I enjoy working out – most of the time. There are definitely days that I wish I didn’t have to see the inside of a gym, but in general I enjoy working out.

On those days that I just don’t want to workout, I remind myself of how good I’ll feel when I’m done. I remind myself that I not only workout because I love working out in and of itself BUT also because working out helps keeps me healthy so I can live life to the fullest!

Working out keeps you in shape so you can live life without injury. So you can play with your kids; so you can go skiing; so you can shovel snow; so you can move boxes and furniture (not fun but sometimes necessary).

On Saturday, when Ryan and I moved to a new apartment (in the same building but two floors lower), I realized just how lucky we were that both of us were in shape. Moving futons, mattresses, bureaus and huge tv stands isn’t easy – actually I’d say its impossible if you don’t lift heavy things on a regular basis.

A friend of mine actually echoed this thought. He offered to help us move. I turned down his offer because we were so disorganized (we didn’t pack anything up since we were only moving down two floors…really, really stupid…). When I said ‘no thanks’ he gave me a look like ‘really?’. Then he said, “Oh…well Ryan has you and you are probably as strong as he is! If it was just Nicky and me, I would have to move everything!”

Nicky almost never works out and when someone is skinny, you brush off the fact that he/she never works out because he/she maintains a healthy weight. But there are times, like when you move, that you realize just how important working out is! I mean moving is a part of life.

Yes, you can hire movers for big moves, but I’m not even talking about big moves (and that can be way more expensive than moving yourself!). Think about how many times you run into an instant where you have to move a heavy box – like if a big package is dropped off on your doorstep by the mailperson and you have to move it inside.

I actually ran into this problem when the Bowflex dumbbells I ordered for Ryan were dropped off. I had to open the box and move the dumbbells separately up the three flights of stairs. That situation definitely made me wish I was stronger!

The idea that I couldn’t do an activity that occurs in everyday life is enough to motivate me to keep working out. Is it enough to motivate you?