Friday, November 16, 2012

What Motivates Me... Yes, it is Vanity

Would any of you be surprised to learn that VANITY is my main motivator... and HEALTH is the second.?

Now I am wondering what motivates you to to keep working out?  What was your 'aha moment'  to kick you into getting your butt into a better place?

I was a chubby kid, active enough, but never the first one to get picked for the softball team, if you get my meaning. I loved to be outside playing ball or tag, skating in the winter, splashing around the pool in the summer.  But I had no skills; I was not very coordinated, and definitely not athletic. I was the bookworm, the SMART one, and I was okay with that.  Outwardly at least... very confident in my mental and verbal abilities with no confidence at all in my body or my physical abilities.

Fast forward a few decades and I found myself in the same place.  I recall seeing pictures of myself after family outings and was quite disgusted!

I read a book about JOGGING (jimminy how I hate that word!) and started doing rounds of the nearby schoolyard with our dog.  She loved it.  I hacked and coughed, still a smoker, but stayed with it. I  joined Weight Watchers, and over the next several years I lost and regained some weight... I turned our basement into a home gym and had a library of workout video tapes and really worked hard at learning what I could to whip myself into decent shape.

I joined the multitudes of the 'low fat' brainwashed.... and dieted with Scarsdale, Atkins, Susan Powter, and Dr Pritikin.  When I think back now of what I put my body through, I am amazed that I have survived it all!  But I grew some pretty awesome arms and shoulders and my butt almost disappeared.

So, here I am, all this time later, at a relatively low body weight and body mass and low body fat ratio for my height, and finding myself still not quite content.  I am about as thin as I have ever been.  But I need some mass. MUSCLE MASS.  And I am working hard to get it.

I keep reading, and I keep learning.

I recently read in Abs For Women, that during cardio exercise our bodies burn lots of calories while we are doing it, but not many extra after we stop, while resistance/strength training doesn't make us burn a whole lot while we are doing it, but it causes us to KEEP burning calories afterward to repair the muscles that we challenged during the workout.  The 'after-burn' it is called.  It has given me a whole new respect for strength training.

I also have learned that I need time between my hard workouts to let my muscles repair and that is when they grow and get stronger.  Aha, rest is good.

I have also learned that while losing weight we not only lose fat, we lose also lose muscle.  And we lose muscle as we age.  I need to build muscle. 



That is my new mantra. I NEED TO BUILD MUSCLE.... and guess what? I find that I LOVE TO BUILD MUSCLE.  I really enjoy my workouts.  And I love the way I feel when my muscles are working hard and getting fatigued.  And I love the way they feel weak like jelly when I am done and I love stretching them after I am done.  Stretching feels so good.

Cripes, I wish I had discovered this joy this a hundred years ago!  But better now than never.

I have been working my shoulders, back and arms HARD consistently for the past few weeks.  And I am seeing really startling results.  Happy, happy results.  The looseness in the skin on my biceps is disappearing with growing muscle and my triceps are firm and strong and my delts and shoulder caps are looking pretty good to me.  I almost have the arms I did when I was 25 and I am so excited about it.

And my core is not only getting and feeling stronger, it is LOOKING sleeker and stronger.

So if you ask me what is my motivation, I am definitely on the VANITY bandwagon.

I see pictures of people like Ernestine Shepherd, at age 77, who is a world class body builder....





and Tosca Reno at 53 still on stage competing...





And I have to admit, I am in awe!

And they inspire me to work a bit harder and to eat a bit cleaner, to see if I can't get a bit better myself.  I love the ideas of getting better and stronger with age!

At the Weight Watchers meeting, we talked about whether or not writing down our goals would help us reach them.  The leader encouraged us to make lists and to update them regularly as we are inspired by new motivations and seek new goals.

And we also talked about keeping these lists as a way of tracking our own journey - to help us move forward as we look back on our successes. 

I think over the weekend I am going to work on a new Pinterest Board... all about my body/fitness goals and motivators.

What motivates you? 

Do you write down your goals?  Or keep a Vision Board? 

If you have a Fitness Board on Pinterest, I would love to follow it.


35 comments:

  1. I think vanity and enjoyment come joint first - if I don't enjoy a type of exercise then I can't stick with it. I'm not half as devoted as you though - you're doing fantastically!

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    1. Thank you. I agree. We all need to find things we enjoy doing and not think of it as punishment, but as a gift to ourselves.

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  2. Fitness is such a journey and yes, I've had those aha moments...most recently when I did not like the way I looked in my MCM photos. I guess that makes vanity my motivator too. Ha!

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    1. I think you always look great! But I agree, we have to be happy with ourselves. A journey, for sure!

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  3. great post! i recently started strength training again.. i took a break because i was training for races and couldn't fit it all in.. i forgot how much i like lifting weights!

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    1. Thanks very much. I found that I had no energy or time for lifting weights when I was training for a half marathon last Winter and Spring. Just couldn't do it ALL!

