Читать книгу Dai Manuel's Whole Life Fitness Manifesto - Dai Manuel - Страница 36

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discover your personal why

whether there’s another issue in your life that you want to make better, be it a situation in your family, your finances or your faith.

What Motivates Us For Life?

Think about why fitness matters to you. Your primary motivation might be appear-ance, or it may seem that way at first. Do you want to return to the weight you were ten years ago? Do you want to “look good” in a bikini? People have a remarkable number of whys when they start a fitness program.

These goals relate to superficial, top-layer desire, but once you start to peel that back and dig in, you’ll find that there’s a lot more going on. I’m not saying we should reject the desire to look good; just that when we look beneath that layer of motivation, we will always find something deeper.

When I survey the people I have coached, I find that what drives most is the desire to create a more fulfilling life. If they’re considerably overweight, and their clothes don’t fit, they don’t feel confident in themselves. When they feel winded by going up a flight of stairs, they’re not having fun. Mentally, they’re exhausted all of the time, and they want it to stop. For others, such as those who have suffered heart attacks or who have life-threatening illnesses, such as diabetes, the why might be a basic desire to live.

For some of us, that deeper motivation stems from a desire to support a healthy relationship with our romantic partner. Christie and I are strong believers in the say-ing: Couples who sweat together stay together.

In my work, I’ve met a lot of accomplished business executives in their 40s, many who were once football or hockey players, but who are now 23 kg (50 lbs) overweight. Their daily choices over the past decade have taken them a long way from their original lifestyle, usually to a detriment of their fitness. Luckily for them, they often remember how good it felt to be strong and to move freely, without discomfort or pain, so they have both an existing appreciation and a compelling argu-ment for what fitness can provide. Naturally, they want to tap back into that sensation of personal health. For these clients, the sheer pleasure of being active is the why.

Maybe your goal is to achieve better cardiovascular fitness so you can have an active retirement. The reality for many of us is that we can’t travel as much as we’d like while we’re in our

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Couples who sweat together stay together.