ONCE YOU STOP, YOU WILL QUICKLY DETERIORATE.
Remember how painful it was the first time you tried to run more than a mile? “Starting anything is the hardest part, especially when it comes to physical activity,” says Kneeland. “Sometimes I train just to keep the motion going.”
19. Because You Can
SO MANY PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY I DO TO LOOK LIKE ME AND BE ABLE TO DO WHAT I DO. Most people don't look good naked.
“One thing that really drives me to push past boundaries and sometimes just to shake off laziness is to think about all the people who would give absolutely anything to be able to move their bodies in a dynamic way, but can’t for any number of reasons,” says Rosante. “That gratitude gets my ass moving in a flash.”
No More Excuses!
The human mind can justify murder. Don't let yourself make excuses for not sticking to your bodybuilding plan.
"I need a day off."
"My mother is in town."
"My leg kinda hurts."
"I'm too tired today."
"I have too much on my mind."
"I'm not making any gains, I might as well quit."
"I don't have time."
"A Simpsons marathon is on TV tonight!"
3. The Whole Body Benefits
The quest for better health is the primary reason why Krysten Siba Bishop, the blogger behind The Misadventures of a Darwinian Fail, hits the gym. Bishop lovingly calls herself a “Darwinian fail” because she has both a rare arrhythmia in her heart and the BRCA1 gene, which increases her cancer risk. “I don’t have the luxury of taking my health for granted,” she says, so she’s dedicated to maintaining a healthy diet and exercise.
5. The ‘Whoa, Look What I Can Do,’ Feeling
The human body is an amazing machine. “There’s rarely a day that goes by that I’m not in complete awe of what my body is capable of doing,” says Harrison. “It’s continually challenging myself, exploring what my body can do on a given day and playing with those edges [that motivates me].” Over the last four and a half years, Erica Giovinazzo, a Head Coach at Brick CrossFit in West Hollywood, has continued to surprise herself. “I’ve gone from not being able to do a pull-up to being able to do a muscle-up
9. The Post-Workout Fuel
Even fitness buffs like their post-workout munchies. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say that food wasn’t a motivating factor,” says Kelly. “If I’m in the middle of a run and I need something, anything to get me to keep going, I might choose a reward meal. Sounds funny, but the thought of a burger with cheese, avocado, bacon and some sweet potato fries can get you to run that extra three miles.” Katie Uhran, founder of She Rocks Fitness, admits that her love of food keeps her going. “I train hard, so I can eat that pizza and enjoy it without any guilt.”
1. You should work out because it makes you happy. I don't mean this in an esoteric way. I mean it very literally. You’ll feel awesome after you exercise. Immediately. Intensely. Unequivocally. Study after study confirms the direct relationship between exercise and increased feel-good hormones, including a study that suggests high-intensity exercise modulates the brain in a very similar way to cocaine use . (That’s gotta feel good.) Another recent study confirmed that serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels in the hippocampus were significantly increased by exercise, suggesting physical activity can help manage depression .
Even in the 1800s Henry David Thoreau knew what was up. “An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day,” he said.
3. You should work out because it helps you win at life. Setting and achieving goals inside the weight room helps you set and achieve goals outside the weight room. The goal-setting/goal-accomplishing cycle is a learned trait.
Initially, these victories are small. But eventually, the accomplishment (or foundering) of our goals comes to define our life. This same cycle repeats itself on a daily basis with our exercise. For example, if you’d like to be able to be able to do a pull-up you might:
Do seated rows.
Recover.
Do inverted rows.
Recover.
Do lat-pull downs.
Recover.
Do assisted pull-ups.
Recover.
DO A PULL-UP.
5. You should work out because you can. Initially, it’s easy to view exercise as a chore. Consider this instead: Exercise is a blessing. Not only do you have the knowledge and the means to exercise (how fortunate), but you’ve been given a body that is strong as a friggin’ tank, fast a cheetah, and more agile than a jackrabbit. OK, perhaps that is slightly overstated, but a healthy body is truly a work of art.
Take inventory. If you are fortunate enough, you have…
- Two strong legs that can carry you anywhere you damn well please.
- Two strong arms that can lift lots of really heavy stuff.
- A strong core and a strong heart and strong hands.
- It all works. Every day. It works really well. In fact, if you stop and think about it, it’s baffling just how impressively well it works.
- Your workout is a celebration of that.
