What Happened to My Fitness Motivation?
Posted on 19 August 2008 by Jeremy
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I used to be a fitness freak. In fact, there was a time in my life when I worked out twice a day for several hours. I loved the feeling it gave me both mentally and physically. The confidence that comes with a good physique is also great for the ego.
Somewhere along the way, though, exercise no longer became as important to me. Amidst work and family, I lost my motivation to work out. My concern with this is that my body has begun to change in ways that I definitely do not like. Things are sagging and bulging, and don’t get me started on the entire hair thing (thinning on my head yet growing like a grizzly everywhere else). I don’t want to end up looking like a deflated balloon with rolls of extra skin covering layers of fat where muscle once used to be.
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The National Center for Health Statistics says that 70% of men 20 years or older are overweight. In order to be considered “overweight,” a person has a Body Mass Index of 25.0 - 29.9. My current BMI is 29.5, compared to a 24.5 during the period in my life when I felt most healthy. A simple way to calculate BMI is weight (lbs) x 703 divided by height (in) squared, or lbs x 703/in².
Fortunately for me, I’m a tall guy (6 foot 3 inches), so I can carry a little extra weight without looking like I’m really fat…until I take my shirt off. The majority of the weight I’ve gained has been around my waist and buttocks. This visceral fat has more than covered the six pack abs of yesteryear and replaced them with the proverbial spare tire.
The question I often ask myself is “how did I let it get this bad?” It’s not like I have a good excuse, like being pregnant, to look to for justification. Although, I did eat enough for two during both of our pregnancies with my 2 youngest.
The answer is not as elusive as might think. In most cases, barring a major injury, it is a result of our own failure to prioritize fitness that we end up looking like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. In short, my motivation went to my stomach - I substituted eating for working out as a stress reliever. It is a result of my decisions that my body has begun to balloon and soften.
Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
After a while, the substitution became habit, and it has been a really hard habit to break, in spite of the potential health concerns. Obesity is linked to several conditions, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea.
Shouldn’t that be motivation enough to start working out again? It’s not.
Here’s a few reasons why I think I’ve lost my fitness motivation:
1. I’m happily married; or, I’m not in the meat market anymore
2. My confidence is no longer primarily linked to physical appearance; I value mental and spiritual things much more now.
3. My time is valuable, and I choose to spend it on more cerebral activities, like writing
4. Life isn’t about me so much anymore - it’s about the kids and family, so going to the gym for several hours per day doesn’t seem right to me.
I’ll never be motivated to spend hours in the gym every day again. There’s just too many other things that I’d rather do with my time. Still, I need to find ways to incorporate some physical activity into my life again, if only to get my BMI down closer to where it used to be (BMI of 25 - 26 would be great).
Here’s 10 things I’ve done this summer to get me going on this new journey back to find my fitness motivation:
1. Stopped drinking soda altogether
2. Eating more fruits and vegetables as snacks
3. Cut back significantly on chips and sweets
4. Eat smaller portion sizes
5. Try not to eat after midnight
6. Go for a one mile walk 5 days per week
7. Go hiking with one of my kids once per week
8. Dumbbell lifting twice a week
9. Old fashioned push ups and sit ups twice a week
10. Wrestling and roughhousing with the kids as often as possible
So far, I’ve lost about six pounds, and I’m starting to feel like I’m getting my fitness motivation back. It’s not at the same level as it was many years ago, but it is enough to get me on the path of achieving my goal of not being another big, fat male statistic.
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Tags | dad gains weight, fat, fitness, motivation, obesity, stay puft marshmallow man, sympathy weight
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August 19th, 2008 at 6:22 am
You have to remember that the time you spend taking care of yourself is not taking time away from your family in the long run…
You have the right ideas and it sounds like you’ll find a way to make it all work. Good luck!
August 19th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I was in the same boat as you, partially. I never played sports (not on a team, really). I was fairly thin in my youth, but after a few years of sitting behind a desk / wheel of my car for my commutes, the spare tire was all but obvious.
People would ask why don’t you try to get back into shape? to which I answered ‘I’ve never been in shape!’ So I took up taekwondo with my oldest boy. I knew joining a club would never work for me; the TKD offers a ‘drill sergeant’ mentality to continuously goad me on. So far, so good, although I’ll never look like Conan, but I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life.
