I have mentioned in recent posts that I started strong, slacked off some and now I am back in it strong again. At first, getting back in the gym helped restore a bit of my sanity while I was out on maternity leave. But then I went back to work, and the pinched nerve became an issue, and there is always trying to take care of the baby, keep the house up, keep with regular commitments, and so on, to try to juggle with everything.... In the end life became overwhelming very fast and it was easy to lose sight of the goal of being in the gym. I really, really needed some accountability.
I wanted to get to the gym, and finally asked JP to help me make time (accountability action #1). And I started going (accountability action #2), but missed having a workout partner. Before I had JP and another female friend as workout partners. With JP and I switching off taking care of the baby, he's not usually able to come with me. My other old workout partner and I have been working out at different times and places, so trying to catch up was difficult. As a woman who likes to bodybuild, finding another female workout partner who has the same goals and workout schedule is damn near impossible. Finally, my old partner reached out and said she needed a workout partner, so we met one Sunday and worked shoulders together, and I remembered how well we worked together. We made an agreement to try to make it work by having me workout with her at the gym where her and JP work a few times a week (accountability action#3).
Our schedules are such that we have not been able to work out together for the past two weeks, but just knowing I have a workout partner has gotten me back on track. I've been 5 days a week for the past three weeks and eating clean again for the past 2 weeks. And since I am down to 2 days a week at the chiropractor, I have two afternoons a week available to work out with her at Body Tech. As a result, we are getting together to work shoulders today, which I am excited about!
The point of all this is that my experience has been that accountability is essential. First, it helps me go even on those days when I'm feeling exhausted - like I did last night (but I still went and had a killer quad workout). Second, it helps me stay on task when I am there. And third, it always keeps me pushing past where I would go if I didn't have a partner (both because of having someone to push me, but also having someone to spot me!).
I have motivation, I have a vision of what changes I want to see in my body (and the way I view/treat myself), and I love working out. I have all of these things, and more, and I still have to find ways to be accountable. It is what makes it work best for me in the long run, and I have had to find the level of accountibility that works for me.
Which leaves me with a question for you. I don't do this often, but I want to challenge you to find what level of accountability you need for you. This is necessary for all areas of life - whether working out in the gym, staying committed to your faith, finding ways to live a more productive, healthy life - what level of accountability do you have in place to keep you on point? Because, no matter how much you love, what level of motivation, what feeling of desire - there will come a time that, without accountability, you will falter, or burn out, or find an excuse not to. Accountability is not weakness. It is strength. It is part of the solution to the problem - whatever that problem may be. It is understanding that someone can help you, push you, make you better than you can do on your own. So....I'll ask again...what do you do to be accountable?
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