Working Out For A Purpose

There is the obvious reason we work out- to lose weight, right?

But other reasons might be to de-stress, get stronger, or just wanting to fit better in our clothes.

All of these are great reasons but underneath this all there has to be some driving force that must get us out of bed, off the couch and off our behinds. At the very core of us, what ultimately keeps us alive?

Our hearts.

Whether we know it or not, we bring this deeper core of meaning into everything we do and it all comes from that place in us. We long to nurture our physical, emotional and spiritual health, so that we can live and be the very best we were made to be.

An integrative physician, Tieraona Low Dog, MD, of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said in an article in Delicious Living, “When you make health the goal rather than viewing it as a resource, it’s easy to get stressed out, rigid, and narrow-minded. Health is what helps you live the life you want -- it’s a resource, not a destination.”

She is referring to the negative stress we bring to the act itself: working out.

Say you are exercising to get thinner. We beat ourselves up every day we are not thin enough (and let’s not even mention the pressure the media on us to be thin!) but in the process we are actually wearing ourselves down and letting it affect our mood. Who likes cranky people? I don’t.

Looking back on the resource-not-destination thought, let’s take it to the next level. If you are a believer that we are here for a purpose, and why wouldn’t we be? Then what better way to take care of our family, friends, community, jobs, so on and so forth than having the resource of our good health and wellness as the main ingredient of our drive to fulfill our purpose?

Those are some questions to ponder, indeed.

How we live in this world matters. Our attitudes towards our workouts is just one aspect of how we are in our lives that will pour over into all other aspects of our lives.

I am not talking about becoming Mother Theresa here but I am talking about the small things we do every day that will ultimately make a difference. If you think about it, our actions have the power to make the world a better or worse place. Look at how we treat people, for example.

Did you smile at the barista when you got your coffee this morning? Or were your thoughts fixated on the stresses that the day already held for you as you mindlessly paid for your drink and turned and walked away?

Remember the ripple effect. The energy we bring to our life affects those around us, and ripples outward. You know what I mean-- those people who make you feel awesome by just being around them. (...or vice-versa, those Debbie downers!)

When we are healthy and well nourished, we are much more likely to have that same positive energy to spread around.

That’s what our purpose is. And in the end, it should be the reason we work out.

So next time you are huffing and puffing away on that treadmill or hitting the pavement-- remember your purpose and let the updraft of that energy carry you through.