A year ago, I would watch with envy as my colleagues
eagerly left their desk at lunchtime to visit the company gym. It was obvious
they enjoyed working out and were disappointed when a meeting or urgent matter
forced them to skip their workout on any given day.
I exercised sometimes, but it was always grudgingly and
almost any excuse was a good excuse to skip a workout. This led to numerous
weeks with only one workout and some weeks without any real exercise. Obviously,
something had to change.
I asked one my colleagues who was a regular runner where
he found his motivation. He asked me to follow him into his office where he
opened up a drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. He handed the paper to me
and I saw that it was a race application for a 5K race that would be run in
about 2 months. He told me that the simple act of filling out the application
provided an extra dose of motivation that would help him get to the gym on days
when he might otherwise work at his desk or go to the cafeteria.
He then pointed to a photo of his two children and wife. He
said that they provided an additional motivation. He wanted to be around to
enjoy them for a long time.
The next day, I found a blank application for the same
race on my desk. I laughed and told him there was no way I could run 3.1 miles
in less than 2 months. He assured me there would be plenty of people there who
walked some or all of the race and encouraged me to just try it.
To make a long story short, I ran (and walked) and
several more since then. I now keep a filled-out application and a family photo
on my desk. Sure, I've missed some of the races and I've missed some workouts,
but the change has been dramatic. My blood sugar (glucose) is much more
controlled and I've lost 10 pounds. Best of all, I don't envy those regular
exercisers any more. I'm one of them.
Glenn B, 43
Short Hills, NJ
132557