Finding My Why

Like with everything else in life, it is important to know your purpose of why you do what you do. For the longest time, I have struggled with exercising regularly because I didn’t know my why. I just knew that I ought to do it, but I HATED it. In fact, after I had our second son in 2010, I was seriously considering going back into the Army. The only thing that stopped me was the 2-mile run. I really didn’t want to run daily.

A few years ago, my why was that I wasn’t happy with my size. My lack of dedication was a reflection of my half-hearted why. Needless to say, I wasn’t very successful. Instead, I ended up putting on more weight to cope with the feeling of defeat. I gave up and didn’t try changing my methods or thought process. I was accepting the defeat.

My husband recently spent two years in South Korea for the Army. It was during this time that I found my why. During those two years, I went through a lot of medical tests. I had been having issues for almost 10 years and after all of this time, I finally had a real diagnosis. I had IBS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I cried when the gastroenterology doctor told me. While Lee was in Korea, I was working hard look good for when he came back home. With an actual diagnosis, a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I could focus my energy elsewhere.

The Scale was my Enemy

In 2019, I stopped focusing on the scale. I had to! I spent the year meeting with a trainer 2-3 times a week. I was getting so much stronger but the number on the scale was not moving. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. Then one day I decided to take my measurements. It had been at least 9 months since I had taken any measurements. I couldn’t believe it! It was the reinforcement that I needed. I had lost several inches around my body. While the scale didn’t reflect a lower weight as I had hoped, I did see measurable progress. Finally, something was working.

My goals have now shifted. I am no longer focusing on seeing a specific number on the scale. I do have a number in mind but to me, it’s more important that I meet my other goals. I want to lower my blood pressure. My goal is to no longer be pre-diabetic. My goal for working out is to enjoy what I am doing. Over the past 12 months, I have had to adjust my mindset around exercising. I know I still need to grow in this area but in the meantime, I know what I am working towards.

Vision Boards

My Vision Board
My Vision Board

What is your purpose for working out? What are your goals? Post your goals in a place that you can look at daily. Create a vision board or use a sticky note. Write them on your mirror with a marker or you could even use lipstick. Once you write it down, you are most likely to meet your goals. Keep yourself accountable, and remember, I am here for you as an accountability partner. I’d love to know how you are doing in determining your why.

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One Comment

  1. LOVE THIS!! I know how important non-scale victories are but I still find myself getting attached to the number and then binge eating….::emotional eating is a huge problem for me. I need to focus on finding my why. I am also going to start in on that vision board!!!!!!! Thank you friend.

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