Why I Love to Workout
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile or if you know me in real life, then you know that I love to workout. I am obsessed with CrossFit and do it 4-5 times a week. Since starting grad school I’ve acquired a new group of friends and they have brought attention to the fact that I’m always working out. They basically make me feel like I’m the Jillian Michaels in the room, except I don’t actually look like her. There are so many reasons why I love to workout, so I’m sharing those today.
It Keeps Me Healthy
First and foremost, I know that working out helps me stay “healthy”. By taking care of my body I am prioritizing my physical health. I’ve always been physically active since I was a little kid with sports all through high school. When college came around it was finally up to me to find ways to stay healthy, since I didn’t have a coach pushing me anymore. Now staying physically healthy is simply an important priority in my life.
It Gives Me Confidence
I’ve always been very conscious about my body and what my body looks like. I wouldn’t say my body image confidence has been fixed, but knowing that I workout and that I eat well gives me more confidence than if I didn’t. Since starting CrossFit I’ve gotten stronger than I ever was before and my body has changed a lot. Some of you are thinking “She’s always been skinny.” Well now there’s a lot more muscle behind me and much better muscle definition (and no I don’t have a six-pack). When I feel confident in my body and my appearance, that’s one less thing I have to waste my mental energy on.
It Empowers Me
There’s something about having a barbell in my hands and being able to do pull-ups that empowers me. It’s been a neat process to see how I keep improving and keep getting stronger. I’m continually improving at movements and lifts. Somehow working out just makes me feel powerful. Prior to CrossFit I ran, went to the weight room, and did YouTube workouts, but I never felt as empowered as I do now.
It Challenges Me
Every day I go in to workout, I’m facing a challenge. Whether it’s a strength movement or just getting through a 15 minute AMRAP, there is always a point where things get heavy and I get tired. I like to be challenged and the people I workout with give me that competitive feeling I need to push myself hard.Working out gives me that push to keep going when all I really want to do is quit. It sounds silly, but I think that dedication carries over into other areas of my life. I’m a very determined and self-motivated person. I believe some of that stems from my dedication to my physical health.
It Releases Stress
I fully believe that if I didn’t work out I would be crazy. I would be tired and in a bad mood all the time. Not even exaggerating. Whenever I step into the gym my worries of the day fade away. All I focus on is the weight I’m moving, how many reps I’m doing, and how much weight I need to add or subtract. It’s a time to focus on myself. Many times I’ve gone into Crossfit feeling stressed or upset about something, and whenever I leave I’m always so much calmer and lighter about whatever was weighing me down.
It Makes Me Feel Good
Like I was saying above I would be crazy if I didn’t work out. Working out gives me energy and all those feel-good endorphins. Whenever I’m on vacation or am not able to workout for a few days, I always feel a dip in my energy and simply feel yucky. Though my body may be worn out after a workout and I may be sore, I always feel great afterwards.
It Makes Me Happy
When it comes down to it, working out simply makes me happy. It’s what I love to do for an hour or more every day. Other people have other things they do outside of work that make them happy, and getting a workout in is that for me. I don’t do it for my boyfriend. I don’t do it for other people who see me. If I did it for other people then I wouldn’t keep going. I do it for myself and that’s what keeps me going back every day.
I tried not to talk to much about CrossFit, but that’s pretty much impossible. There’s definitely more to CrossFit and the nutrition side of things that I would love to talk about, but those are posts for another time! Have a great day everyone!
Tell me why you love to workout? Or why you love to do a certain hobby?