My Fitness Journey: When The Going Gets Tough…

This year has been a huge year for me in my fitness journey. I set a goal at the beginning of the year to find and commit to a workout routine and find something that I loved. As you know, I found that. I’ve been attending my local Burn Boot Camp since the end of March and it’s been life changing. I don’t say that to sound dramatic… I say it because it is true.

Before I started going to Burn Boot Camp, I was dealing with a lot of stress, anxiety, body image issues, self-esteem issues, and, well… you name it. Now, I’m not saying those things are completely gone (they’re not) and that I don’t struggle anymore (I do), but I am saying that the way I feel about myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually has completely changed. My husband, my kids, and my close friends all have seen the change in me (and not JUST the physical changes), thanks to my fitness journey.

I am at the point now where I, quite literally, feel sad and BLAH if I can’t go to Boot Camp. I go nearly 5-6 days a week and that is NOT LIKE ME AT ALL. After I leave camp (even the ones where I kinda feel like I’m dying because the workout is so tough), I feel AWESOME. I feel strong, I feel confident, and I feel like I can take over the world with my fitness journey. Even if I do have to sit down for a good 15-20 minutes after because I can’t move.

But, I hold on to that feeling. I bottle that feeling. For the moments and the times when the going gets tough and when I feel tired or feeling like I’m hitting a plateau and I feel like giving up… I remember that feeling.

The other day I knew that the only camp I could reasonably get to was the 5:30am camp. Now, for some people that’s normal… for me, going to a 5:30am camp is WORK. It is SO HARD for me. I am not a morning person and getting out of bed at that hour is more difficult than the workout itself. My alarm went off and I started coming up with EVERY reason in the book why I couldn’t go to camp. My husband turned to me and said, “Go. You will feel better if you do. Just go. You know you will regret not going.” And he was exactly right. I groggily got up, got dressed, and headed to camp. When I walked in, it felt like I was right where I needed to be. The cheers from other camps as we encourage each other, the intensity of the workout, and just the whole experience is so worth it. That feeling is what I remember when I am feeling like I can’t do it and want to quit my fitness journey. 

I’m nowhere near where I want to be. There’s still SO MUCH left for me to do with my nutrition and just overall fitness goals… but Rome wasn’t built in a day. I didn’t get out of shape over night and I didn’t develop bad habits over night… so they aren’t going to be fixed over night. This is a lifestyle and a process and a journey, a fitness journey. I want this to be sustainable and not a “fad” or a “trend” or a “quick fix diet or exercise plan” – that stuff doesn’t last. I want this to be what my life overall looks like… slow and steady. Knowing that slow growth, slow change, and slow improvements means big things ahead.

I guess maybe that’s why that cliche “When the going gets tough, the tough keep going…” exists?

A LOT of you have asked about starting your very own fitness journey and how to check out Burn Boot Camp (You know, since I talk about it alllllll the time!) My local Burn Boot Camp here in south Durham is still running a 30 Days for $30 promotion which you can sign up for here. At ANY Burn Boot Camp location you can attend a Saturday morning camp for free and all locations also have a 14-day test drive where you can attend for free for 14 days. Many Burn locations also run Groupon deals, so you should check those out, too!

Now what about you? What do you do when the going gets tough? Where are you in your fitness journey?