Why I Exercise.
I saw an item in the Fitness section of Healthline (a health information website) titled, “Why I Exercise: Real People Weigh In on What Keeps Them Going”. I expected to find answers from, you know, real people but instead it was a bunch of fitness coaches and the like. I’m not saying that fitness coaches aren’t real people but I was rather looking forward to reading what someone like me would say. Someone who’s chosen to make exercise a part of an already busy life. Okay, so maybe I’m not as busy as some but I do have struggles and despite them, I keep exercising.
As a real person, I’ve decided to answer the questions myself so, here goes:
Name: Jasmine Minty
Age: 54
Location: Trinidad & Tobago
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Job: Freelance Writer
What’s Your Reason For Exercise?
I exercise because I see it as the means to better health; not just physically, but mentally as well. I’ve exercised off and on for years but made a conscious effort to create a schedule and stick to it when life dealt me a few hard blows. I had reasoned that the only way to recover was through exercise. It was difficult at first; even painful, but I was determined to improve myself, physically and mentally.
How Do You Make the Time?
The pandemic forced me to exercise at home. I prefer the gym but with everywhere in lockdown, and me not wanting to reverse the little gains I’d made in the months before, I turned to YouTube. I exercised in the morning after coffee (about 9:00 a.m. or so) and got on with my day. When I returned to work I tried to work out at 4:00 a.m. but that was extremely difficult to keep up. I eventually settled on exercising as soon I got home from work and that proved to be the ideal time. I didn’t always have the energy after work but I still made the effort to do something.
Where Do You Get the Inspiration?
Small gains inspire me. When I first started, the scale didn’t budge but one day I realised that I was able to lift and move things about the house that were too heavy for me before. I was elated! I kept going. Now, my joint inflammation from psoriatic arthritis has receded and I no longer have difficulty climbing stairs or lifting things and that’s what keeps me going.
What Would You Say to Motivate Others?
Hmmm…
I came across a quote that basically said, 100% is far easier than 98% This only made sense to me when I was able to recognise the moments in life where I gave 100% and succeeded. I keep saying it to others because to me, you really have to want to include exercise in your life. If you’re going into this half-assed, then prepare to be disappointed by the result. In the past, I was not one hundred percent in and quickly gave up which led to a downward spiral of over-eating and negative self-talk. Then, I woke up one day and decided that I had enough of that and found a way to make a change (it wasn’t so simple but for the sake of brevity, let’s stick with that line). I was so determined that I had an answer for every doubtful question that entered my thoughts. I had a solution for every problem I encountered. This time, I was not giving up.
I don’t know if my answers would motivate others as I do believe that inspiration has to come from within. However, when anyone asks how I keep going, I will always say, you have to be all-in. That’s it.
Would love to see your comments on this.
