One of the things I love about the year end, is the opportunity to dream and set goals for the upcoming year. For some people, this feels daunting, but for me, thinking about the potentials in any new year fire me up! As I’ve prayed and planned for 2019, I’ve made goals in numerous areas of my life: my relationship with God, my marriage, my career, my health/fitness and even my hobbies.
Below, I’ve listed my three fitness goals for this year. They are:
- Lift over 1,000lbs in deadlift, squat and bench combined
- Weigh 215lbs (currently 210lbs)
- Work on abs 3-6 times per week
In order to achieve these goals, it’s going to take hard work. There is no way around it. Therefore, I wake up each day at 5:30am. I’m in the gym by 6:45am working out for about an hour. Some days are strength focus, others days are conditioning, but regardless, I’m in the gym 5-6 days per week. I watch and track what I eat to make sure I get the necessary calories to gain weight. The goals above will not be achieved on a whim. It takes intentional action and focus to achieve them. But why?
That’s the biggest question needing an answer. Why wake up at 5am? Why go to the gym? Why workout? Why watch and track what I eat? Why? What is my motivation?
There are days when I wake up and really don’t want to go to the gym. Other times, I’m warming up about to do what feels like a gazillion burpees and think to myself, “This is going to suck.” In those moments, I focus in on what demotivates me and start to agree with the logic.
Then I think about my mom.
About 10 years ago, at age 49, my mom had a severe stroke, so bad that doctors said she would never be conscious again and live the rest of her life in a coma. She had tubes coming out of every part of her, connected to machines keeping her alive. Since that time, by the grace of God, my mom has come out of the coma and recovered tremendously (no more tubes in her body), but lives in a nursing home full time. Not only that, but she has significant memory loss and is paralyzed on the right side of her body making her wheelchair dependent all day long. My mom is not the same person she was. I can only imagine how difficult her situation is.
I think about how much my mom would give or what she would do to be in the gym with me to do the burpees I’m complaining about. Literally, the thing that I think “sucks” (doing these burpees), my mom would do in an instant, instead of being where she is right now. My situation doesn’t suck. Burpees don’t suck. Burpees are a blessing. The only thing that “sucks” is my perspective.
That’s my why. I workout and push myself because being able to workout is a blessing. I don’t want to wait until I can’t workout to realize that truth.
Scripture says, “Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint (Proverbs 29: 18)”. I’m thankful that the Lord used my mom and her situation to reveal that the things that are difficult in my life, someone else would give everything they own to live through. Therefore, this new revelation allows me to hold onto restraint in the stewardship of my body and health.
How about you? Did my “why” resonate with you? Have you made any goals for 2019? I’d love to hear about your goals and what motivates you!
Be blessed.
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