Commitment, Purpose & Balance

Posted on by Lovie Price

Today was leg day..again..lately i feel like everyday is Groundhog’s Day!..lol

Goal Groundhog Day | Rick Manelius

Since i am back in training again, my life sometimes feels that way- eat, sleep, lift, work, repeat. Even the eating can become more of a chore than pleasure as i struggle to get the amount of protein i need in a day ( 125-195g for my body weight). And in a few months i begin intermittent fasting, which will leave me less time to get it all in.

I have been through this before. For 20 years solid, i was regimented into a routine- it became a habit, and a way of life for me. I didn’t even have to think about it. But slacking off for 10 whole years and restarting is…frustrating.I know what i have to do. I know the process. Yet i get impatient for results.

Today got me thinking about what drives me. At first, answer seems easy- i love lifting. But beyond that i know there’s more to it. To reach my goals, i need commitment , purpose and balance. What exactly does that mean?Let’s look at those things individually:

  1. Commitment:

(Cambridge Dictionary was the best definition i found for these)-

a. a promise or firm decision to do something

b. willingness to give your time and energy to a job, activity or something that you believe in

c.something that you must do or deal with that takes your time

As i was talking to my roommate today ( as we do) i was once again going over my daily plan and the process involved in accomplishing what i want to do. I am sure she gets sick of hearing it..lol..but this too is part of my process- verbalizing it out loud holds you accountable. Any way, she says to me “Damn, i could not live my life that way. I like to do things when i want to. ” And , to be fair, she has worked very hard to become an independent entrepreneur. She makes her own hours and her efforts= her income. My response was simple ” For me, i have to treat this like a job or i won’t get where i want to be.” We are two very different ( but complimentary) individuals.I need structure, routine and a schedule to adhere to.This applies in all aspects of my life.I need a regular job where i know i must punch in/ punch out on certain days at certain times. I need a daily list to keep myself in check, along with monthly calendar and written goal plan . I can be very rigid, but this is what works for me. And it fits in nicely with the bodybuilding stuff. I go to the gym on certain days .I buy and prepare my foods a week ahead to assure that i will meet my body’s needs for muscle growth.I (mentally) prepare a plan for increasing my weights, reps and sets each week.

2 1/2 months..3 lbs muscle gained.

2. Purpose:

a. why you do something or why it exists

b. determination or feeling of having a reason for what you do

c. to have a use

When i first began lifting again back in March i started out going 1-2 days a week. Then went up to 3 , and didn’t commit to 4 days until after vacation in June. Those 1st few months i was doing an all over work out each time, just to get my bearings. I needed to relearn the exercises, the machines and free weight routines for each body part as well as start training my body to respond to my brain. With 4 days a week , i split up my body parts. I don’t do chest ,so it’s been legs, back & shoulders, recovery day, legs again , then arms since mid June. My next step(s) have been refining my meal plan and adding a 5th day for just cardio each week. By the end of September i will split legs into one day for glutes/ hamstrings and the other for quads & calves.

When i think about it all sometimes it becomes exhausting. I have often had to stop and ask myself “Why?Why are you even doing all this? It’s not like anyone even cares.” But the thing is I care. But most importantly what is my purpose? Is it to win someones adoration? No. Is it to look better ? ( a little, but not the biggest reason) Is it for over all health? yes. But the BIGGEST reason, my purpose is to feel GOOD about myself. This is my purpose.It is my own -and no one else controls that. Last week, for the first time in years, as i was trying on clothes at the Salvation Army store, i felt i looked better with my clothes OFF than ON.

3. Balance:

a. a state where things are of equal weight or force

b.to give several things equal amount of time or importance so that a situation is successful

c.to put two opposing forces into a position in which neither controls the other.

This is a tough one- for me and many others. How do you balance it all- family, relationships, health, finances? It can be so overwhelming at times life that life can get really out of balance. When this happens , we wind up feeling miserable, frustrated, exhausted and overwhelmed. We get resentful and often resort to bad behaviors for comfort( drinking, eating poorly, sleeping too much, etc). And soon, the symptoms become physical ( increased pain, headaches, gut issues, etc). This is where a written schedule, written meal plan and daily lists come in for me. Not everyone needs this. Some people are able to stay balanced by using their intuition- resting when their mind or body tells them to, having a spontaneous night out, treating themselves to a small purchase or a comfort meal. If i attempted to maintain that method ( and i have a few times) i would spiral down so quickly, i would be found in an ice cream and cookie coma , lying in my bed with Netflix on a loop before very long! You have to know where you fall on the line between success and failure and how you personally balance your own life for optimal results.

