On sacrifice and choices

GWC Community GWC Fitness Club
#1

This morning while doing cardio I thought about the collective sacrifices that the alpacas who’ve made changes in their lives have made.

We, and I’m proud to count myself in this group, made the decision to make certain sacrifices to achieve our goals. The goals may not all be the same; for some of us it’s been to make fitness or healthy eating a simple part of their lives, for others it’s been to lose a couple pounds, and for other to strap on their runners and prove to themselves that they could simply achieve their goals.

Whatever the reasons, there were plenty of sacrifices that had to be made. Maybe it’s the taste of that piece of cheesecake, or the freedom of eating without regard to the consequences. Perhaps it’s that extra hour or two of sleep, or that extra hour of Halo or WoW. Sometimes, it’s the decision to spend time at the gym rather than with friends or family.

What can seem daunting, and at times downright scary, is the prospect of having to keep making these sacrifices indefinitely. At times, this has really brought me down. Until I realized something:

It’s easy to look at these decisions as sacrifices. But at the end of they day they are choices we’ve made, and we chose to make them for real reasons.

I’ve chosen to eat well because I feel better and I want to live a long and healthy live with the people I love. I choose to do cardio because I don’t like not being able to run up a flight of stairs. I choose to sit down in front of the PS3 a couple hours later on the weekend so I can hit the gym first because heck, it’s not going anywhere, and I like when I get to workout with my wife on weekends.

The concept of sacrifice focuses on what you have given up. It focuses on loss, and in both western and eastern cultures the literal image of the noble sacrifice epitomizes selfless martyrdom. By leaving that definition behind you can feel empowered, and in the end, I can’t hide from the fact the choices I have made have been largely for myself.

So, I am going to keep making the healthy choices. They’re not the easy choices, but for me, they are the right ones.

Thanks to all the GWCers who have tirelessly supported all of the GWC Fitness club Alpacas as we’ve made our personal choices. You are all an inspiration. Wolverines!

#2

Well said Amberite, WOLVERINES!

#3

This statement is what boils it down for me personally. When people ask me how I achieved my goal they assume I dieted. I laugh as I sip on my tequila and eat my egg sandwich. “No” I respond and add my new catchphrase, “it is just simple math”

Have I made changes to my life? Of course I have. As the noted philosopher Milo Bloom noted in Bloom County the secret to weight loss is, “eat less and work out more.” I would amend that to simply, “it is simple math” You don’t need to work out to lose weight, but it does help your margin of error. For me it boils down to better choices. I drink less now and I eat better. I eat breakfast which I never did which actually increases my caloric intake and have standardized on a salad for lunch. When I work out during the day this means I go home and eat whatever the frak I want with no guilt. If I eat healthy for dinner and don’t drink, guess what: more margin for error for the week. I am now very aware of the choices and their impact to me. If I want a cookie, I eat a freakin’ cookie…I will simply be more aware of what I eat later, and if I worked out, I might eat two.

So, long story short (too late) I totally agree. If you frame your getting fit goals in a sacrifice view you will fail because you are telling yourself you are denying yourself something. Making better choices means longer term better adjustments. Learning about what you are sticking in your cake hole can help you for the rest of your life. You don’t need to deny yourself anything, but a touch of moderation goes a long way.