Why Do We Stick With It?

The Flash · 21-Jun-07, 08:38 PM

I've been thinking there's something wrong with all of us because we aren't like everyone else.We weight train, exercise and diet. Apart from a few minor road bumps here and there we are all pretty consistent with those three phases and they are all an important part of our lives. Everyone else, however, doesn't stick with it for some unknown reason. I started thinking about this because of all the questions I've been getting from a lot of my friends recently asking for advice on working out. It typically happens every so often (usually during the summer).

They get all excited about lifting, ask for advice, change their diets and stick with it for no more than a month. Then they ditch everything and go back to their old ways only to get hit by the fitness bug again and go through the whole process yet again. We see this every summer, we see this every new year, we see this all the time. My friend and my older brother have been hit by this bug this week. They're even talking about seeing who can bench more by the end of the summer and yadda yadda. I've seen and heard this before and I'm willing to bet the farm this flame will burn out before the end of the summer. Why? I'm not real sure...

Everytime I'm at a gym I think to myself, wow, everyone and their mother is trying to work out and get fit. In reality, it's a very small percentage of us.

So any theories as to why we stick with it or are we just the crazy ones???

**gymgirl** · 21-Jun-07, 09:56 PM

great question the flash!

I deal with the same thing you mention all the time. People ask for advice, you give it to them and they seem really pumped but after a few weeks (a month if I'm lucky) they drop off. I think what it really boils down to is as pierini says "how bad do you want it". They don't want it as bad as we do.

Personally, I think they are the crazy ones. Why would you intentionally not take care of yourself, and why would you not want to feel and look great? That to me is crazy!

My co-workers always give me crap about working out and eating the way I do. They call came in with Burger king the other day and one asked "will this bother you if we eat it in front of you?" It was nice that she asked but I finally just broke down and said "I don't give a damn what you eat, just don't complain that you have a fat ass." That shut everyone up real quick.

One of my best friends was about 50-60lbs overweight and never worked out before. She and I worked together and my lifestyle rubbed off on her. She'd never been to a gym, she showed some interest and I started taking her with me. We worked out together for almost 3 years until she moved away. I taught her how to eat better, and she even started grocery shopping on the weekends and packing healthy meals for work rather then going out to lunch. I am very proud to say that she's been away for 2+ years and hasn't given up working out. First thing she did when she moved was signed up at a gym. She's lost about 30lbs and when she talks about it she thanks me for helping her change her lifestyle and how she could never go back to how she lived before. Having been a part of that makes all the other BS seem worthwhile.

Keep at it and continue to set a good example, you'll never know who's life you might change.

**maverick** · 21-Jun-07, 10:42 PM

I'm pretty sure its cause we're awesome, but I don't have any science to back that one up.

**.V.** · 22-Jun-07, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverick

I'm pretty sure its cause we're awesome, but I don't have any science to back that one up.

I'm pretty sure recent studies have shown that it's actually because we are amazing rather than awesome.

Why doesn't everyone stick with it? Because it's hard. Most people don't want to do things that are hard. Be it weights, cardio, bodyweight stuff, whatever, when it gets difficult and they don't get instant gratification then it's no fun anymore.

CF-OC_gal · 22-Jun-07, 09:34 AM

I'm actually surprised at the number of people who are fit where I live. Most of them are in my age bracket too! You can't go anywhere during daytime hours without having to dodge runners or cyclists. On the weekends it's worse, they travel in packs!

Now I could curse them for taking up road space when I'm in my car but instead I do a little reality check and ask myself if I'm still in the game.

We have a national champion wakeboarder who practices and teaches right in the back yard (I live on the river now). He blasts by in the loudest boat with the biggest sound system I've ever heard, but he sure can fly when he's on his board! It looks easy but I seem him on the water 10 hours a day some days.

I don't feel like an exception - I feel like part of the community here. It's part of your value system at this stage.

sweetdream · 22-Jun-07, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gymgirl

"I don't give a damn what you eat, just don't complain that you have a fat ass." That shut everyone up real quick.

.

HAHAHAHAH!!

: to that!

Not sure why people stop and start, maybe it's timing, maybe it's not really wanting it? I know I had my bugs every once in awhile, I think people expect miracles to happen in a short amount of time and when they see nothing changing they say "Screw this, I'm eating a burger" and then they are back at square one.

I have felt so much better about myself getting up early and going to the gym or even just walking over to my old high school and going on the track. pUTTING a piece of fruit in my mouth is now even more common than ever and when I wanted to eat a whole container of grape tomatoes instead of chips I felt I had finally made a change and wanted to keep it that way! It's hard to change the habits we all know so well and I think that's half the problem with people, they can't change

**LiftGirl** · 22-Jun-07, 11:42 AM

I agree with sweetdream that it comes down to habit. It's very hard to change ingrained habits. And, like Andy says, people don't want to do what is hard. Think of quitting smoking for example. Sure, the nicotine is addictive, but my mother said it was the habit she couldn't break. I think people don't stick with it long enough for form a habit. If they only stick with it for a month, that's not long enough. Besides not being long enough to build the habit, it isn't enough to see real results.

22-Jun-07, 12:21 PM

I stick with it because superfitness feels really good. It is a cost/benefit equation for me at this point in my life - the benefit of superfitness is greater than the "cost" [effort] to achieve and maintain it.

Then, being honest, there is the vanity factor. Those unsolicited comments about how fit I am for my age or how I don't look my age. I think the vanity factor drives us alot more than we suspect if we are rigorously honest with ourselves.

By the way, I do think I look my age, it's just that others my age look older than their age.

F_Mac · 22-Jun-07, 12:49 PM

I agree pierini...........you look great for a 95 year old.

:

(you walked right into that one).

22-Jun-07, 01:12 PM

You got me brother F-Mac. I'm old enough to laugh at myself and have fun doing so.

But if I am 95 then you are 67. Doesn't it feel good to finally be at age where the number of years is larger than the inches of your waist.

adrian · 24-Jun-07, 12:44 PM

My £0.02 is simply that it makes me feel good - on a day without having had some kind of exercise, I just feel (for want of a better word)....rubbish. Maybe its nothing more than some chemical thing going off in my head (endorphins or whatever), but I look forward to my work outs, enjoy doing them, and feel energised in the period following - all of which keeps me coming back for more.

I do remember hearing somewhere about people who manage to stick with it being more severely afflicted by body dismorphia than most.....but I'm not really one to subscribe to psycho-mumbo-jumbo.

Motivated · 24-Jun-07, 04:34 PM

Maybe not as long as you guys but I've been working out seriously for 3 months... I do it because I love it. I love seeing the progress, I love the challange, I love lifting --- period.

Maxgain · 24-Jun-07, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gymgirl

"I don't give a damn what you eat, just don't complain that you have a fat ass."

Brilliant that deserves to be remembered.

Though at the same time it seems a bit harsh. They must of been fairly pissed.

Maxgain · 24-Jun-07, 04:55 PM

Why becuase I want to achieve a level where I happy and I dont know if that is attainable.I have doubled in strength over the original goals/dreams I had originally.I set myself a 3 month target for bench press achieved it in 5 weeks.Now I want more.Plus I love to workout Its my time where everything else can be forgotten. A place where everything is left at the door and people of all types are united with the one goal.

**gymgirl** · 24-Jun-07, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxgain

Brilliant that deserves to be remembered.

Though at the same time it seems a bit harsh. They must of been fairly pissed.

It was harsh, but I've reached my limit with people giving me a hard time for eating healthy and working out. They weren't pissed, but they did shut up!

p.s. nice siggy maxgain!