A reason to keep moving

Alysa Bajenaru -

Exercise used to be something that just happened for me. A side-effect of joining various sports teams and growing more competitive at each level. I didn’t have to think about going to the gym, I was just part of the team.

And as a team, we practiced. We pushed each other. We worked our butts off to get better.

It just so happens a strong and healthy body was part of the package.

Then college happened. And so did parties. And pizza. And 15+ pounds.

All of a sudden exercise wasn’t accidentally on the schedule anymore, and I was paying for it.

After my first semester I realized I had a decision to make: Continue in my self-destructive ways, or walk 20 feet across the street to the campus gym. I made the choice to exercise. I started going to the gym and joined intramural sports.

That was a long time ago, and life has changed many times since my freshman year of college. With every season, I have had a fresh choice to make. Would I continue to take care of my body, or would I settle into a sedentary lifestyle?

I’ll be honest, I haven’t always made the right choice. I’ve had more than one sedentary season. And the only thing to rouse me out of it was finding a good enough reason to get moving again.

Sometimes my reason was vanity (I wanted to look better in a bathing suit.) Sometimes my reason was a goal I had set for myself (I wanted to run a 5k race.) Sometimes I was just tired of being tired.

Whatever the reason, it had to be worthy enough to keep me from quitting. Because if I didn’t really care about why I was exercising, I knew I would never stick with it.

These days, I exercise for a few good reasons:

  • To keep up with my kids.
  • To be able to pick them up when they are hurt (without hurting myself).
  • To set a good example for them.

And let’s be honest, I still want to look better in a bathing suit.

Maybe you’re in a rut right now. Could it be that all you need is a new reason to get moving?

Seasons change and reasons change. No matter what season of life you find yourself in, find a good enough reason to exercise, then put your heart into it.