A Post I Wanted To Write A Long Time Ago

Okay, so call me superstitious but I was too worried about talking about the health benefits of working out, to actually write about the health benefits of working out. I thought I would immediately get injured during training season, because that's how this works and all. So now that I'm in between training seasons, it's something I wanted to post about.

When I started working out, I received a lot of positive feedback. Many people were complimenting me and saying "good for you." As the working out became something I really enjoyed and became more intense, some-not all people, began questioning me. Here are some examples of comments I felt like I heard regularly:

• Running is so bad for your knees. Are you sure you want to keep doing that?
• I can't believe you are lifting so much weight. You are going to hurt your back
• I'm worried about you running that much tomorrow
• I can't believe you get up so early to work out. You're going to be so tired all the time.
• I've heard running a marathon is really bad for your body.

I didn't have many issues with these things. In fact, the people I'm surrounded by haven't had many issues with these things and some of them have been running or exercising for 20+ years. Sure, there are injuries, and I have seen plenty of those. I even twisted my ankle one season and pushed too hard on it, ending up with more forced rest than I wanted. However, the health benefits I've experienced are far greater than the risk of injury:

• I lost 50 pounds- lowered risk for all kinds of diseases including heart disease and diabetes.
• I no longer have high blood pressure when I go to the doctor's office.
• I just had a biometric screening performed, and I was at low risk in every single category (except BMI.) This screening included cholesterol, blood glucose levels, and several other categories.
• I have had a reduced rate of illnesses and less headaches.
• Guess what? Working out at 5:30 a.m. actually makes me LESS sleepy!
• I am so incredibly less stressed out and overall more positive. 

I've had knee pain before and foot pain and leg soreness and I very well may lose a black toenail I have right now, but being on a regular exercise routine is more rewarding and has more BENEFITS than I could ever have imagined when I started. 

I feel that in some ways our society has some of this backwards. I totally believe in self confidence and positive body image being important. However, when I was 50 pounds heavier and I was not working out at all and eating dinner out or at fast food restaurants regularly, nobody expressed concern for my health. I really try and inspire people to work out because of the difference it has made in my mental and physical health. Sitting on the couch doing nothing was the most detrimental thing I was doing to my own health and wellness. I do try to push myself to the next level in several activities. I like the competition and challenge of doing these things. I follow training guidelines though and try to stay smart about lifting weights, running, stretching, and resting. I think we are hurting ourselves by putting exercise on the back burner. Making exercise a priority can change your life. Maybe that's exactly what makes it's so hard to do. Change is hard and there is always a chance that we will fail or in this case even get hurt, but I don't think that's a reason to hold back from the opportunities that are out there.