still get teary eyed whenever I see someone who is where I was, doing there best to jog down the street 🥲...

Mental self development...100%...im starting to see how I use eating or alcohol or exercise or work or anything other than dealing with some internal *kitten* that just needs to be dealed with...ok...no? Not what you meant😬

Mr_Healthy_Habits

PlentyofProtein00 wrote: »

Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »

Honestly honestly honestly....

Eating mostly salads for dinner, 4am workout, monitoring my in take, staying active, splitting up cheat meals, measuring and tracking body measurements...

It's all as automatic to me as breathing at this point... It's like an auto pilot function ingrained deep within me at this point...

That being said... I'm really not all that into fitness these days... Mental self development is kinda my jam atm, and I love as always what it does for me...

That being said... Deep inside, I still get teary eyed whenever I see someone who is where I was, doing there best to jog down the street 🥲...

Mental self development...100%...im starting to see how I use eating or alcohol or exercise or work or anything other than dealing with some internal *kitten* that just needs to be dealed with...ok...no? Not what you meant😬

OMG are you saying I use self development books to avoid taking care of what's really going on... 😭😂

OMG I'm living a lie 😂😭...

cgcdavis7

Being able to lift myself out of the bathtub without feeling like it's a workout in itself. Ridiculous, I know but I can actually glide right out now.

Feeling my leg muscles when I walk.

Getting stuff done around the house and not realizing I've been at it for hours because I'm not tired.

I've been at this since May and this has been the longest I've committed to becoming healthier. I love knowing I'm taking care of my heart, lungs, mind etc. It's a total package of a deal and worth giving up fast food and lazy mindsets.

PlentyofProtein00

Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »

PlentyofProtein00 wrote: »

Mr_Healthy_Habits wrote: »

Honestly honestly honestly....

Eating mostly salads for dinner, 4am workout, monitoring my in take, staying active, splitting up cheat meals, measuring and tracking body measurements...

It's all as automatic to me as breathing at this point... It's like an auto pilot function ingrained deep within me at this point...

That being said... I'm really not all that into fitness these days... Mental self development is kinda my jam atm, and I love as always what it does for me...

That being said... Deep inside, I still get teary eyed whenever I see someone who is where I was, doing there best to jog down the street 🥲...

Mental self development...100%...im starting to see how I use eating or alcohol or exercise or work or anything other than dealing with some internal *kitten* that just needs to be dealed with...ok...no? Not what you meant😬

OMG are you saying I use self development books to avoid taking care of what's really going on... 😭😂

OMG I'm living a lie 😂😭...

Nooooo. Not what I meant.😂

Diatonic12

I like your idea of using a cartoon chaser for everything. Got the blues? A cartoon chaser.
Got expired milk in the house. One cartoon chaser
Twenty two miles into town with razing blizzard outside? One cartoon chaser coming UP.
No shirt. No shoes. No service. No open restaurants. One cartoon chaser.
That shizz works for everything.

JACKRABBITnotsoSLIMS

For me-

My job is desk bound and often composed of long projects broken by a series of interruptions. When I get home I see a collection of half done tasks and a growing to do list. Sometimes I have a couple hours to spend with my wife and 3 year old in the evening but being we both work in a hospital, especially with our current situation we are generally toasted.

Hitting the gym before work gives me some alone time to destress and the opportunity to actually accomplish something difficult that day. I go first thing in the morning before work so I don’t feel guilty about taking time away from the family.
Physically and mentally I feel much stronger and focused. Still fresh so PRs are coming weekly. Alcohol use is probably lowest since I was 13 since I have a hard time trading the 500 calories burned on the arc for a couple ipas. The comments about my weight loss are usually a great confidence boost (although I did get a few ask me if I’m sick because I lost so much so fast)

Most importantly and the main reason I decided to get off the couch again and make lifestyle changes was so I could keep up with my 3 year old son and still be here when he graduates high school.

KickassAmazon76

JACKRABBITnotsoSLIMS wrote: »

For me-

My job is desk bound and often composed of long projects broken by a series of interruptions. When I get home I see a collection of half done tasks and a growing to do list. Sometimes I have a couple hours to spend with my wife and 3 year old in the evening but being we both work in a hospital, especially with our current situation we are generally toasted.

