Why I workout...almost daily

First off, I get it...working out doesn't help the scale move. If you are trying to lose weight, it is 80% nutrition, and 20% exercise. That being said, why not workout?

Working out does numerous things for your body, your mind, your health, and your weight-loss journey. It might not help the scale move, but do you ever wonder why some people lose weight and are all flabby, and others look more toned and tight....well exercise is the answer. If you really just want to lose weight, and don't care about anything else, cool, don't workout. But...I think that we all have a real reason we are trying to lose weight. It could be to be skinnier, look healthier, be healthier, change our lab results, be around for our family members, or maybe to be able to do activities with family members and friends. I think that if we really try to figure out the reason we are losing weight, we will find that we have reasons we are aware of and ones we aren't.

My last post talked a little about some of those reasons we may not be aware of. I am sure there are more to come in the future. This post is about working out. What it does for me. I mentioned in the last post that I am strong and confident now and care less about the scale actually moving. That is because of my working out. 

I workout a lot. A few posts ago shows a little of what I am doing currently. I workout so that I can be a better fiance and co-worker. It is my stress relief. I have been active since I can remember. Even though I am overweight, I played basketball, soccer, softball, tennis, crew. I was super active growing up, but my weight still sucked. However, if you look at my labs, my cholesterol is perfect, my blood pressure is textbook, my blood sugar levels are normal, I am by all accounts healthy. Now it's the happy part that matters. What will make me happy? I used to think it was hitting 140 lbs. Now I think it's something different. 

What will make me happy is feeling strong and confident. Going on my honeymoon and hiking Machu Pichu and the Inca Trail for 4 days and not being the person holding everyone back. Succeeding at this adventure and feeling good about it. Not wishing I was faster and stronger to keep up with other people. I get it, I will probably be the heaviest there, but that's ok. My goal is to have fun and complete the hike. If I can do that, I win. I am just like all the other people, but I am doing it for me. I want good memories. I want to be able to do things and not say no because I am scared I will hurt myself because of my weight. When I workout, I can lift, I can push, I can get stronger. That is what matters to me. 

Over the past 3 years, I have moved almost every 3 months. We were travelling with a toolbox that at the beginning of our trip, I would ask my now fiance to grab and carry. It was really heavy. About halfway through our travels, when I had started CrossFit again and was taking care of my mental needs, I went to pick it up and thought, this isn't that heavy. That was a HUGE moment for me. I sw the strength paying off. I really didn't want ot life it 1.5 years ago, and now...sure I can carry that up 4 flights to our 100 degree Boston apartment. I was stronger, and I saw it! That is an awesome feeling. Figure out what really matters to you, and that is what happens. I have worked out regularly since then.

The scale may not be budging, but I am likely losing inches, since my clothes are a little looser. It's a little hard to tell because I love baggy clothes, so now that they are baggy, I don't want to change sizes. haha. That's a good problem. My weight is the same but I have other great things happening because of it.

I am Strong
I am Confident
I am Powerful 
I am Empowered
I am WORTH IT!

That's my new phrase for pushing through. It's all that matters in my mind. Screw the scale!