Sustainability

In my past attempts to lose weight and feel great, I have always had the tendency to go all out at the gym, working out for two hours per day and 6 days per week.  This always led to some sort of an injury and ultimately, me giving up on my mission.  I almost fell into this same trap this time around.  


My trainer, at my request, set me up with a 6-day fitness program.  Today would have been my sixth day at the gym but feeling extremely sore, I decided to give it a rest.  Most would say that this is a lazy decision, including me.  However, I reminded myself that this is a lifetime journey that I am on, not a race.  I am going to lose my weight!  It is just going to take time and causing injury to myself by trying to lose the weight as fast as I can is not going to get me there.  It would just end up in another failure.


I have come to the conclusion that the best way for me to sustain my fitness program is to make the 6th day of my program optional with Sundays being my day of rest.  I have to realize that there is no shame in adapting my program to add "some" rest into the equation.  Even if I workout only five days per week, that is still five times more days than I was previously exercising.  I just have to be careful to not keep trimming my program down until I no longer have one.


With that said, I just wanted to share a song with you that has really been an inspiration to me, to tell myself not to give up.  It is a song by Toby Mac, called "Get Back Up":

Philippians 1:6

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.