Hitting the gym before work gives me some alone time to destress and the opportunity to actually accomplish something difficult that day. I go first thing in the morning before work so I don’t feel guilty about taking time away from the family.
Physically and mentally I feel much stronger and focused. Still fresh so PRs are coming weekly. Alcohol use is probably lowest since I was 13 since I have a hard time trading the 500 calories burned on the arc for a couple ipas. The comments about my weight loss are usually a great confidence boost (although I did get a few ask me if I’m sick because I lost so much so fast)

Most importantly and the main reason I decided to get off the couch again and make lifestyle changes was so I could keep up with my 3 year old son and still be here when he graduates high school.

This is beautiful. So many amazing reasons! ❤️

And thank you to both you and your wife. Being in healthcare is a very stressful career... Especially in our current situation!

nooshi713

I love eating mostly plant based because I’m not harming animals. I also love the abundance of fruits and vegetables I consume. I eat more fruit than veggies and am working on that part, but in general I feel quite good.

KickassAmazon76

Diatonic12 wrote: »

I like your idea of using a cartoon chaser for everything. Got the blues? A cartoon chaser.
Got expired milk in the house. One cartoon chaser
Twenty two miles into town with razing blizzard outside? One cartoon chaser coming UP.
No shirt. No shoes. No service. No open restaurants. One cartoon chaser.
That shizz works for everything.

Haha yep! It's a good rule of thumb! ❤️

RunsWithBees

Previously lived a 100% sedentary lifestyle. Started eating less (and better) and exercising regularly for the first time ever 7 years and 10 months ago. I have a new lifestyle now, one where I can fly! (well, sorta

) Having so much fun and definitely loving the process because of the results!

KickassAmazon76

RunsWithBees wrote: »

Previously lived a 100% sedentary lifestyle. Started eating less (and better) and exercising regularly for the first time ever 7 years and 10 months ago. I have a new lifestyle now, one where I can fly! (well, sorta ) Having so much fun and definitely loving the process because of the results!

This pic and post is so full of awesome! ❤️

I love seeing people's whys. Thank you for sharing!

GymGoddessGoals

I think people look at me and assume that I've never been over weight, that I'm petite and not strong, that I'm somehow younger than I am. I love blowing those assumptions out of the water. I like looking in the mirror and seeing how much my body has changed with all the work I have put in. I feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.

Revolu7

GymGoddessGoals wrote: »

I think people look at me and assume that I've never been over weight, that I'm petite and not strong, that I'm somehow younger than I am. I love blowing those assumptions out of the water. I like looking in the mirror and seeing how much my body has changed with all the work I have put in. I feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.

This is awesome

_sw33tp3a_11

GymGoddessGoals wrote: »

I think people look at me and assume that I've never been over weight, that I'm petite and not strong, that I'm somehow younger than I am. I love blowing those assumptions out of the water. I like looking in the mirror and seeing how much my body has changed with all the work I have put in. I feel better physically, mentally and emotionally.

I adore you and are such an inspiration to me ❤

AndreaTamira

For me "this process" is far more than weight loss. It is moving forward on several fronts. No longer stagnating. That alone I love.

I love having found at least some ways to socialise. Love going to Meet Ups and actually seeing the same people again every two weeks (NZ, so meeting up is fine right now).

I love volunteering. My feet hurt, my arms too, from moving so many things around over the last few days, but I am doing something, even in just a small role, that plays a role in helping other people. Also, social contacts, again.

I love that I can bake cookies and just feed them to other people. A social life (of sorts) means this is possible.

I love having started taking steps towards, hopefully, having a family at some point. Just doing something in that regard. I think I will be happy having tried even if it does not work out.

I love that I was brave enough to go to the doctor about this and other issues. I love that my iron levels are good now. I love that my acid reflux medicine works.

I love working together with my employment support worker. She has so much energy and experirnce finding people not only "a job", but "The Job". While I would not mind being a stay-at-home-mum if that worked out, having a fulfilling job would be great, too. And I cannot keep putting my life on hold for a chance of a miracle happening.

I love going to the gym. It's pretty much all cardio right now as I am scared of doing weights the wrong way (that'd be a christmas present for me: a few sessions with a personal trainer), but I am having fun moving!

I am having fun moving outside of the gym, too. I love going for walks. I love my zumba classes (sadly on break now, till late January). And there, again, social contacts. Which I love!

