100 Days of Fitness: Week 23 – Why We Work Out & The 30 lbs Lost Marker

There's almost universal agreement that having clear goals will benefit you in whatever you do. Whether you're aiming to save a certain amount of money, lose some weight, or bench 300 pounds. Seeing your target helps to keep you locked onto it. If you set a goal like “lose weight” or “get in shape” you're destined to fail. Your head is in the right area, but no the right spot. How do you measure progress? What's the scale? Losing two pounds is great, but are you 1% closer to your goal or 20%?

If you're already on an exercise program without a goal, take a minute to write one down. Figure out where you're heading. Maybe you want to run a marathon or fit into a size 32 jeans. Doesn't matter what it is, but it should be measurable. You can constantly check your progress and know how close you are.

So why do we work out? It's a question you have to answer. If you're thinking “because I'm supposed to” you're really forcing yourself to do something rather than doing something with the intention to change. Now you're probably thinking about some of those nice sounding reasons – to be in better shape. To be healthier, to live longer. Great. That's awesome. But you don't have to lie to yourself. Or me. Be honest.

We work out because we want to look good. We want to be stronger. Better. Faster. More attractive. Better with the opposite sex. More confident. These sound vain, but they're not really. They're self-improvement. When you judge “looking good” or better as reflective of body weight, looking better is always healthier, unless you've got some eating disorder dragging you under a healthy weight. Being fitter makes you more confident and confidence is a good thing. When you hold your head high, people notice you more.

Why do I work out? A lot of these reasons. I want to be more confident. I want to be more attractive. I want to be able to lift heavier weights than the guy next to me. I want to be better than I am.

What are my goals? I initially said I wanted to weigh 215lbs. Based on my progress pictures, now I think I want to weigh 200lbs. I want to see abs. For me, to prove I can do it. To prove I'm better than I was. I want to bench press 350lbs. I want to be strong. I want to look good in my clothes.

I bought a shirt like, six months ago. A large “athletic fit” one. Well turns out at the time I wasn't a large anymore. Every so often during the program I'd pull it on. Still too tight. Then just two days ago I pulled it on. What? It fits. Feels good. Looks good. A clear sign of progress and bettering myself. Yeah, it's just a shirt, but it's also a milestone.

So why do you work out?

My Results

I count this as a real success for the 100 Days of Fitness program. I took some time off from working out, left town for more than a week, attended parties, hung out with friends, and didn't deny myself opportunities to enjoy anything. I didn't gorge myself or just start slam-pounding milkshakes. But I drank alcohol, had some carbs I normally wouldn't have, had a few things that are normally off-limits food wise. Always in my mind though, I knew I had to be moderate. If I was going to have that milkshake later, I had to make sure everything else was straight as an arrow. While no one there would ever think that I was watching what I ate, through proper meal planning and choosing the right foods most of the time, I actually came back lighter than when I left.

My last official weigh-in was two weeks ago at 225lbs. I checked myself unofficially during my trip at 223lbs. My official weigh in today was 220.5lbs. That's down 4.5lbs in two weeks, which included a hectic and fun trip. I'll take that. This brings my total weight loss to date to 31lbs. Let's keep this train rolling.