Tuesday, May 04, 2010

What motivates you?

So really.  Why be a fitness fanatic?  Why wake up at the ass crack of dawn to push yourself to the extreme?  I used to make of people who did that.  Or go run 8 miles on your Sunday off?  Or take a kickboxing class?  Why do you do it?  Is it for weight loss?  Is it to get toned by _____ date?  Is it for the endorphins/mental health?  Are you training for something?  What motivates you?

For me fitness is simply a way to express myself.  I find I do better with goals- but the goals are not really the point.  The end result is incidental.  I remember in art school I had an art teacher that had us sketch the most ridiculous things.  Once he had us come into the studio and encircle a group of suitcases.  We had no idea what were in the suitcases, but we had to stare at them for a certain amount of time and then draw what we saw in them.  For 3 hours.  Did I say we had to stare at suitcases for 3 hours?  3 hours.  Anyway, the point was not to figure out what was in the suitcases and draw it perfectly and lifelike.  The point was to sit and watch.  Watch and pray, if you will.  And let the image come to you.  And the process is where the lesson is.

And so how does this relate to wearing a Glittini on stage with glass healed shoes and fake tan? Well, that' my suitcase.  And it's fun to imagine what I'll do and learn to get there.   Live outside of my head (thanks Monica) every once in a while.  See what my body is made of.  How my muscles look when they're strong and nourished well.  Being physical is a very satisfying, primal, organic experience.  I enjoy pushing myself because it removes me from my head and gets me into my body.  It breaks everything down.  It sorts and simplifies without my analyzing or micromanaging.  And then in the end you're heart is pumping, your body is buzzing and you're high.  And it's good. 

For example: I typed this entire blog post in this position.  No, I'm kidding.  Just the first paragraph. 



Work with your body.  Get to know it.  Flaws and all.  Give it the good stuff.  Don't worry- I'm not going to get all Oprah-Elizabeth Gilbert-Eat-Eat-Eat-Eat-Pray-Love on you.  (Notice my inflection on the Eat- cause that was my favorite part of the book. Shocker.) You all are smart enough to know what's good for you without someone spoon feeding it to you while braiding your hair and telling you you deserve it.  For me, despite all logical reasoning, I know that getting up at 5:40am every weekday is good for me.  It is my meditation.  My yoga.  My "me" time.  My prayer.  My way of loving myself.

And so that's my motivation.  And sure the reality of the Glittini makes me eat a little cleaner and skip those impulse snacks.  But the exercise?  Well, that's just plain fun.

Why do you do it?

10 comments:

Lindsey Elizabeth Burke said...

I haven't worked out in a while...but when I do it...it makes me feel better about myself. It's like going to a psychologist without paying the bill! I feel happier, a ton more energy...I could go on :)

Monica said...

I "run" (with a double jogging stroller and over eager dog) because I often feel like I am going to fall asleep or cry before I go, usually feel like I am going to die in the first two minutes, but always feel like starting a new business or at least putting more pine straw in the backyard by the time I am finished.

Jen Gordon said...

THAT cracked me up Monica. :)

Lindsay said...

i'm motivated by health---both physical and mental.

also, i'm motivated by catching a glimpse of myself mostly naked in the mirror. this can be a good thing, and it can also be a really really bad and gross thing.

first comment HOLLLLAAAAAA

Alessandra said...

i know it sounds SO corny but what motivates me is: YOU!!!! you, ronisweigh, and eatliverun are my inspiration every single day to work out and eat food as the world made it! i wanna conquer the battle with weight before my kids (esp. my daughter) are old enough to hear me talk about it... you girls are so awesome!!

Jen Gordon said...

Alessandra- you are so sweet! I really believe women need to relate to each other and inspire eachother. I feel honored to play a small role in your health! Roni inspires me too. I started blogging about my weightloss after reading her blog when I was 9 mths pregnant with my 2nd child. ;)

Alessandra said...

hey jen i have a quick question... i've always used splenda but recently i've started getting MASSIVE headaches... after going through my WW journals, i'm finding that I've been using more splenda lately (ie: on my oatmeal, in my tea/coffee, etc) Do you think the two could be related?? i went to trader joes today and bought stevia bc i remembered reading it on your site... any ideas?? thanks so much! :)

Jen Gordon said...

I think it could definitely be related. I like stevia, but I also use sweet leaf. Got it at whole foods I believe. If you browse the healthfood isle at any grocer, there are sweeteners galore that aren't bad for you. Or you can add applesauce to your oatmeal too.

Lindsay said...

http://www.womentowomen.com/healthyweight/splenda.aspx

theres an article on the toxicity of splenda. it's quite lengthy, but to sum it up, the common side effects are irritability, constipation, diarrhea, migraine, stomach pain, muscle aches... those are just the common side effects....

another helpful page for extremely in depth info on sucralose (splenda) is http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/

stevia is great! it can be used in baking up to 400 degrees. the only problem i've ever had with it is that it doesn't dissolve great---depending on the brand. truvia and purvia are good but i think sweet leaf is better. whole foods has more options than other grocery stores...

also, agave and REAL honey are good, in moderation.

Alessandra said...

wow lindsay thanks SO much... i didn't really realize there could be side effects to a sweetner!! wow

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