Week 2- My Motivation for Change

So far I have worked out once this week. My roommate talked me into trying out this workout tape series called "Insanity," which consists of a series of several intensity building workouts meant for cardio and strength training. I have to say doing the first series of this workout was very difficult for me. Within the first three minutes of warm up time I was so out of breath that I had to stop and take a break. I felt like giving up but decided to follow through with the whole workout, I did slower versions of the exercises presented on tape. This happened on Sunday, and today on Wednesday I'm still sore. I have to admit, doing this workout really did show me how out of shape I have become and it is motivating me further to keep up with my exercise goals. I have read that "Insanity" is one of the toughest exercise tape regimens out there so I don't feel too horrible about not being able to keep up.

I do want to talk about why I felt so motivated to make exercising regularly a goal for me this semester. For most of my life I've defined health as not being sick. However, lately I've personally come to believe in a concept of "wholeness." To me this means being mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy. In fact I have learned from some of my grad school courses that the World Health Organization defines health as, "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." This is the definition of health I have adopted as well and refer to in my language as "wholeness." I believe that "wholeness" is one of the keys to not just maintaining good health but to leading a happy and productive life. To me "wholeness" is the next step above health, it is not just about being healthy but living one's life to the maximum potential. Since I've been understanding and learning about more of the concept of "wholeness, " I have committed to eating right and thinking of ways to relax and wind down from stress, and these are goals that I have been able to achieve. I am very motivated to add regular exercise to the formula so I can further reach "wholeness." On that note, I think I'm ready for another workout tonight.