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  4. I do feel better when I work out, so that keeps me going. However, I too am mainly motivated by aesthetics. #sorryimnotsorry haha

    By the way, you can find me on Pinterest here http://pinterest.com/lovesweatbeers/ I have a fit board. :)

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    1. I love that hashtag of yours! And thanks for the Pinterest link... I am following you there now.

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  5. Elle! I LOVE this post! You are such a motivator! I can only hope that I look like Ernestine when I am 77!

    I'm on pinterest! You can follow my fitness board! http://pinterest.com/siobhanmccarthy/

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    1. Thanks... I KNOW! Isn't she amazing? Thanks for the Pinterest link. I am following you there now, too.

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  6. Elle, I've been thinking a lot about motivation lately too, and come to the conclusion that motivation and inspiration are not the same thing. I'm inspired by other people's successes and physiques, but motivated only by how I feel when I'm doing something good for MYSELF!

    Coincidentally, Monday's blog post is all about this revelation!

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    1. Interesting point. I have been googling MOTIVATION vs INSPIRATION since you left this comment earlier and there are so many different and conflicting opinions and definitions. And some even think they are the same thing. I will look forward to reading your post about it.

      Inspiration or motivation - whatever sparks the desire or the drive.... I have it right now anway!

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  7. I like to do several short goals. Some daily/weekly/monthly. Definitely helps to keep me motivated.

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    1. I like short-term goals too. Anything that spells S U C C E S S keeps me on the forward track. It is good to feel like we have achieved something, doesn't it?

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  8. Those ladies are so amazing! I love it! Your post is so important. SO many women don't understand how important strength training is especially as we age. I have been trying to do more of it too:)

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    1. They ARE amazing, aren't they? I know there are others.

      We do need to keep building muscle and also stay flexible as we age. Functional fitness is very important. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.


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  9. I think a lot of us are motivated by vanity. We all want to look good. It's definitely important for me to feel good on the inside as well.

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    1. I agree with you completely! Thanks for being so candid.

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  10. You cracked me up Elle! Looking good is such a powerful motivator, for sure! You are skewing the stats about women and strenght training. Way to go and so inspirational. Is the Captain in awe? Also, can I enter your shoe giveaway contest more than once?

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    1. In a good way, I hope! Nah, he is not in awe. But he does cheer on my efforts!

      Sure, keep Tweeting about the shoe giveaway for more entries.

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  11. I'm definitely motivated by vanity In a large way as well. It's sad but true. You're not alone. :)

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    1. Thanks for your honesty, Kammie. It seems to be the most commmon theme and I am not sad about it one bit! ha

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  12. I am motivated similarly - a notice of a curve in my arm muscles that weren't there before or muscles hat are just bigger during a workout. Pretty good motivation for me. I've never wanted to be a body builder but I want to look like I have shape & curve. Of course, looking healthy is a big one for me! You are doing great! So dedicated.

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    1. Laurie, how nice. Thank you! I agree, I am never going to be a body builder either but love shapely muscle curves.

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  13. Vanity is so huge! and economics.. I don't want to have to buy bigger clothes, and stress relief. but yes I am so motivated by vanity, but I say whatever it takes! Glad you are loving the muscle building. I am such a huge fan of that too, love that burn and how good it just feels :)

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  14. Well anyone could point to you as a very positive role mode for beautiful muscle tone! Your arms and shoulders especially stick out in my mind as definitely envy-worthy! Honestly, Christy, I admire your dedication and work ethic.

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  15. I hear you! I am with you on the vanity bandwagon! Great topic!

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    1. Thanks for letting me know I am not alone here!

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  16. I hear you! I am definitely on the vanity bandwagon too! Great topic!

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  17. I am totally motivated by vanity. I like being popular and complimented. I like that I can basically kick my students' butts (and they are 20 - it's a university). I'm also motivated by my long term goal to stay healthy and fully functioning until the day I pop off. That will be in about 46 years. And on Pinterest I'm AlexandraFunFit, but I think we already follow each other.

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    1. I think we do too, but I will double check on that.

      I hope to be moving till it's time for me to go too, and I also think that movement and physical challenges are good for my mental performance.

      I bet your students are always working toward your fitness level.

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  18. Totally agree!! Yeah, I want to feel good. Want to see my grand kids. etc... BUT I really do want to look good!!!

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  19. i applaud your honesty!!! heck yes some days the only reason I run is because I ate too many cookies :) but i do also really love it...now the only reason I do core work is vanity!

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  20. I love how you always make me think and yep, I have to admit, there is some vanity in what I do. I love to run for stress relief and to feel centered in life, but I do love how it makes me look especially when I am dedicated enough to toss in core work. And there is a part of me that wants to protect my daughter from those awful teenage years when I felt insecure in my body and that my legs and hips were too rounded. :0

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  21. This is a great post. Thanks for sharing how you feel about this. I feel like anyone who says vanity isn't a motivator is lying to themselves and to everyone else. We all want to feel good about how we look!

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