Motivate Me

The more I talk to people the more I find that what motivates people to work out and eat right really is not all that different from one person to the next. There are general differences between men and women, but there are also similarities.

The younger generation of men and women (I find) is more about competition. Either with themself or with a partner. It could be with friends or even family members.

For myself, my sisters have been my motivation. We've never competed against one another, but we've always shared eachother's health and fitness secrets with one another.

Jennifer, my oldest sister, began figure skating when she was young. She is muscular and has the meanest six pack around. Alexis is my middle sister. She was always voluptuous, curvy and bootylicious. As she's gotten older I would actually say she's skinny, but she also has great abs. We've become an iron pumping family. When we get together we go to the gym. It's very motivating because we're all positive people and when positive people get together it creates even more positivity. Now that's a lot of +++++'s!

While working yesterday, a tall beefy young man asked what I competed in. I told him that I just like to exercise. However, it's more than just about liking exercise. It's about how it makes me feel. And it's, occassionally, about the reactions you get from other people.

Having been a chronic binger for about nine years I went up and down and up and down and up and down...you get the point...with my weight for years. I fought with the scale. I can remember my mom saying to me "Kelsey, you're getting a little big". She had no clue what I was going through as a teenager, of course. And either did I, really. I was dealing with feelings by eating food. Feelings hurt!

Eventually, I started exercising because I learned in school that it could help you lose weight. THAT motivated me! Results motivated me.

Other motives for exercise are seeing the physical changes whether it's fat loss or muscle mass. Muscles are truly beautiful. There is nothing like being able to see your own abs and the shape of your true body forming. Flex your muscles and you can see the different dimensions of them in the mirror. It sounds a little conceited. And it is. But, if you've worked hard for it, then who cares. Over time I've seen a big difference in my glutes and that's a major problem area on women because it is covered with dense adipose tissue. It's one of the best feelings to feel proud of your body. I also notice that after a few days off at the gym my muscles feel flat so that pump I get is motivating.

Intrinsic changes are incredibly motivating as well. Improved VO2 and lowered blood pressure are reasons I like to hit the gym. I know this when I go to the doctor and I ask what my blood pressure is. I can feel when I run how much easier it is to breathe compared to when I played soccer in high school.

The guy I talked to at the gym said he wasn't naturally big and muscular. He eats several meals throughout the day and works out early before work every morning. For him, it's the competition between his friends and the endorphins he gets when he works out that motivates him. The same endorphins are released during a workout that are released when a person does drugs. It's THAT good. :)

Lastly, I'd like to talk about building relationships. People often say they go to the gym to take a load off. They've had a stressful day at the office and need to blow off some steam. The gym is the place to do that. And everyone there can relate. It's not a place to be negative. It's a place to be positive. Some people go to the bar. Well, people who go to the gym mingle just like people at the bar. You've got regulars and those who haven't been in three months. But, everyone here talks to one another and there are special relationships between some that keep them coming back on a regular basis. It keeps them....motivated to workout.

So, what motivates people to exercise?
I'd say top of the list is feeling good (aka the endorphins released)
Physical results that are tangible...or you can see them
    * weight loss
    * getting bigger
    * getting stronger(could be considered intrinsic)
Intrinsic results
    *better breathing (VO2)
    *bone density
    *blood pressure
    *stable glucose levels
   *decreased appetite
Building relationships

Wacky Wednesday

Today, I feel like laughing. I think that's a good start to a Wednesday morning. Especially since I set my alarm for 3:30am to open the gym and had my face lapped by a stinky fire breathing dog with thunder paws that stomped my face.

I made my way down to the kitchen, quietly crept down the hall and closed my parents bedroom door as to not wake the sleeping dragon (my dad) from his sleep. I put the K-cup in the Keurig and something was wrong because it made about a quarter of a cup of coffee. So...I ran it again. Again...a quarter of a cup of coffee came out. So, I put another K-cup in the Keurig. Again...a quarter of a cup of coffee. I left the house with three quarters of a cup of coffee. Better than nothing right? I filled the last quarter with creamer!

Now...where did my computer charger go? Ugh. Nevermind.

I get to work and one car is parked in the lot. Mike Capone. Aka the Janitor. I hope he's reading this.

It's dark and misting. The mist is beautiful though. Who says that? Mist?...beautiful? It's been raining for six days now. It's fine as long as I'm not standing in it long enough for it to ruin my hair.

Anyway, I'm glad Mike is here because I forgot where some of the lights were and I would've been wandering around in the dark aimlessly looking for them. Also, I spent at least 10 minutes straining my neck trying to turn on the Vizios when all I needed to do was aim the remote at the Vizio symbol. Thanks Mike.

Onto another subject. People really bring me joy...Let me rephrase that. People bring me joy when they don't stand there and stare at me trying to untastefully hit on me or tell me really boring stories for an hour straight about how they used to pick up hot chicks (you know, back in the day). I greet every single person with a smile that walks in to FitNation. And I don't always get a nice response, but it doesn't really matter. 99% of the time I get a good response. I have learned never to judge a book by its cover. You don't know anybody until you've learned their story.

One lady walked in today with her service dog. She has a tendency to swear a lot at other members...for no reason at all. I greeted her very nicely and she says to me, "I don't understand why people do that to their hair". (I just died it bright red yesterday). I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. Why let it bother me. I like it! Then... she says to me, "I just got a big tattoo yesterday, take a look". I said to her, "I suppose that's not much worse than what I did to my hair". She agreed and we got to talking for a brief moment. It really made me laugh on the inside. I know how she is labeled by most members. But God only knows what she has been through.

Another lady who came in this morning ran over a skunk on her way here at 5 am. Her entire car reeked of that odor, but she didn't let her get that down.

The first lady to walk in said she loved my hair, which made me feel awesome. The first thing I thought about her was that she had great muscles and she ended up leaving early from her workout because she said she was feeling fat. I made sure I gave her a compliment on the way out.

Jeff walked in this morning and introduced himself to me. He's seen me here. We've met...four or five times. I don't know, maybe it's the new hair color. I informed him that we know eachother already and laughed.

THEN, George Brooks stopped in with an envelope and asked me to read the paper enclosed in it. It was a typed up letter explaining that for a few months of the year he and his wife went to Florida for the season. It asked if it was at all possible to freeze his membership for the time being. I knew it wasn't. However, I did need his signature on his agreement. He was very understanding and didn't mind paying the $30.00 for the months he was absent. He also explained that his wife broke her neck and was wondering if in October he could add her to his membership when she was better.

In my church I had seen a lady with a brace on her neck. Her name is Phyllis. I figured I'd ask George what his wife's name was. Surprise, he said Phyllis! I said, "Do you go to The Village Church?" and he said, "I started the Village Church". So, we got to talking for a while. I learned that getting old is not all that joyful.

We all have circumstances that we have to overcome. Some we can help and some we cannot. But it is important to hold your head up on your shoulders and not let anything get you down. Some people walk through that door feeling down, but if I can greet them with a positive attitude and help them in anyway I find that they help me too. Work has always provided me with a sense of community.
Looking back on this past week's events all I can do is laugh. My sleep at night hasn't been going well. I toss and turn. It feels like I sleep, but I'm awake at the same time so when I awake in the morning I've really been awake all night. I died my hair bright red and I had mixed feelings about it, but I decided I'm going to keep it. Often times I look to the people I love most for approval, but to be honest it's what I think that looks good that matters most. I threw a little internal hissy fit and had to talk myself out of it that day. Work could be going better, to say the least.

If there's one thing I know. I am good at making others feel good about their circumstances even if it for a moment. :)