Signing up for a Race May Give You Motivation to Work Out

There are many ways to get motivated to work out or get active. For some, it's just about managing their diabetes while others have their reasons, whatever they may be.

Diabetes management by fitness

Initially, I started exercising to help manage my diabetes. As I lost weight, and my blood glucose returned to normal, I fell in love with physical fitness again. It brought back memories of the past when I used to be very active, from playing sports, to being in the military.

Currently, not only do I exercise for my health and love of physical fitness, but I do it also to help and inspire others to take control of their diabetes. Sometimes we all could use someone to inspire us and to keep us in the fight. Sometimes people just need something to get them motivated.

Fitness events as workout motivation

A great way to get motivated to exercise is to sign up for a fitness event. There are numerous events or races happening all over. Chances are there will be one near you. These events are usually planned months in advance. If you buy your tickets early you usually save money and it gets you committed early on.

You can find one that you would be interested in. I recently started doing obstacle course races. Raced in my first 3k obstacle course race last November and have 4 more planned for this year and a 50k mountain bike event.

I already work out frequently in the gym from cardio to weight lifting. Adding more things like obstacle course races gives me even more motivation and keeps things fresh and not getting stagnant.

Types of Fitness Events

There are so many out there, I couldn't possibly name them all. There are obstacle course races, 3k or more running races, mountain bike or road bike races, walking events, and many more. Some events you pay for. Some are competitive, some are noncompetitive, and some others are nonprofit and for charity.

Okay I signed up, now what?

Now comes time to prepare. Hopefully, you got your ticket in advance so you can prepare. By being prepared I mean to get started on, or ramp up your fitness game. You don't want to go into these things without getting used to exercise first, for safety.

What if I won't do well?

Don't be scared. There are many races you can enter that are noncompetitive so you won't have to worry about coming in last. Just complete it and you usually get a finisher medal and t-shirt. There will likely be people of all sizes, fitness levels, and ages, in the race as well.

During my last obstacle course race, I saw many people of all different weights and of all ages. There was a guy with Parkinson's doing it that day and some who had prosthetic limbs. There was an elderly lady in front of me climbing across an obstacle with her little granddaughter cheering her on saying "come on grandma, you can do it."

It may be the personal accountability you need

Signing up for these events gives you a degree of personal accountability to prepare for the event. You may enjoy it so much and progress so well, you just want to eventually compete. Receiving your medals and t-shirts for these events can make you feel pretty good about yourself and motivate you to keep pushing on. You're never too old or too young to enjoy life to the best of your ability.

The exercise that comes with this greatly benefits diabetes management. But it is extremely important that you work with your healthcare professionals before trying anything new like this. And I hope to see y'all at these events.