Lately I’ve been asked this question a lot as it relates to running and overall fitness. I’m not gonna lie, it’s been a hard one for me to answer. Physical activity is just a way of life now, so I can’t imagine life any other way. I don’t need to motivate myself, I just DO it. But since it’s a topic that seems to interest many people, I felt a blog post was in order to help me dig deeper, and maybe help others in the process!
When I was looking for my answer, I turned to Mr. Zucchini Runner, thinking he could provide some insight into this perplexing question. He thought about an answer for a long hard moment, staring into space and finally said, “I don’t know. That’s a good question.”
Looks like he was in the same boat as me…. but then he said, “What about… just not wanting to be overweight? That’s why **I** workout anyway.” And we both kinda laughed. But the more I thought about it, there was definitely some truth to that! I feel better when I’m not overweight (and I was getting close there for a while…)
February, 2011
We both were!
San Diego, Summer of 2011
Once we made serious efforts to clean up our nutrition, and made working out a part of our regular routine, we loved the results! It felt awesome to get out on our own two feet and legs and MOVE. Mr. Zucchini Runner even did a sprint triathlon – he is not a swimmer, runner or cyclist! He would rather play a team sport like volleyball, softball, or even golf or tennis. So while our initial motivation came from the desire to simply lose weight and be healthier all around, today’s motivation comes from the momentum we created 3 years ago. To keep improving our physical fitness and skills, to keep pushing ourselves past our current limits, to be better versions of ourselves today, than yesterday – that is our motivation.
Tempe International Triathlon, May 2013
Our latest challenges have been completing P90X3 at the beginning of the year.
After our first full round of P90X3, February 2014
And most recently, completing PiYo during the harsh summer months of Phoenix!
PiYo has been a GREAT addition to my running routine.
Motivation is different for everyone – it comes from different places, at different times and at different intensities. Sure, there are some days I wake up and I don’t feel like going for a run or doing a workout – so I don’t. But I don’t beat myself up over it. I know I will get out and get moving another day; in most cases the next day or two. It is one thing to be motivated, and another to ignore the signals your body is giving you. I trust my lifestyle these days, knowing that listening to my body is more important than working out every single day. In the beginning, I couldn’t really take that luxury. Because before I knew it, one day off would turn into two, three and four. So in the beginning, I did have to make that extra effort to keep pushing through the workouts. Now I know, that if I workout less – I really need to focus on my nutrition. Nutrition is the key to good health, even more so than physical fitness – but that post will be for another day. 🙂
A special thanks to Bryan at Modivated.com for inspiring me to write this post! Head on over to his site for more motivational stories.
What motivates you?
Reaching people who I don’t even know and having them tell me how inspiring I am! That just blows my mind away! People are “watching”.
That is so true! I didn’t even think of that. There have definitely been moments where the words of others have motivated me to keep going!
Great post! I can relate to what you said about the fact that you just do it daily and it’s just a part of your life! Being in shape and looking at myself in pics are definite motivators! I also love trying new things so I can keep growing as a person – inside and out! And The Silent Assassin made a great point – since we are bloggers, people are watching us and getting motivated by us! That in turn keeps us going like a happy cycle! 🙂
Thanks Kristin! Variety is so important! 🙂 And absolutely, being a blogger keeps us going!
Seeing posts like this is definitely motivating! A few months ago I read “The Long Run”, by Matt Long…he is truly inspiring and motivating! Great post and you two look awesome 🙂
Thanks so much Melissa! 🙂 I’ll have to check that out as well!
Registering for races keeps me motivated. I enjoy training for upcoming races. Now a 20 miler is iin my near future. I love heading to my trails to train for long runs on our weekends. Great post!
That is so true Mary Jo! Registering for races definitely kept me motivated for a long time to keep training! Enjoy your 20 miler!! 🙂