I love having finally found the confidence to colour my hair. It's a neutral-ish dark auburn, but it still is different to my normal brown and - I changed it up. Just because!

I love feeling in control of managing my weight loss journey. I love seeing my weight go down. I love fitting in smaller clothes. I love looking pretty good in said clothes. I love that I feel like I dont have to freak out if the next two weeks end up being a bit of a stall or my weight even goes up a bit. I love that I can just continue from there without feeling pressured or guilty.

I love having a supportive partner.

I love moving forward.

JessBbody

I love the idea of this thread. ❤️

I've been eating 1720 calories a day and exercising 4-6x a week for nearly 3 months now. I've lost 16 lbs and a pants size. Weight loss is slowing down as I'm approaching goal. I'm 139.6 lbs now and tentative goal weight is 135. I'm 5'7" for reference.

Things I love about what I'm doing:

When I stand and walk, I feel like there's a wire of energy going straight up my body. My body feels lighter and looser and stronger than it did 3 months ago, or even 2 weeks ago. I am aware of my body and its movements. I hold myself differently. I walk with intention and am aware of my stride.

If I miss a day or two days of exercise, I begin to crave it. I rely on the exercise to feel energetic. I'm beginning to crave muscle soreness too. A few days ago I did a boxing workout that I could feel in my lats - muscles I haven't really used since I was in the gym. It was hard to pull off my shirt and I loved it.

My size 30 jeans have gotten all floppy in the backside. If I have to wear a size large shirt now it's because my shoulders are too broad for a medium, rather than because my chest and stomach are too big.

I don't really love eating at calorie deficit, but I find it easy now. I'm beginning to get used to viewing my food as fuel rather than something that has to be savored every single time I eat. I barely crave sweets now.

I'm having more loving feelings toward my body. I take better care of it, such as putting on lotion when I come out of the shower. I look at it in the mirror and feel more proud and confident. The time and effort I have spent working on it has been well worth it. I have plans to advance its ability (and aesthetics) by doing more challenging exercise. I have goals for the strength and look of my abs, glutes, arms, and shoulders.

Someday, I would like to run.

KickassAmazon76

JessBbody wrote: »

I love the idea of this thread. ❤️

I've been eating 1720 calories a day and exercising 4-6x a week for nearly 3 months now. I've lost 16 lbs and a pants size. Weight loss is slowing down as I'm approaching goal. I'm 139.6 lbs now and tentative goal weight is 135. I'm 5'7" for reference.

Things I love about what I'm doing:

When I stand and walk, I feel like there's a wire of energy going straight up my body. My body feels lighter and looser and stronger than it did 3 months ago, or even 2 weeks ago. I am aware of my body and its movements. I hold myself differently. I walk with intention and am aware of my stride.

If I miss a day or two days of exercise, I begin to crave it. I rely on the exercise to feel energetic. I'm beginning to crave muscle soreness too. A few days ago I did a boxing workout that I could feel in my lats - muscles I haven't really used since I was in the gym. It was hard to pull off my shirt and I loved it.

My size 30 jeans have gotten all floppy in the backside. If I have to wear a size large shirt now it's because my shoulders are too broad for a medium, rather than because my chest and stomach are too big.

I don't really love eating at calorie deficit, but I find it easy now. I'm beginning to get used to viewing my food as fuel rather than something that has to be savored every single time I eat. I barely crave sweets now.

I'm having more loving feelings toward my body. I take better care of it, such as putting on lotion when I come out of the shower. I look at it in the mirror and feel more proud and confident. The time and effort I have spent working on it has been well worth it. I have plans to advance its ability (and aesthetics) by doing more challenging exercise. I have goals for the strength and look of my abs, glutes, arms, and shoulders.

Someday, I would like to run.

I love all of this (and all of these) so much! Thank you for sharing! And way to kick *kitten*!

ExpressoLove11

I love seeing and feeling my body change. The satisfaction of getting stronger. The fact that fitness has become part of my identity and people associate me with that lifestyle.
But mostly, whenever I feel my biceps or see my calves popping I'm reminded that I am strong and I can do hard things. I am capable of overcoming things I thought I couldn't and that I am worth the effort. Its been a heck of a process mentally, physically and emotionally and I am grateful 💜