For what it’s worth, it’s not too late for you to join Derek’s Hundred Push-Up challenge. It just takes about 15 minutes, 3 days a week. Check it out!
August 19th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
One thing that has kept me motivated is my kids. I want to make sure I’m in good shape so I’m in their life for as long as possible. I also want to make sure I can keep up with them!
August 19th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
I’m lucky because I come from a family that gets progressively skinnier as they get older, but that just gives me even less of a motivation to work out.
I have asthma, though, so working out is necessary in order for me to breathe properly. If I don’t work out, my lungs get weak and I wheeze. It hurts after a few months.
My wife and I got rid of our car last year, and I started biking to work about a month ago, so that’s been my cardio for each day. I still need to engage in weight training, though.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I’ve been thinking about taking up karate with my son, but he’s only 2 years old right now. I’d love to do something healthy together a few days per week. My oldest daughter and I like to go hiking together, and she’s a runner. I can’t run, but I enjoy tough hikes with her. I wonder what my youngest and I could do together? (3 months old?) The key for me is exercising while also connecting with my family.
August 19th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Yeah, 2 and 3 mths are a bit young for Karate!
Most schools will start kids around 5-6; the most important detail is that they’re able to follow instructions.
My oldest is 13 and has been in TKD for 5 years, altho he’s taken a couple of breaks that lasted 2-3 months each. I figured if I stopped, inertia would do me in! Now his younger brother (5) is interested, too!
Hiking seems to be your best bet, only you’ll have to carry your own gear AND your youngest (double work-out!).
August 19th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
“In fact, there was a time in my life when I worked out twice a day for several hours.”
Ack!
August 19th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Sounds like you have some good goals! Way to go!
August 19th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I have a similar story. My 3-times-a-week gym schedule stopped dead after the wedding. I made a commitment to get in shape again 2 years ago. Some things that worked well for me:
First is replacing car commuting with bike commuting. I ride to work every day and try to use my bike as often as I can (doctors appointment, etc). It took some adjusting to, and some investment in gear, but now it’s very enjoyable. It only takes me 20min more a day to ride rather than drive, and I get a great cardio workout. I stopped running years ago because of knee pain, but riding the past year improved my leg strength and removed knee pain, so I sometimes run to work now. It takes longer, but it’s a great cross-training exercise.
I also made a deal with my wife. Whoever works out more times in a week gets a free meal on our date night the next week (eating out usually comes out of allowance). The idea is to to exercise consistently and regularly, so a day counts as long as we put in 20min of something that elevates heart rate to cardio levels. Biking to work counts. Going on a fast paced walk together counts. Her 2hr gym workout counts. This has motivated both of us to work out more regularly.
We don’t have kids yet, but hiking with kids sounds great. For the young ones, bring them along in one of those backpack carriers might be a good option.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:03 am
Yeah, Yiyang is on the site!! Now that I started a new site, he finally comments. Awesome and good to see you here buddy!
August 20th, 2008 at 2:34 am
I’m doing the 100 pushup challenge myself and it is really great.
Just because you’re not in the meat market, you still have to look good for your wife. I hope to see an article on this very topic one day on this site *hint hint*
August 20th, 2008 at 3:22 am
Apologies for the self-promotion, but I run a website called introPLAY where you can set up workout competitions with friends and family. We have a number of families setting up competitions to motivate parents and kids alike to be more active. Feel free to visit http://www.introplay.com if you like. Thanks.
September 8th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Hi there…
Yeah great post - I’ve just discovered your site, some interesting stuff…
I like the 10 things I’ve done this summer bit at the bottom - a good reminder to actually get up and do something….
Great stuff!
-Ross
December 15th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Hey, hope this comment works I’m still pretty new to this whole blogging thing.
good post! I stumbled on your blog while
searching for other people’s weight loss experiences. I’ve actually just started blogging about
my weight loss success story - I lost over 30 pounds in a month
with a diet I developed!
I would love it if you could visit my weight loss blogand let me know what you think.
Warmest wishes,
-Joan
April 21st, 2009 at 1:01 am
Stay motivated, bro! Life keeps throwing us motivational potholes but good to see that you’re looking at the issue!