Why I Workout

Hello Everyone!

Today I am going to be talking about how I got started working out, why I workout, and a little bit about results and motivation. I hope you all enjoy!

To begin, I grew up in Colorado where there are endless opportunities to be outside and active. In general Coloradans are very fit and conscious of health. Growing up in that "culture" I was always outside playing in the summer, or doing sports during the school year. I had never really lifted weights until the summer before high school, but it was a game changer for me.

I think I had felt soreness in my muscles a few times before that summer but never anything like the soreness I felt after my first summer weightlifting workout. I promise you there is nothing harder than going back to the gym when you are sore. But after spending a year of high school working out as a part of a physical education class I was hooked. I hadn't begun going to the gym on my own at that point. But, when I decided not to play volleyball the next year I frequently found myself at the gym.

My original goal was to tone my body, lose some fat, and see muscle gains in my legs and butt. I found that with my high metabolism it was pretty easy to loose the fat that I desired, but toning and increasing muscle mass was a challenge. I knew what lifts to do, I knew the forms that the lifts required, and I was consistent, but it took time. I cannot stress this enough, if you want to see results and you are working out for the right reasons, results will take time.

I took this picture a few months after I began consistently working out, and only just took the second

picture a few months ago. It took me over two years to really see results and notice my growth, but that first picture has become a huge source of motivation for me. I recommend taking pictures from different

angles throughout your workout journey. Retake your pictures every month or so. At first you may only see small changes but after a while of consistently working out you will see huge changes.

I know that not everyone can consistently workout for a whole year, that takes more than motivation, it takes discipline. But even working out 2-5 times a week for a few months out of the year will give you results and improve your health. It took me two years to see results, but it also took me two years to build discipline. 2017 has been the first year, so far, that I have been consistently working out every month since January, and it isn't because of a New Year's Resolution.

The reason I workout is somewhat complicated because I have a love/hate relationship with the gym. I workout because I love the feeling of pushing myself and my muscles, I love raising my heart rate, and I oddly do love sweating. All of those things that I love about working out are the things that show me that my workout is challenging me, and ultimately going to lead to growth and a change in my body. I mentioned my love/hate relationship with the gym and if you workout or start working out you will understand this. I "hate" the gym because it requires energy, takes time out of my day that I might prefer to spend laying in bed, and sometimes I just don't want to workout. That is where discipline comes in and I go to the gym regardless of the reasons I don't want to go.

Don't get me wrong I am all about listening to my body and learning to understand what it wants and needs, and I am also all about not forcing yourself to do things you don't want to. But, I also know that most of the time I am just being lazy. I encourage you all to exercise when and how you want to. You do not have to go to the gym everyday just to lose weight faster, or see results quicker. You should give your body rest when it needs it. However, you need to learn to discern when your body wants to be lazy and when it needs rest. For me, my body usually just wants to be lazy and that's why I go to the gym regardless.

I hope you all enjoyed this post and found it helpful! I will be posting more about how to begin working out, what my workout looks like, how I stay healthy in college, and so much more! Please subscribe to be alerted of new posts, or comment if you have any suggestions or things to add to the post!

Emily Marie