I struggle with the last one here the most because i tend to forget my other obligations/needs when i have a dominant focus. I must constantly remind myself that i need to fit in other things in order to maintain a balance. I am not a robot or automaton. I need to find time for family, friends, my partner, my art, and self care/downtime ( along with many other responsibilities.)So while my nature is to wash , rinse repeat- i must consider time to fold, iron and put away all of the things that make me a “nicely dressed” person. It isn’t easy. The scale is always in danger of tipping.

So, how do you do your life?I am always interested in other perspectives. Let me know in the comments below and, as always…

Namaste!

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19 thoughts on “Commitment, Purpose & Balance”

  2. “Ikigai (生き甲斐, ‘a reason for being’) is a Japanese concept referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose, a reason for living.” I understand completely, I’m farming, I’m building stone work with mortar, yet a lot of the drive behind the work is that sense of, this is right for me, it’s what I can do as an individual to be myself and work towards the life I want. It’s hard to justify why you are doing what you want to do instead of spending time with family and loved ones, but as much as human connection is important, this kind of connection is like from you to your own soul and equally important. It’s like once all the “have tos” are done, what makes life worth living? You have to have something to be “really” well. 🛷

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  4. As for my own commitment and balance, I go with the flow. I was obsessed with running and training for an ultra and ended up injured. I now listen to my body and go with the flow, I run when I want to and cycle when I don’t. If I feel tired I listen to my body and rest instead now. I eat when I am hungry but try to eat healthier foods. This has kept my weight and fitness goals in line with life. I ran 16k Friday and had park run Saturday. Rested instead as my body said nope! So in a nutshell, I moderate and don’t have long term goals other than to stay a healthy human being. I won’t be the strongest or fastest but I will be fit and contented!

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    1. thats awesome..many times i have wished i could be more like this. My roommate is definitely more intuitive like that. I acnnot even imagine her being as scheduled and rigid as i am – she would be miserable! LOL…We all function differently..and that great..as long as we are functioning and not drowning!! haha!

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  5. First you look awesome and are an inspiration! I am def a list person although as of now I haven’t done that with working out. Maybe it’s because I’m in the beginning stages of working out and still in that process of making it a routine I look forward to. So far, I am enjoying it! I am learning I really need this feeling for my balance. I’m feeling better about myself which is reflecting onto others. I plan to keep upping my workout goals as I go along. I think when I get solid in a routine I may do what you do and do body parts on different work out days. Right now I do just an overall weight system for my entire body. Anyway, I def think this is making me a better human for my family so plan on sticking with it!

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    1. yes, yes, yes! stay loose as long as you can so that the enjoyment of it really becomes cemented . Honestly i do not carry a notebook to the gym like i see so many do. I find this to be a distraction and a hindrance. And i never overthink my workout . I have somewhat of a good memory when it comes to my weight on various exercises and can almost always remember from week to week about where i left off and asort of know when i can start adding weight.With muscle memory, the decades i spent doing them have become 2nd nature and i know instinctively when i can safely proceed. Mostly i just concentrate on form and doing slow steady reps. Theres so much variation possible i never get bored , and always change things up, even on the same exercise. But yeah, the first few months, just go with the flow- your brain body connection is forming and you cant rush that…so happy you are enjoying your workouts!

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  6. You’ve worked so so hard and it definitely shows. Looking great, definitely pumps me up! When I started my Going for it 52 week challenge I had 4 goals and at the time I could have checked off the boxes using the 3 criteria you listed, but now I’m basically down to 2 of those goals. The other 2 I discovered I wasn’t actually committed to do weekly. I thought I was in the beginning but as I tracked I discovered I wasn’t so much. So for me I discovered time/re-evaluating definitely came into play. The whole balancing act is also very interesting. I do believe there’s just some things we need to do because that makes us…us. To compromise that gets us all helter shelter. Some get it. Some don’t. Keep doing you! Great post, Lovie😊

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      1. how inspiring!! there are a few similar women at my gym..must be in their 70’s or maybe older- they really get up and go..it’s amazing what the body can do if we put our minds to it!

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    2. yup yup..ias i posted before we can “over do” the goal thing and some of us excel at taking on too many at once.. I am definitely with you on that. The 2( minor goals) i had to cross off were giving up caffeine and drinking 8 glasses of water a day. I love water, for sure, but i really cannot deal with the # of times i have to go to the bathroom..lol..it’s just way too inconvenient. i usually only fit in about 4-6 glasses. Maybe someday i will figure out a solution( diapers?lol)..anyway , so glad to read your posts and see your growth and success..always inspiring!!

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