Fitness vs. Weight Loss - What drives you to exercise?

A lot of people start working out because they want to lose weight. Because of this, they judge the success or failure of their exercise program by how quickly the scale moves downward. This is a natural reaction – achieving a healthy body weight is a worthy goal, and when you’re sweating buckets and putting in tremendous effort each day, it’s understandable that you want to see results on the scale.

Unfortunately, this same thinking is one of the reasons that most people who start an exercise program quit – many of them in the first couple of weeks. Exercise is viewed as a means to an end – and if the weight isn’t coming off fast enough, the program is obviously “not working” and they quit, leaving their hard-earned fitness gains behind.

This is also a reason why so many people gain back the weight they lost. Once a weight loss gain is achieved, people who don’t view exercise as a lifestyle change tend to drift back toward their old habits, maybe eating a bit more and exercising a bit less… then over time, the results from all that hard work become a distant memory.

That’s why it’s so important to view fitness as a lifestyle choice, not a “program”. When thinking about “why” you want to exercise, it’s important to find reasons other than “lose weight”. Because if you’re successful and you achieve your goal weight, what will drive you to keep going?

When I started Insanity back in March, I knew I had some weight to lose. But what was bothering me far more was my sore, aching back. I used to run all the time - I finished a couple of marathons and at one point was running 30-40 miles a week. Eventually I tapered off, but I still enjoyed heading out for a run – until a few years ago. At that point, whenever I would head out for a run, my back would clench into knots the next day. So, I figured I was getting old, and that running was no longer any good for me (mind you, I’m only 42…)

So when I decided to try Insanity, I figured I’d last about a week. Probably less, because between my baknee and my back, I didn’t think I had a chance. But then a funny thing happened – even though I was sore, I wasn’t feeling any real pain. While my back bothered me a bit the first few weeks, eventually the discomfort went away.  My knee – which required a brace during the first month of the program – got stronger, to the point where I stuck the brace in a drawer and haven’t seen it since. I was losing weight – but more importantly, I was gaining strength. My core was able to support my back, and my leg muscles were able to support my knee. I’m not Shaun T, but at this point in my journey I can knock out quite a few power jumps and squats. And when I run (3-4 miles at a time), my back feels fantastic the next day.

Now, I’m not a medical professional. I’m not a certified personal trainer. But I firmly believe that the fitness gains that I’ve achieved will preserve my strength and mobility over the long term. I will continue to exercise because I want my body to be strong and fit into my 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. And I will not stop, because losing weight is no longer my goal – this is about how I choose to live my life.

So write down some new goals – besides losing weight, WHY do YOU exercise? What will keep you going, even after the scale hits that magic number – or even if it never does?