Tuesday, August 9, 2011

If you didn't have to- would you?

I just spent the past few days in Iowa visiting Phil's family. While we ate tons of food and had a wonderful little get away, it was far from a vacation. We hit every workout we were supposed to including our long ride before our Friday morning flight meaning we were on our bikes at 5 am. Phil's uncle Tom also kicked my ass twice in the pool (once almost to the point where I thought I was going puke) and we did our long run through a running trail that goes through corn fields (I'm not kidding).

During one of the sprint sets in the pool I was thinking to myself "If I didn't need to become a better swimmer, I wouldn't do this. This is not what I call fun."

And that got me to thinking- If I was able to have all the benefits of working out, without actually having to work out, would I do it? The benefits I get from working out are increased energy, I sleep better, I can eat (mostly) whatever I want, and I dont mind the way I look in a bikini. But if I had all of that without having to run or lift a weight...I wouldn't work out. I would hike and ride my bike leisurely. Imagine all the free time I would have!

So I have to ask- if you magically got all of the benefits of working out without any of the work, would you still work out? Be honest.

15 comments:

  1. I wouldn't work out with the same intensity or in the same way, but there are parts of pushing myself that I do enjoy.

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  2. I love the way I feel after a workout and I really enjoy running so I would probably still workout. I probably wouldn't bike as much though

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  3. i would spend all day ALL DAY on a bicycle.

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  4. Its like getting into a first fight with a 5 year old and always winning. There is no challenge there! You wouldn't appreciate anything anymore. There is a new movie coming out, "In Time," that kind of hits upon this regarding living forever and looking beautiful forever without doing any work:

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637688/

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  5. Hmm...If I got EVERYTHING I get out of it now, I probably still would workout, but not in the same way I do now. I'd also be more likely to try new things, because I wouldn't be focused on the next race!

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  6. ...for the love of sport and competition. I don't think I could live an inactive lifestyle. I love seeing how far I can go, how high I can get, how quickly I can get there, and seeing the views on the way.
    I don't do triathlon because I can look good in the mirror - and let's be honest, I DO look good... he's modest too, ladies. I do triathlon because I want to master every sport, I want to find my physical, mental, and emotional limits, enjoy the views, and have the pictures to prove it.
    I think this also gets to the question, if you didn't have to worry about money, what would you do? Me, I'd probably travel the world and try to master almost every sport and activity out there. Skydiving, scuba beyond my current cert, sailing beyond my current cert, piloting, driving, shooting, rock climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking, skiing, water skiing, surfing, etc.
    Working out isn't about looking good... it's about LIVING LIFE and having the scars to prove it! This is why I train for an Ironman, this is why I sail in single digit temps, this is why I have trouble committing to just one thing.
    So much fun, so little time.

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  7. I like swim practices that make me almost puke or actually puke. It reminds me of college. Good times. So I'd be in no matter what.

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  8. I think I would still work out because I like how I feel afterwards. However, if I didn't have to bike I wouldn't. Biking is not my favorite at all and if I didn't have to do it again, I prob. wouldn't miss it.

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  9. I would still work out because it's not just about the physical benefits but the mental ones as well. The increased confidence knowing you just nailed a hard workout or stayed mentally tough during a race - those are positive things that can benefit you in other areas of life.

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  10. I love exercising! I mean, if you also got the benefit of good friends, fresh air, competition, fun times and endorphins I might stop....

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  11. I think it depends on the sport. I'd be happy to leave my bike alone and still have all the benefits of practice. But I do enjoy swimming and running (at least I have recently) so I don't think I'd want to drop those.

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  12. I'd still do it. I love intense training weeks, even when there's no race looming on the horizon. I'd probably think less about how I put it all together though - each workout would be good on it's own v. a key piece of a successful race day.

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  13. I think I would...because if I worked out at a lower intensity than I do now I would get almost all the same benefits. But I love pushing myself to reach that next goal and working out harder.

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  14. I'd still do it. I started running to help me lose weight. Once that was done, I could have kept casually running, there was no need to run a marathon, and definitely no need to take up triathlon! But I love it... so I'd do it. :)

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  15. yes, because if I didn't I wouldn't meet friends like youuuuu

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