Working Out is Like Going To Church. No, Seriously.

Well hello! Look who finally decided to post! (That would be me, in case you weren't sure).

Have I mentioned how busy I am? And I don't even have that much going on. I used to think "busy" meant "trying to cram too many things into my life all at once". And I used to judge people who said they had busy lives. I remember thinking, "why do you feel the need to be involved in everything everywhere so that you are always running around and never relaxing? Cut something out of your life and be okay with it."

Now, I'm the busy one, and I don't even have that much going on. There's really nothing I can cut out. I work, I workout, I make dinner, I do the dishes, and I shower. This leaves me just enough time to check my email, go on Facebook and read updates (I rarely post my own). And then, if I have a few more minutes, I catch up on my blog reading. After that, bedtime.

So I do have time to go on the internet (almost) every day, just not enough time to write a blog post. Not that I have much to post about, considering that I'm STILL going on about I don't have time for blogging.

Let's move on, shall we? So yesterday was the last day of the 45 Day Paleo Challenge. I did alright, I guess. I cheated a few times, and I know I shouldn't be hard on myself, because when I cheated, I cheated pretty small. But come on. My friend went an ENTIRE YEAR without eating junk food. I think I can go 45 days without cheating.

And I was right. When you cheat once, it becomes so much easier to cheat again. And again. Until you've completely reverted to your old eating habits. And I don't want to go back to the way I was eating before.

So I'm going to challenge myself again. Another 45 days. Or maybe 60 days. Or maybe an entire year. And maybe I'll allow myself to cheat, but only one meal, once a week. The longer I go without cheating, the less I want to cheat, because I lose the cravings for those things I used to eat.

I can't wait to raise our kids on a Paleo diet. They won't ever have trouble eating healthy food because they won't be exposed to processed foods and refined sugars. They WILL eat their vegetables, because I know how to make vegetables taste yummy. And I'm glad I know how to do that, because otherwise? I wouldn't eat my vegetables either. Like I said, eating healthy doesn't have to be bland or gross.

Moving on. I'm really enjoying going to the gym. I didn't think going to the gym and working out could be this enjoyable. I've become used to people saying how hard it is to go to the gym. They talk about how boring it is, or maybe that it's intimidating. Or they don't have a friend to go with them.

I would encourage those people to join a CrossFit gym, if there is one in their area. We work out as a class. Everyone doing the same workout, at the same time. Every workout can be scaled to each person's ability. Every person is working as hard as they possibly can. And there is always a coach there to correct our form, but more importantly, they encourage us to keep going. Every person at the gym is so encouraging, because they know how hard you are working. They are working just as hard. So it's not intimidating at all.

It makes me want to push myself. I'm addicted to being challenged. More accurately, I'm addicted to the feeling that I get when I overcame every challenge. It's exciting. I can see where I'm improving, and it only inspires me to work harder, because I want to improve more!

It's not about showing off. It's not about being the beefiest dude there. It's about becoming more fit and more healthy. The gym is such a positive place. No matter what kind of day I've had, I can go there and workout and connect with the people there, and it makes my day better.

Gosh, the more I think about it, the more I realize it's like church! A community of people who all want to improve and grow. Some have been going for years, some are just starting out. You rejoice with others when you see them taking new steps. You suffer with them and encourage them on when things get tough. You care about what's going on in each other's lives.

You look up to and try to learn from those who are more disciplined. And everyone is completely understanding when someone falls. If someone is hurt, everyone does what they can to make sure that person heals.

Okay, so I didn't mention God. But the gym is far from Godless. The owner is a christian. There are at least 10 people there who also go to the same church we do. There is an ex-marine-turned-pastor who attends the same class I do. And there are plenty of opportunities to be a light.

Wow. I don't know that I intended for this post to go this direction, but I'm glad I finally go to blog again. I finally used my new camera and took some pictures a while ago. So maybe I'll get a chance to post them this weekend. Or at least upload them onto the computer.

Well, I'm off to shower, and then bed. Have a great Friday! (And weekend!)