Your thing. Your story. Your why. Maybe it’s a feeling when you exercise, or a sense of belonging to a community. Maybe it’s a redemption story. Perhaps you struggled with chronic illness or injury and found renewed health and wellness through exercise and community. Maybe the community you discovered in your local gym, your workout buddy, your online community pulled you out of a dark time, separating you from some unhealthy addictions or vices and breathed promise and new vision into your life. We all have a story.

Everyone has one; a ‘why’. What’s yours? And what does your story tell? And better yet – who is watching/listening to your story?

Exercise and proper nutrition are a gift. They are a celebration of what our bodies can do. The potential for transformation and progress should excite and inspire you. What a wonderful feeling! Health and wellness is not only a physical choice, there is a mental component to it as well. A healthy mindset is critical to your continued wellbeing and I would argue just as important as the physical component. If we are just making it through the next workout, or eating a certain way because we “have to” then it is not sustainable. View those choices as exercise of your right to choose well and feel well. 

So many times we hear people grumbling about the way they feel or “I have to workout” vs. “I get to workout.” We can all fall into that season where life seems crazier than ever and we just don’t feel like working out. Stop your procrastination, realize what you need and go do it. Not every workout is going to feel like a personal best. Not every workout will leave you feeling like you accomplished something either. Those type of workouts are okay. Why? Because the “I don’t wanna..” workouts are just deposits into your overall health bank. View those workouts as “sweat equity.” We may not be in the right frame of mind, or maybe we don’t have defined goals for this particular season in life, but that doesn’t mean a workout has gone to waste. You’ve probably heard that old adage “The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do.” It’s true. Sweat equity, friends. Every workout, every healthy meal choice; they all add up to big accomplishments over the long haul. Put in the work and the results will show. 

When we step back and look at the bigger picture; what we say and do resonates with others beyond our own recognition. The things we say about ourselves, about the way we eat and/or feel, and our desires to exercise are being absorbed by those around us. From the very tiny eyes and ears to our peers and those who come in contact with us every day. What part of your story is being told? Is our healthy mindset and passion for overall health the main character in your story? Don’t let exercise become the villain. 

So, I ask you again.. what is your “why?”