Daily Exercise: Why I Do It
I have had quite a few people say a version of the following to me:
- “I don’t see how you get up that early and exercise EVERY day!”
- “Why do you keep exercising and eating healthy? You’re already skinny!”
I don’t know about you, but I have to WORK for what I have accomplished. That hasn’t always been so. I used to be able to eat Big Macs, cookie dough, chicken biscuits – you name it – all day long, and I never gained a pound!!! Looking back now, that seemed like a good deal, but the more I have learned, I was probably slowly killing myself!
You see, I was diagnosed with high cholesterol about 8 years ago. I expected it. It runs in my family, but it was still a little shocking to be told in your 20s that you have high cholesterol. I have always been a runner. I have always eaten veggies and love water. Yet, my total cholesterol was through the roof! I took medicine briefly, but soon realized that was just as likely to kill me (have you read the side effects on those thing?? Yikes!). Then we wanted to have children, so I stopped anyways. And sure enough, after pregnancies and breastfeeding, it was time to start monitoring it again – and I still had high cholesterol (I was hoping it would magically disappear, I guess!)…
I believe God intentionally got my attention about a year ago, when I got STUCK! I was running, going to the gym and “trying” to eat healthy (really just fooling myself on that one). I had gained 10 lbs that were IMPOSSIBLE to shake! In May of this year, I began desperately searching for programs that would jump start my metabolism while also teaching me how to eat. I found the 21 Day Fix, because I was searching “portion control” and went for it! I am so glad I did. Not just because of the weight loss either. I really began to be convicted about how I was treating my body. God gave me this body, and it’s the only one I get. I started reading Lysa Terkeurst’s Made to Crave, and that was it! It was a spiritual journey for me, and there was no turning back!
Did I mess up? Yes.
Did I want to quit? Yes.
Did I want to eat what everyone else around me was eating? YES!
Did I want to lie in bed some mornings and skip my workouts? Yes.
But I found that when I did skip my workouts or veer from my meal plans, I felt really bad…zero energy, bloated, crampy, and cranky!
It wasn’t until I went back to my old habits that I really began to appreciate and crave the goods things I was putting into my body! So, I got serious. I created my meal plans each week. I planned and prepped for the week. I set my alarm for 4:50 a.m. each day so I could get my Bible/God time in before my workouts. I pushed play at approximately 5:15 a.m. each morning, and I got with it!
That is when I really began to see the difference. I began losing fat AND gaining muscle. My PMDD improved. I had more energy to do the things I wanted to do.
So, why do I keep it up? Because I love feeling this way, and I know that as soon as I cut myself some slack, I am much more likely to fall into my old ways. I’m done with that. I’m done with feeling sluggish and tired and irritable.
Not only that, but I truly believe that this is something God wants me to do…for myself, my family and for those that need a little extra inspiration to get out of bed and do something for themselves.
So, I will continue to get out of bed early each morning, fit my workout in, fuel my body with the things God intended for it, and push myself to grow and become stronger!!! Body AND Soul!
