It’s Official: I’m a Gym Rat

The road to becoming my fittest, strongest self is a long one. As I was writing the initial draft of this post, the Pittsburgh Marathon was underway. Periodically, I looked out my window to watch people run, jog, and walk the roads.

Training for a marathon is like training for my goal. I think about the discipline, scheduling, persevering through setbacks, celebrating milestones – the everyday ups and downs that culminate to race day.

In my conversations with people who have run multiple marathons and half marathons, they never stop at one. They’re always looking ahead to the next race and how they will improve their time. That is the same mindset I have about becoming my fittest, strongest self. I have an idea of what that looks like. I also know that when I’ve achieved that idea, I’ll want to push myself for even more. To the extent that I’ll be a contestant on Physical: 100? Most likely not that. At least that is not the plan.

I have been on my fitness journey for a little more than one month now. In that time, I discovered for myself what “gym high” feels like. It’s the sense of euphoria after doing at least three sets of 1-12 reps at various weight machines, dumbbells, and kettle bells during a session (notice I’m not self-motivated enough for the step-up block). At various times when I gave running a go, I never lasted longer than a month. Runners I knew always talked about the “runner’s high.” I never got that – which is probably why I never stuck with it.

That “high,” or in scientific terms, “endorphins,” are present for me after doing strength building exercises. I think feeling a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in pushing myself helps to elevate those endorphins even more.

Like Bao Bao pictured with this post (she was about 8 months old), I’m above the base of the trunk. Little by little, I’ll be climbing that tree and celebrating each milestone along the way. (For context, Bao Bao is my favorite giant panda. She was born at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., in August 2023 and returned to China in February 2017. She’s the only panda I got to see grow from a cub to an adult during my time in D.C., which makes her special to me.)

What goals are worth sustaining? How do you stay motivated when challenging yourself to a lifelong goal?

A fuzzy picture of Bao Bao as a cub, February 2014. Like her, I’m slowly climbing my own tree!