Being a curious kid, I would always bother my parents with the question of why.
Parents: Clean your room.
Me: Why?
Parents: Because I said so.
Parents: Have you done your homework?
Me: Why? It’s boring, and I cannot be bothered.
Parents: You need me to get the magic wand (bamboo stick) for your bum?
Me: No, I’ll do it.
There is a why behind the most important things we do, including health and fitness. For instance, there is a reason why you choose the job you desire. Or there is a why behind why you like skateboarding so much.
There is a way there; it’s time for us to dig deep enough to find it.
Finding your why is essential because it keeps you going when times get tough, and things don’t go your way. Knowing your why can give you a deeper understanding of why you do what you do. Because when you have that, consistency is easier, and you are less likely to ‘quit’.
When someone asks me why I exercise daily, I respond, “When the Grim Reaper comes for me, I’m going down swinging. They think it’s a joke, but it’s not. I’m deadly serious, pun intended.
Let’s explore your why and discover that it is the key to staying healthy and fit in this topsy-turvy thing called life.
Finding Your Health & Fitness Why
A famous quote by Zig Ziglar goes something like, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” When I first meet a potential client and ask what brought them to inquire about my services, I get some generic responses.
“I want to lose weight.”
“I want to feel better.”
“I want to look better.”
It’s not bad, but it doesn’t tell me anything, as many people hire personal trainers for those reasons. The question is, why did you come here? . What is your “real’ reason? What is behind your motivation to lose weight? When you find the why behind your motivation to change, you have some real skin in the game that sustains you through tough times.
Change is hard, and staying on your current path is complex, so roadblocks will arise. Consistency is more challenging when you don’t explore why your why is important to you and the reasons behind your actions.
Here’s a game I play, which I stole from somebody else, called the five whys.
Why did you come here today?: To lose 30 pounds.
Why 30 pounds?: Because I’ll get down to my old high school weight.
Why is losing 30 pounds vital to you?: I want my energy to bounce back, like it did in high school.
Why is getting your energy back crucial?: My wife and I are about to have a baby.
A baby, fantastic news. Why will 30 pounds help?: Because I want to be my child’s best help and role model.
Digging into this client’s reason for wanting to lose 30 pounds makes it more likely they will stick with it.
Is Your Why Important?
Only you can answer this question, but let me give you a helping hand. If your why is important to you, you’ll be taking small steps daily to meet it.
This is where the rubber meets the road, baby.
For instance, what are you doing daily to meet this goal if you want to lose fat, are you:
Strength training two to three times per week?
Are you prioritizing protein?
Increasing your step count?
Are you reducing your fat or carb intake so you’re in a caloric deficit?
Are you doing something daily to meet your why?
If you miss a day, don’t miss the next day because consistency wins over perfection every time. If you’re not moving toward your why and find yourself moving further away, that’s okay. Your why is not a priority now; it is time to reevaluate.
You’ll face decisions daily that bring you closer or further away from your why. If you want to spend more time with your family and your boss asks you to do overtime, the obvious answer is no. Or, if you’re trying to add muscle and are faced with two poor choices, chips or jerky, which one should you choose?
Ten years ago, when I prioritized becoming a better writer, the decision on what to do was simple. I had to write daily and read more. Even if it was one sentence in a Word Doc or a Facebook post, I took small steps towards becoming a better writer.
Do your actions and decisions move you closer or farther away from your why?
Wrapping Up
It is one thing to know your why, and it is another to act on it. If you’re striving towards a goal or looking to change for the better, that’s the thing. Knowing is not enough; the daily action you take, no matter how tiny, gets you there. When the knowing and the actions come together, the magic happens.
How do I know? Well, you’re reading this blog, aren’t you? That’s a minor miracle in itself.
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