“The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for”

The other day I had a client approach me at the end of our group class session and ask me point blank – “Why do we do this to ourselves?”. Now I understood by the tone of his voice and the smirk on his face along with the fact that he was drenched in sweat that he was ofcourse just kidding around, however the question is one that I’ve often wondered to myself on many occasions. I mean seriously, why do we do this to ourselves? Who in their right mind takes time out of their day to go to a place where they are forced beyond their limits to pure exhaustion both mentally and physically? Working out can be painful, tiring and even quite repetitive at times. So why do it?

If given the option of going to train in a damp, dark, smelly gym or sleep in a few extra hours each morning in a nice big comfy bed, I would assume that most people would choose the latter option. However there are the select few (including myself) who are crazy enough to get up 2 hours early or go to bed 2 hours later just so they can fit in their own grueling training session. Are these people crazy? Perhaps. Obsessed? Probably. Dedicated? Definitely. But again, I have to ask – Why do it?

As someone who has competed in dozens and dozens of fitness shows I can tell you first hand that there is no better form of self motivation then when training for a particular event or having a set timeline to reach a specific training goal. In a way, it’s almost easier to go to the gym and train once you have committed yourself to achieving what you’ve set out to accomplish. But what happens when the event is over? Or what if you don’t have a clear vision in mind as to what you want to achieve? All of a sudden the thoughts of the pain and soreness that we experience from lifting weights along with having to do the intense physical and draining work starts to set in and the mental burnout begins. This is when most people stop training. Some for just a couple of days, some for a few weeks and some just stop all together.

So what separates the people who continue to push forward and workout whether or not they have an exact goal or are training for a particular event to those who just stop and give up all together? Simple. They found reason.

If you were to ask me 10 years ago as to why I workout I would have told you that I workout so that I can look bigger and feel more confident within my own body. If you had asked me 5 years ago as to why I workout I would have told you because I want to place top 5 in a local bodybuilding show and eventually win my pro card. If you were to ask me today as to why I workout I would tell you that I workout so that I never have to wonder what walking up a flight of stairs while having to catch my breath feels like. I would tell you that I workout so that I don’t have to experience lower back pain, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity as I become older. I would tell you I workout so that I don’t have to rely on stimulants such as caffeine to keep me awake and indulge in highly processed sugary foods to help stabilize my blood sugar levels from crashing in the afternoon. Most importantly I would tell you that I workout so that I can continue to enjoy my life to it’s absolute fullest.

Obviously as I’ve become older my priorities have changed. I wouldn’t say that my reasons for working out now are any more important to me then they were five or ten years ago however perhaps they have matured just a little bit. My point is though that I have a reason to go to the gym and put my body and mind through the stresses of an intense and grueling training session on a regular basis. For me, giving up an hour of my day just so that I can continue to live a productive, healthy and stress-free lifestyle is completely worth it. Perhaps for others it’s not. And that’s fine.

Some of us are lucky enough to make our own choices in life. Just don’t complain when you’re older and suffering from all the health issues that could have been prevented from spending a few measly hours in the gym each week working on your body and your mind.

I believe that we should never take our own health for granted because most of us really don’t know what we have until we lose it.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove