Any fitness goal can be and should be daunting to start. You know that as soon as you start you will be putting yourself into discomfort. As humans, we like comfort and familiarity because it is easy and satisfies our need for safety. But we are actually a species that thrives in discomfort. We gain weight and become lazy because we get complacent with our lifestyles. As in physics, Newton’s First Law is “An object in motion stays in motion” and vice versa. We need to cause enough of a shift to get ourselves out of our unhealthy patterns. Fitness events create inertia in our lives and disrupt horrible ruts and allow for motivation and drive.
Your goals will determine the kind of event you participate in. Signing up for any kind of event, immediately holds you accountable. It is an obligation to that event, and space in time. Putting money down is a great incentive to stay accountable because you don’t ever want to waste money. People and training partners also act as a way to stay on track.
If your goal is to lose weight then signing up for a 5k, Spartan race, or group class can be a great start. The idea is not to compete or even complete it, it is simply to be used as a benchmark to assess where you are and push yourself to start a new and healthy lifestyle. Simply saying “I want to lose 30 pounds” is not enough motivation. The “push” of the event is enough inertia to open your eyes to start towards a goal or even reassess your goals.
This weekend I flew out to Sydney, Australia to run the largest fun run in the world, the City 2 Surf. Participating in this event alone was amazing; to see all the people that cared about their health, fitness, and life. It was 14 kilometers long which could be a lot for anyone to run, walk, or even crawl. However, it could be the drastic “push” you need to jump start your goals. Even if you don’t finish the event, it’s a great goal to strive for!
The fitness events you choose can be anything that helps you stay active. Challenge your kids to do a bike ride every Sunday for 1 month. Enter a local 5k. Visit a doctor and get a physical. Go to a group class at the YMCA. Allow these experiences to teach you about yourself. Learn where your fitness is currently, figure out what path to take and connect with people. Build your fitness village and seek help from others who have experience. Fun runs, races, and “mudders” can all help you. Determine your goals get in better shape. If you have trouble getting them going, sign up and meet people that can help you stay on top of it.
Kyle Esep
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