There’s one thing I’ve learned about motivation over the past few weeks. In my case, I definitely need that dangling carrot to chase. When I was on the weight loss journey, the carrot was of course losing the weight. Motivation came in the mirror and just being able to move around better.
Since losing the weight and experiencing a whole new world, I’ve constantly been on the go. I’ve been running these races and traveling across the country with goals…and then all of the sudden I’m not filled with that. That became my normal and all of the sudden it’s not there.
I must confess I do miss the running. I miss going to the races and meeting new people and seeing old friends. I miss getting to experience new places and just get lost in a new city. I miss the comaraderie of running with other people and sharing in those experiences. Those things were my motivations. It was the greatest reason to stay engaged and active.
So without that plan and schedule motivation has been lost in the wind. Nothing excites me like running. I long to be outside and get the blood pumping. Walking is good, but it’s not the same. Riding a bike is great, but it doesn’t provide the same feeling. I love teaching my cycle classes and lately going to a lot of those classes even when I’m not teaching, but that’s a workout. It’s not something I want to do. It’s always important to find a workout that you love so it doesn’t feel like a workout. That’s motivation enough to keep going; that’s the best piece of advice I can give to you.
I always said running wasn’t my workout but it was something I loved to do and I now know those were not just words but an actual truth. I know this sounds so sad but it’s really not. This is a moment of clarity for me which means my break from running won’t last forever…it will just be a temporary thing. That is something that I always wondered: was I getting tired of the running? There’s a clear answer to the question now, not at all.
What is the workout that you love and would be sad without?
