What Are You Training For?

For a long time, a career in baseball was all I was interested in. It's what I worked for, thought about, went to college for (I'll admit it) and hoped to do for a long time. When the road ended, I was left feeling a bit empty - especially when it came to training. Before, I always had a goal in mind and was constantly trying to become stronger, faster, bigger and more athletic. Once baseball was no longer an option, my drive to workout decreased and I had to reassess what to work for next. Now I train to stay sharp mentally, have a strong/healthy body and to be the epitome of "practice what you preach". As I grow older I'm sure my training will evolve too.

This brings me to my question - what are you training for? In order to find longevity in anything you do (e.g., working out and practicing quality nutrition habits for the sake of this talk) there needs to be deeper reasons than simply, "I should get in shape" or, "I need to lose some weight". Deeper reasons will keep you in the game long enough to actually see those goals take form.

Why do you need to lose that weight? Why do you need to get in shape? Maybe you are trying to set a good example for your kids and keep up with them into your 50's, 60's and beyond. Maybe you're on the borderline of diabetes and you can still fight it off before it's too late by making better choices. Maybe you're sick of joint pain that no amount of Advil will ever fix. Whatever your "why" is, it must be present and it must be strong. Remind yourself over and over, write it down and continue to work in the direction of that goal.

I want you to think long and hard about your "why". Share it with people close to you for accountability and keep track of the progress you're making to get there. Progress can be slow at times but continue to move the needle and one day you might look back and surprise yourself!