Finding Inspiration

Life can be hard. So many responsibilities, but such little time in the day. That is the most common problem when it comes to physical fitness, finding the time in your busy schedule. I am going to give it to you straight right here, that is never going to go away. There is unfortunately no way to add time to the day despite how badly we all may want to. So how do we make time for physical fitness? You make it a priority by finding inspiration.

Finding inspiration is important in all aspects of your life. Understanding why you are investing your precious time in certain activities. A lot of times you will hear this be called, “Finding your ‘Why'”. Obviously, each person is going to have their own reasons and inspirations for bettering their physical fitness ranging from living a longer and healthier life to just simply looking better. But it doesn’t stop there. About one year ago, I was given inspiration in a very unconventional way that reignited my passion for fitness.

Last summer, I was slowly getting burned out with going to the gym. I was working a job that required 50+ hours per week and I found it very difficult to get the energy to go to the gym after work. I got to a point where I accepted that I was not prioritizing my physical fitness anymore and I was okay with that. I still made it to the gym 2 or 3 times per week and lived a fairly active lifestyle as well. One day, I was playing on my co-ed softball team and what seemed like a normal game turned into so much more. When I was rounding 3rd base to score I ended up tripping half way to home and went down hard. At first, I was mainly embarrassed and got up as quickly as I could to score but realized that I couldn’t get up. After being helped off the field and sitting in the dugout for a couple innings hoping I could make it back in the game, I was taken to the ER and diagnosed with a broken leg. I traveled back to Seattle for surgery the next day and was told that I would be on crutches for 5 months. Obviously, this shook up my whole life. I ended up basically riding the couch for 5 months while losing 20+ pounds. It was an extremely tough time for both my mental health as well as my physical fitness. It would have been really easy for me to accept that I would never get back to the point where I was before my injury, but I refused to go out like that. Instead, I decided I was going to use this injury as inspiration to come back better than I was and prove to myself that I can overcome this obstacle rather than take one of my joys from me. Here we are, over a year later and I am still not there yet, but I am working toward that every day. Finding my inspiration has added fuel to this fire and is something that pushes me to make it to the gym even on the days that I am dreading it.

Find your inspiration! Use it to overcome the hard days and prove to yourself that you can do it. Now that I have told you my inspiration, I want to hear from you. What inspires you to become more physically fit? Let me know in the comments below!