My Why Letter

I follow a page on facebook called One Fit Widow. I love reading everything posted on that page. I recently unfollowed all of my friends and most of my pages, but I kept following this page. Every morning the founder, a widow herself, posts something inspirational that really resonates with me right now.

About a week and a half ago, I started an 8 week challenge / course that she runs called My1FitLife Jump Start Challenge 5.0.

This challenge covers fitness, nutrition, and motivation/inspiration. I have been doing pretty well with the fitness. I am still working out 5+ times per week. I am actually doing okay with the nutrition too. I am eating many times more vegetables after having discovered bags of frozen organic vegetables from Target that I just pop in the microwave for 4-5 minutes.

Why Letter

Part of my homework from Coach Michelle for the motivation & inspiration section for last week was to write a Why letter. She offered 6 prompts for the Why letter. I thought what a perfect post for my blog!

I didn’t get it completed on time last week. This post feels like a bit of a work in progress, but if I wait for it to feel done, I won’t get it published. I am really challenging the perfectionist in me. So I’ll share what I have so far.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll have more journal prompts and I’ll probably blog in response to those.

Sidebar: Passion Planner

I bought a paper planner last week. It is called the Passion Planner. I started filling it in and realized why I haven’t been blogging much lately. Amazingly enough when I agreed to start working more hours per week this month, I don’t seem to have as much free time. Astonishing how that works.

So I may not be blogging quite as much. But one of my priorities for the next few months is this challenge. So I’m going to try to streamline here a bit and share my journaling responses. You will still get a few glimpses into the day-to-day, but not to the degree of my recent posts.

1. Why do you want to live fit?

I suppose the first thing that comes to mind is for my kids. I am the only parent they have left, so I’d like to be around for them as long as I can. That isn’t entirely in my control, but God gives us what we need and this challenge crossed my path for a reason.

People tell me all of the time that I am so strong. I know they mean well, bu it can get annoying, especially when I don’t feel strong. So I want to feel strong.

I have never had the desire to do a lot of traveling before, but now that I am starting to catch the travel bug, I want to be fit enough to enjoy it. Unfit people don’t tend to travel.

2. Why do you want to change your life for the better?

I have some pretty long-lived genes. One of of my great-grandmothers lived to be 100 years old. 3 of my grandparents are still alive in their 80s. I have a lot of strong and fond memories of my grandparents and want to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can. I am hopeful to be able to spend lots of time with grandkids.

Many grandparents have told me that grandkids are the reward for not disowning your children (or worse) while trying to raise them.

3. What are your secret motivations, inspirations, and the driving force that will keep you going when your fire dims?

I am having a bit of trouble seeing the distinction between this and the responses to my previous two prompts. I think the responses for the previous two responses are probably more cerebral. Perhaps I need to find a more gut level response.

When I lay down for a quick nap before I am scheduled to go to the gym, sometimes I don’t want to get out of bed. What thought gets me out of bed?

When I take my kids to the donut shop and decide not to get one? Why?

Trying to dig really deep, the best I can come up with right now is a fear, which I’m not sure if that is inspiration, but it is pretty good motivation right now. I have been feeling pretty fearless lately, so this is annoying to discern.

In those moments of micro decision time, I most fear becoming depressed and out of control.

I can sense a palpable difference in mood on days that I don’t workout. I can feel a difference in my body when I eat caffeine, sugar, or simple carbs. I have observed how depression robs people of their relationship with God and with other people in their lives.

I like how I feel when I make the healthy and fit choices that improve my physical and mental state.

If we are really digging deep here, I suppose a motivation could be a desire to start dating soon. A large part of me is enjoying discovering who I am and exploring my life goals, but a small part of me hopes that I am journeying toward being the person God intends me to be for a future husband. Time will tell.

4. Who inspires you to be healthy and fit?

My chiropractor. My trainer. Other moms from church that I see at my gym. Really anyone I know has to work out real life and kids to make the healthy and fit choices.

5. Who will benefit from your improved relationship with yourself?

My kids would certainly be the most direct beneficiaries. As I imagine most moms are, I can get a little bit cranky at times:

• When I don’t sleep enough.
• When I don’t eat the write stuff.
• When I skip doing some type of movement. I feel better now even if it is only 20 minutes walking and going up and down stairs at the mall between dropping off the baby and an eye doctor appointment.

6. What can you DO with your life if you live fit?

I am entertaining the idea of some day doing a walking pilgrimage called the El Camino – The Way of St. James in Spain. There are many routes, but to get your certificate of completion, you have to walk at least 100km (~62 miles). That is a big goal.

I have lots of other smaller goals though.

I am developing a list of other trips and pilgrimages.

I can take my kids to the zoo more often.

I can carry them into the house when they fall asleep in the van.

I don’t want to have to tell them so often that I’m too tired to play with them.

Final Thoughts

Maybe it is still the perfectionist in me, but I don’t think my Why letter feels very complete just yet. I think there are probably some things I’m forgetting. But I will add those in when I think of them.