Reasons why we work out and live a healthy lifestyle....

1) It helps to just look good
2) Longer life
3) It really feels better when you are in shape
4) Dont want to be known as "the fat guy"

 

1) I was never athletic, always small and thin through school. I graduated at 5' 6" and a 27 inch waist
2) Kept growing in college, but wasn't doing the cardio anymore now that I wasn't carrying drums
3) got to 5' 9", then went horizontal
4) desk job, fat, fatter, huge
5) Doc said lose weight or die -- after some deliberation I decided to lose weight (it was a close fight on the choices. The males in my family die young anyway, so the initial thought was to keep enjoying my food)
6) Now I'm a recovering fatty. 5' 9", 180-185 depending on the day. Still got a ways to go. Goal is 165 or 31" waist, whichever comes first.

 

wow man, sounds like we were seperated at birth! I had the same dilemma on point 5, decided it was best to die young and healthy than young and fat.

 

I have been a little overweight my whole life. When I was younger I was really into BMX and would ride for hours everyday. I have been interested in other sports over the years such as tennis and snowboarding as well. I am now starting to take tennis seriously, and have realized how much extra work you have to put in when running around carrying those extra pounds. I am trying to lose weight. I think I am in pretty good shape, but I just can never seem to actually lose anything. My gf is really helping me to get better about my diet. She is diabetic so she has to be very careful with hers. I guess it is rubbing off on me.

These days I hate how I feel when I don't get any exercise. I think it is my job, and sitting at a desk all day. I feel tense and need to release my energy when I get home. Nothing feels better to me these days then letting loose on a few tennis balls and running around the courts till my legs feel like rubber.

 

I was tired of cloths not fitting the way I wanted them to. In addition to the looks aspect my family has a lot of heart problems and I wanted to have a better chance so I figured I would start early.

 

+1, especially #4. I was "the fat kid" when I was in grade school. Little kids can be unbelievably cruel at that age, so I was basically miserable up until 8th grade when I started playing football, and it melted right off me. I swore to myself that I would never go back to being "the fat kid" again. I'm 47 now, and so far, so good.

 

INteresting... I was always the jock. So playing sports and such, especially football showed me what it was like to really be in shape. So after highschool i didn't do anything for a year. I mainly blame it on my girlfriend who always wanted to go out to eat. Anyways dumped her ass and started lifting weights. Now i've kind of turned over to just being lean and healthy. I was always told i'm pretty buff, but i'm trying to lean out (More like trying to get my muscles to tone) with a lot of cardio and not too much weights. I'm not in it to gain muscle size. Just strength and keep my body in shape. Btw i hated Mcdonalds, in highschool i could eat that crap almost everyday. But now that i am a little older (early twenties) I can feel the effects. It just makes me feel tired and zombie-like for the rest of the day.

 

A year ago I decided to become the Best Man possible (for me). Why? Because I want to live the best life possible. Included in that was my health, becoming 100% non judgemental, and focusing on my style.

Style? Yes.

We all are living Life, but it's our Style that decides what we do beyond that. How do you want to live your life?

Better said,

I no longer Drink, never smoked, and I follow a very healthy diet. I have since become celibate too. A lot of what I'm trying to accomplish and become right now wouldn't happen if I was still out trying to have dead-end one night stands. I'm 20 years old and I've done more than that on my track-record (numbers wise). Sure it was good, yeah it was fun, but it wasn't GREAT. And I'm not trying to get married, so why have a girlfriend? I want to spend the rest of my 20's focused only on success, and doing what I love. Being creative.


It's simple.. what we do on the outside reflects our inside, and vice versa. What are your values? That cleared up a lot for me.

Sound crazy? I guess I'm just fortunate that I see it so early on in life. After all, I've seen too many people even twice my age still not sure what they are doing, and can't put their finger on the time they've burned through life. We only go through this once, you know..

 

Alright I'll try and illustrate my roller coaster for the past years.

