A Lesson in Motivation

Go back in time with me if you will.......June 2010, I'm sitting on my couch (a lot), falling asleep in the middle of the day (a lot), feeling gross, flabby, exhausted and generally apathetic about my appearance and life itself.

Now, I've always been active.  I've got 3 full marathons under my belt, have done several triathlons, participated in indoor rock climbing and group exercise classes, but for some reason, it all came to a screeching halt last year.  Yep, I got into a rut and "let myself go" a bit.  Funny thing is, apathy like that is a vicious cycle.  The more you don't care, the more you don't care.  So there I was, literally becoming part of my couch (muffin top growing by the day), when I saw the late night Beachbody infomercial for the workout series "INSANITY".  It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before and thought it seemed like something I'd enjoy.  I am not a "dainty" exerciser by any means - love me some hardcore cardio and bring on the sweat - the worse I look after a workout, the better!  The trick was, trying to convince my hubby that spending $120 on a set of DVDs was a wise investment.  I suggested not renewing our $100 a year (each) gym memberships (which were up for renewal and hardly being used anyway), he took the bait and we never looked back!  INSANITY is put out by the company Beachbody.  It's is the same company that puts out P90X (which if you haven't heard of by now, you must be living under a rock), Turbo Jam, Slim in 6, and other awesome workout DVDs.  Let me tell you, the $120 was the BEST money we have spent and it changed our lives forever!!!! INSANITY is designed to get you in the best shape of your life in 60 days. It is extremely DIFFICULT, you sweat your cottage cheesy tush (and muffin top) off, and the benefits are amazing!! We both lost weight - he about 13 pounds and myself about 11 (so far) - plus we both have completely toned up, added muscle and significantly lowered our total cholesterol levels. I am about half way to my ultimate goal of another 10-15 pounds lost and my husband only has a couple more pounds to his goal.

So, where does my motivation come from?  What got me up from that apathetic place on my couch, to push myself beyond what I ever thought was possible and sweating like never before?  Well, I gotta say, the shirtless, solidly muscled trainer (Shaun T - who I LOVE) in the DVDs certainly doesn't hurt - hee hee.  But truly, motivation for me comes from a whole bunch of places.  I turned 40 in September and that was HUGE motivation for me.  With Type 2 Diabetes running in my side of the family and heart disease lurking in my husband's side, and obesity on both, I did not want to end up aging with medical issues on top of it!  Looking at photos of my parents and in-laws when they were 40 is an eye opener.  Is it just me or did everyone look 60 at the age of 30 back then?  So call me vain, but I want to be a hot mama at 40 and beyond.  I want to look good in a pair of skinny jeans tucked into boots.  I want my loved ones to be proud of me and I want to be proud and comfortable with my appearance as well.  My Beachbody business is also a HUGE motivator for me.  If I'm not continuing to be a "product of the product", than I am a fraud.  Simple as that.  I continue to try and live by example and practice what I preach. 

So for me, motivation is NOT just the intention to do something, or saying you're ready, or planning it all out, or even clicking "Yes I'm ready to take the INSANITY challenge" as I did back in June.  Motivation is this........you've run out of excuses and have nowhere else to go.  What motivates you?