Write down 50 reasons why you're going to the gym.
Discussion
1. To prepare for the future
2. My future wife and children depend on me
3. My patients depend on me
4. To set an example for others
5. To be a leader that people respect
Health is the best investment
6. To be able to play sports/games when I'm older
7. To get better at BJJ
8. To help me focus so I can study
9. So I want to eat better foods to strengthen what I broke down
10. Therapy to heal through life events that hurt 💔
11. To help an old lady cross the street
12. For endorphins
13. To maintain brain health
14. To carry the groceries in one load
15. Maintain a competitive attitude
16. To make regular day to day stress seem less than what it is
17. To be able to open the pickle jar for someone
18. Because somebody gotta carry the boats and the logs
19. Self respect
20. Demonstrate discipline.
21. Pay for health now or pay for health later with immobility and pharmaceuticals
22. So I don't get winded walking up the stairs.
23. I will only need to buy 1 airplane seat
24. To triangle choke an intruder
25. To hold neices and nephews when I'm old.
26. So I can get out of a bathtub by myself when I'm 60
27. More muscle mass means more calories to eat.
28. Reduce heart disease risk and 1000 different cancers
29. To not smell like fast food
30. To not have a bitch ass excuse if I get drafted
31. To not be a scooter person at amusement park
32. To put my grocery cart back where it belongs
33. I want to go sky diving and don't want the weight limit to prevent me
34. To strengthen bones
35. To improve posture
36. Prevent colds
37. To build self esteem
38. To turn mild body dysmorphia into a lifestyle
39. To not have to wear a t-shirt in the pool
40. Therapy is expensive
41. To prepare for that one time I'm going to have to fight a bear
42. So my gym crush can continue ignoring me but at least I look good
43. To be strong enough to take the clips off the barbell
44. To justify having gym clothes
45. To sleep better
46. So I can give CPR for 2 minutes without looking like I just died
47. So I can be as annoying as a real-estate agent, a vegan, or a crossfire
48. Because my role models exercise
49. Because the pursuit of pleasure leads to decay
50. Last and definitely least.... asthetics
Well done.
"41. To prepare for that one time I'm going to have to fight a bear" This one is my favorite so far.
Explicating WHY you want to keep going to the gym a habit should help you reclaim your DAWG. It's also important to return to these reasons, especially the ones most meaningful to you if you feel your motivation waning, through the frame, "I want to go to the gym, because....." And then remind yourself of why you want to achieve it.
There are two more exercises you can do if you want to deepen your connection to yourself and your sense of meaning.
One of them is to imagine an event that takes place once you've reached a certain important goal or milestone, that you want to take place, that would be meaningful to you, writing it down in detail, including how you would feel if that event, important goal or outcome took place.
Another powerful exercise relative not only to your habit of exercise but also the meaning of your life and your deepest values, is to write down what you want people to say about you at your funeral, which is in some sense the legacy you will leave behind.
Since the four human needs are to live, love, learn, and leave a legacy, going through this exercise would be powerful for you.
I'm proud of you for writing down your 50 reasons for exercising. Bless you on your journey!
🎤💧