When Desire Becomes Commitment

Daily Fit Tips

Beachbody says it in three words. Decide. Commit. Succeed. I often substitute the word decide with the word desire. I think this is because I’ve decided many things in my life, but I haven’t followed through. I think about how desire turns to commitment and ultimately success.

I’ve been thinking about different events in my life this week and what happened when desire turned into commitment. Like many 18 year olds leaving home for college, I felt stranded without the family car that had taken me through my high school days. I decided that I would get my own car. Not a big deal, right?

I was working three part-time jobs and getting the hang of my full-time “job” as a freshman. My aunt had a Datson 210B that she wanted to sell for $2500. Perfect! What a steal! Without much research beyond my emotion, I applied for a used car loan and bought the car. Yippeee! (By the way, when would I have time to drive a car?)

The car stayed parked on the street for a few months after I bought it. I continued to make my car and insurance payments, but I didn’t drive the car. There was nothing wrong with the car mechanically. I could’ve found time in my schedule if I really wanted to drive it, but there it was…parked.

Why wasn’t I driving my new slightly used car? Well, it was a stick shift! I had no idea how to drive it and neither did any of my 18 year old friends! I had the desire for a car because I wanted to drive it, but I didn’t have enough desire initially for it to turn into commitment to learn how to drive it.

Then came the magical day when the sun was shining on a beautiful weekend. I was stranded in my college town and wanted to visit my boyfriend who lived an hour away. I looked at that car. I got over my fear of shifting and got behind the wheel. I learned how to drive a manual transmission that day because my desire was strong enought to turn into a commitment that flourished into success.

My workout programs weren’t much different. I’d have the desire to be healthy and fit. I’d want to have muscle definition and maintain a healthy body weight. I’d sign up for gym memberships, buy all sorts of home gym equipment, and even try to get out an walk on the local trails. I just couldn’t seem to stay consistent with anything that I tried.

I was flipping through the channels one night and saw what I thought was an amazing, challenging workout program. It was the Beachbody superstar, Tony Horton, working out with something called P90X. I thought about this program for a couple of weeks and watched the infomercials every time I saw them in the t.v. guide. I did some research on the computer. I didn’t know if I’d be wasting my money on something else. Afterall, that brand new ellipitical still smelled like the packing materials it came in.

I decided to order the program with the understanding that it had a money back guarantee. What I found was something that finally helped me push from desire to commitment. Tony Horton challenged me to new levels. I had a 90 day program. I had a trainer who would tell me to do my best and forget the rest. He would tell me to push hard and that I could do anything for 30 seconds.

I finished the P90X extreme training system with a much smaller waist and stronger muscles. I felt more fit than ever and set new fitness goals. I wanted to drop another 15 pounds, so I could see the muscle I worked so hard for in my P90X workouts. I had a new desire. I turned to Debbie Siebers.

I’ve been doing the Debbie Siebers Slim in 6 workout program for a week now. I’ve made it through the first two phases (Start It Up and Ramp It Up) and am now pushing myself in phase three, Burn It Up. Everytime I want to quit, my desire turns to commitment. I try to do one more rep. I rest for a moment and jump back in. You see, for desire to turn to commitment, you’ve got to take action. Otherwise, your car will just stay parked on the street while you pay the price of inactivity.

Beachbody workouts keep me motivated. As my fitness goals changed from building muscle to burning fat, I moved to another program. I look forward to tracking my progress and chatting with other club members about their progress. I’m a new me. I’m commited and getting results!