-Highest weight in high school 215lbs
-weight starting college 180lbs
-weight in spring of sophomore year 195lbs
-weight starting junior year 165lbs
-weight at end of junior year 185lbs
-weight now 170lbs

So basically after this year I'm fed up with it and have really tried to change my lifestyle. All my other attempts to get in shape ended up being short term and I never really changed my eating habits which is the biggest part of maintaining weight loss. when I was at 165 I know I didn't have enough muscle on me and was still eating food that was bad for me. This time around I've really focused on changing my lifestyle and making working out an integral part of my day as well as adjusting what I eat so that it's more healthy with still leaving room in there for eating out and junk food that is sometimes hard to escape being in college. I've set some long term goals for triathlons and half marathons that I hope will make it easier for me to stick to my training. The first few miles of every run or bike ride isn't always that fun but the high you get when you finish is amazing and I know I'm not gonna get that feeling being fat on the couch playing xbox.

Simple answers
-feels great
-love seeing positive physical results from working out
-can't expect to get a girl that's in great shape if I'm not

 

I have to agree with you completely Jason, I don't think it's shallow to want a girl that works out and takes care of her body as long as you're not going to be a hypocrite and do nothing about yours. I don't think looks should be the basis for a relationship, but wanting someone who is healthy and shares the same lifestyle outlook as yourself is completely acceptable.

Then again you can always fix the small bride large wife problem by not getting married.

 

I honestly just do it for women. I could care less otherwise. I'm a thin guy, so being unhealthy isn't a problem. Working out makes me look more attractive, and gives me more confidence. The biological instinct to reproduce is a b*tch. Taylor, you are a better man than I.

 

I was always a skinny guy, then had a serious illness in 2001 and lost a lot of weight - down to 112 lbs. I'm about 5'6".

When I recovered and got my physical stability back, I started going to the gym to get back to normal and just kept at it, probably because I scared the **** out of myself looking in the mirror after I got home from the hospital. Now I don't take my body for granted.

 

When I was unfocused at college, I had pizza and beer every night and still managed to spend a lot of time with a girl on the ASU dance team, amongst the random ones. So I think there's more to factor in than just your physique at the time. But getting that handled really is the ultimate benefit to yourself, and it's the attached confidence which follows that wins her over. Everytime.

 

Simple!
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My road to a healthy lifestyle has had its ups and downs...

- Flabby 5'11, 190lbs in high-school. Hated myself. Friends were athletic. I got no girls. They did.
- Lost 30lbs in college. Started getting girls. Weight-loss was due to malnutrition however. Because I was getting girls, I was obsessed with being skinny.
- Reached a scrawny 155lbs. Looked in the mirror. Hated what I saw. Started lifting weights.
- Hit a lean 165lbs last year. Looked good. Felt good.
- Got a job. Stopped lifting. Stopped eating well. Ballooned to 185lbs. Coworker called me fat and I hit the gym that night.
- Currently sitting at 174lbs (roughly 13% bodyfat). My goal is to hit a lean 185 by next year.

Right now, my weights that I'm lifting are at an all time high. It seems like every week I'm setting a new PR (personal record) and the feeling of accomplishment is absolutely amazing. The gym is a very important part of my life and I put it ahead of everything except family and work (friends can wait hehe).

 

+1

Was a skinny guy through my youth, then I started hitting the gym, I feel much better about myself, more confidence, most girls react positively to a guy with a nice body.

 

I appreciate that, but I can't possibly agree. It's really never too late. The difference might just be a few exits away if you decide to jump off the cliff and go for it. Whatever it is. You can change many things about yourself in a years time if you focus on it. I have had the best year of my life so far, all by shifting my thoughts and how I react to things. Attitude is everything.

 

Backpain-being fat even just an extra twenty pounds makes doing things hurt
Sex-this will probably sound lame but its my big factor I like sex my gf likes sex. 30-40lbs ago I was doing alright (managed to please/wear her out) but now its far better I mean the difference for both of us is incredible. Big motivator. Stamina is better, I can do more things and do them with more skill.

And of course its nice not to be the fat guy

 

In high school I ran track and cross country, and was in great shape because of it. Then college came along and with that came beer and partying. Exercising was the last thing on my mind. But as of this year I have started running again and am doing push-ups and sit-ups. I can for the first time in my life to a hundred push-ups without stopping. I hate gyms and try to avoid them like the plague. I've gotten myself down to 180lbs (I'm 5'9"). But I do it because it makes me feel good and of course for the girls. Its always fun flirting with the servers.

 

Life is supposed to be a challange. Being healthy is just one aspect of self expression. Knowing my physiological & physiological limits is just a tool of dealing with lifelong struggles.

If living was simple, there would be no motivation to pursue and endure.

Happy living