By: Jacob Wellock

Coming to the gym is a highlight for most people. It breaks up the everyday grind that a large chunk of us go through, that 9 to 5. But when come to the gym everyday for an extended period of time, the gym might sometimes also feel like that “9 to 5”, which is the last thing that we want. So what can we do to ensure that doesn’t happen? We find purpose.

When most people come to the gym it is usually just to lose some weight, general health, and one of the most popular answers, to look better naked. Honestly, that last one is probably our largest response when someone joins the gym. Now, these are all important, but unless there is an underlying reason on why we have these goals, they usually don’t last very long. There also comes a time when you can’t look much better naked. Anyway…let’s figure it out. Working out as much as you can is very important for your health, but let’s add one step to that. Maybe you want to Clean 300 pounds, maybe you want to run a marathon, or maybe you want to ski with your grandkids on the weekends, whatever it is, you need to look at your exercise with a larger purpose as to avoid that “9 to 5” training.

You have been working your ass off to get that 300 pound Clean…and you did it! Now what? Do you work to get to a 350 pound Clean? Maybe you don’t want to compete in Olympic Weightlifting, so is the time that needs to be dedicated to get the 350 going to be worth it? Or do you allocate that time to work on conditioning so you are not last place on the weekend mountain bike ride with your friends. Which may or may not be me…that’s besides the point. What I am trying to say is that it is completely okay for your goals to change and it is very important to have goals. They don’t need to be lofty world changing goals, but they should be goals that help facilitate a positive change in your life in all things that you do. You can have all the money and power in the world, but if you don’t have your health, do you really have anything?

Your health and wellness should be the base of your pyramid, the foundation to your life. You can’t build a mansion in the sand. Keep training for your health, but make it more meaningful by having specific goals to help keep you accountable and to always keep you slightly out of your comfort zone. Enjoy the process, because that is what makes us who we really are, not the final product.