What is your WHY?

Almost 75 days ago, my husband and I made some changes in our daily life in hopes of gaining some lean muscle and shedding some persistent fat.  We wanted to get into good shape before boating season arrived.

But, "good shape"....that's all relative, right?   I mean if you lose some weight, gain some muscle or really make any progress, does that mean you hit your goal?   If you haven't set your goals or set expectations of where you want to go, it's tough to determine.  And IF, you are just plugging along, not sure what your WHY is and what your GOALS are, where are you really going? I think that is part of what makes it easy to get knocked off course, or not stick to your guns, because what you're reaching for and the WHY is not there.

It's hard because my normal, and his, has been quite different after having 4 kids and a much busier life.  Our bodies are older, different, and the amount of time and energy in a given day, is not nearly that of 8 years ago when we married.  I feel like so many of us get to this point and any amount of improvement is then acceptable.  I know that's where I was. I would make progress and be proud of myself and maintain it for a while and then boom, right back.  The excuses took over because there was no clear goal.  Nothing to keep reaching for.  People, I find, are goal oriented.  It gives us drive and self-preservation.  Without a goal and a why, you have no real reason to get up and do it all again tomorrow! If you are not reaching for something, then you are standing still!

Less than 30 days into our new lifestyle, we had both blown away our expectations, the results were there, measurable, and fast!  They were beyond anything we had expected and certainly in that short timeframe!  It was exciting!  It was baffling!  We did not have a clear goal, we were just seeing how it all worked for us; carefully regimented workouts, sticking to a clearcut menu and integrating nutritional support.  When we looked at each other and realized how well it was working, it made us really take a step back and ask ourselves WHAT our goals really were!  It made us remember our WHY!

Do you want to look good in your swimsuit?  Do you want to fit into a certain size?  Do you want to be able to run a marathon, dead-lift a certain weight? Do you want to be able to do a forearm split stand inversion (that's one I am working on now)? Do you want to be healthy?  Do you want to cut out processed foods?  Do you want to learn to cook?  WHY do you want a change?  For you?  For your kids?  For your wife or husband? Do you want to get off blood pressure medication?  Do you want to lower your cholesterol? Do you want to be able to walk a mile? Do you want to finish a 5K?  Do you want to sleep better at night?  Do you want to be more flexible? Do you want to NOT be a victim of your hereditary health issues? Do you want to kill off the possibility of diabetes? Is it a combination? Is it energy? The list could be endless!  You have to choose you Why and your Goals and set them!

It doesn't matter what your WHY is, you just have to HAVE a WHY!  A WHY strong enough to push you to set your goals and reach!

Once you have goals and your WHY, it is part of you, it is evolving, it is a living power that is growing with you!  It propels you forward, making you reach further and further.

MY WHY... I want to be in the best shape of my life.  I want to be comfortable in my own skin where I don't feel held back by my self-esteem.  I strive to do this for ME!  Because the stronger and more confident I am in myself, the better example I can set for all my children, especially my 3 daughters.  The more comfy I am in my skin, the happier I am, the more patience I have.  Because I no longer want to be held back by my own excuses.  Because of my partnership with my husband and the fact that everything we do as a team, makes us stronger as parents and in our marriage.  Because I want my children to know that they CAN. I want them to learn now how to remove excuses from their lives too.  I want to set examples of fit and healthy everyday to teach them how important those things are every single day!  I want them to learn by my strength in my choices and instill those habits now!  I want my daughters to know that strong and fit are cool!  I want them to know that it's awesome to be a girl with muscles who CAN do pull-ups!  I do not want them to call push-ups from knees, girly push-ups. I want my children to know how to make healthy food choices!  I want to fuel my body in the best way possible.  I want to spend as long as possible with my family.  I know that hurdles will come, some that I cannot control, but these things I can!


Through one of the Challenge Groups we are in, we were reminded of this method of defining your goals:
S. M. A. R. T. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relavant, Time Bound

S - Specific - Do you want to lose body fat, inches, weight?  Do you want to accomplish a certain strength goal?
M - Measurable - How do you measure your goal?
A - Attainable - Is it attainable? Realistic?
R - Relavant - Does it make sense?
T - Time Bound - When are you setting the due date?

I LOVE this!  It makes you accountable and sets a determined date!  You can't make excuses and keep pushing things around!

Do you have a Why? What are your Goals? Are you ready to Reach?