For women who workout regularly (strength training, functional fitness, yoga, running, CrossFit, BJJ, etc): What was the reason you started doing it? What’s the reason you continue to do it? (if reason is different)

41 comments

  1. I found that the reason I started weight training is different than why I actually continue to do it. Initially, it was for aesthetic purposes but now that I’ve started gaining muscle, I feel empowered and independent. Frankly, I couldn’t care less what I look like. I’ve turned my focus on how I ~feel~ rather than how I look.

  4. Both reasons are because I don’t want to end up hunched over and barely able to move, and more prone to bone breaks as I get older. I watched it happen to my great grandma, then my grandma, and I fully expect it to happen to my mom.

    I already have chronic pain, I don’t want to make it worse.

  5. Orange Theory.

    Went through a breakup and needed something to occupy evenings/mental health.

    Now it’s because I love the community/gym friends. And still mental health.

  6. I do weightlifting, bjj, and Zumba! I started bjj in fall 2017 because I’d come home after work (first job) and do absolutely nothing and I felt like work was my life. I hated it and felt depressed so I quickly joined a bjj gym (I’d been interested in it before but hadn’t had the motivation). Weightlifting was something I’d also been interested in but it took me a while to want to have both a bjj membership and a regular gym membership. After having dated a personal trailer who kind of set me up with a workout program, I joined and it took time, but I finally became consistent. I will say covid is one of the reasons consistency was difficult. I started in like February 2020. Didn’t get back into it until the fall and didn’t start true consistency until May 2021. I started Zumba April 2022 because I was going through a break up and didn’t want to do bjj because that’s where I’d regularly see my ex lol. Currently I try to do all of these things and it’s really difficult because I am not bursting with energy but hey, I’m single. Lol so I have the time.

  7. I have a treadmill that I was using daily. I wanted something more, so my ex told me about P90x3. I got it and did a few rounds before branching into Insanity. I finally got a Beachbody subscription and have just enjoyed doing the different programs. I’ve been at it for 3 years now.

  8. My things are Running and weightlifting. Started doing it cuz it looked fun and I keep doing it bc it helps me relieve stress and feel good!

  9. I did sports all the way through school so don’t even remember when I “started”. I continue because it feels good and I can eat whatever tf I want without gaining weight.

  10. My mental health has gotten so much better once I started running… wow. The results were really black and white. I feel more confident about my body and my health and it gave me a lot of time to clear my head and reflect on things. It also helped me manage my emotions so if I felt upset or anxious, I knew I could go for a run and I’d feel better. I also felt a small sense of community because I often run into other people going for runs and we usually smile at each-other because there’s sort of this unspoken understanding about the other person running. It’s cool.

    Another thing was that I opted music playlists out for podcasts or instrumental because I find that music with words can alter my state of mind and my emotions but a podcast or instrumental or even running without no noise was a lot more beneficial. (This was just a side note!)

  11. I started doing it to keep my muscles strong and my weight at a level that my frame was built to handle. I continue to do it for that but also because it’s a great way to have some time to myself and process any stress or issues I’m having, and when I start getting too much in my head about anything, it’s really helpful for me to shift focus to my physical reality— it’s very grounding and helps me keep everything in perspective.

  12. I started going to the gym bc I dated this guy for a few months who always went and would make these little comments about how I should go with him. Well, it ended, got pissed, so out of spike I went regularly. Now I notice a difference in my mental health, it is the only effective way I found to calm my anxiety and help me deal with depression. It also helps A LOT with my ADHD and insomnia. Overall I feel amazing now!

  13. I was going into the medical field and I was worried whether I’d be able to lift patients and assist patients. A guy I knew was really into weight lifting and taught me how to do it. I started it about 9 months ago, and I’ve been on and off fairly consistent. It haven’t lost any weight, but I’ve replaced fat with muscle. I’m visibly leaner and thinner, I’m way stronger, and my figure has changed for the better. My legs are stronger, and I generally feel better.

  14. I’ve struggled with a lot of body image issues throughout my life. Any time I have previously attempted workouts regularly it was with the sole purpose of losing weight. But that was never sustainable. Now, I’ve been exercising daily for about a year and a half, with the goal of becoming stronger and healthier. While I have lost weight, I don’t go on the scale except at the Dr’s office. I don’t want to know my weight, I workout to become the healthy and strong person that I want to be, and maintain.

  15. It looked fun and it was, so it stuck. And I also have always really liked the physical esthetic of muscular women. I have the build for it and I think some natural affinity for it, so the way it changed my body became a great bonus.

  17. I do CrossFit, running, swimming and dancing (specifically Ballet). Started as a form of anger management, to take my frustrations out in the gym or whatever adrenaline based activity I do for the day. It calms me down and helps me take my mind off of things. It also taught me discipline that I didn’t really have before, so I’m quite appreciative of that aspect as well. Apart from the physical rewards that I feel very proud about the most important part for me would be that I feel good internally, and that’s a super important and motivational factor for me to continue doing it.

  19. Low-level cardio like walking, jogging, or biking help my lower back pain a lot. It’s like sustained gentle stretches, then I stretch properly at the end.

  20. I started because I wanted to get my body back after having my second kid. I keep doing it because it helps my anxiety/depression and helps me stay more mindful of how I’m treating my body.

  21. I do a kickboxing HIIT circuit workout and have for 3 years now. It benefits my mental health exponentially, has built muscle, increased endurance, is helping me recover from long Covid, but most importantly as someone who struggles with inflammation and arthritis it keeps me mobile.

  22. My mental health was declining as I was gaining weight and had no confidence. I continue now because it has given me so much mental strength and confidence. It’s my one thing I have. I don’t have other hobbies. I do weight training and pole fitness. I lost 15kgs and now just maintaining.

  23. I need to be strong for my students. That includes both mentally and physically.

  24. My bf is 15 yrs my junior. Lol I continue because I’m stronger and have more balance. And I like it.

  25. For me it’s a genuine addiction, I get upset and feel unwell if I don’t get my exercise every day. I’ve always worked out but getting into it slightly more seriously in the past five(?) years really helped me feel a lot better about myself.

  26. I get super depressed if i don’t do some sort of regular physical activity. I do yoga, Pilates, barre, hiking and roller-skating about once a week, occasionally switching it up.

  27. Mental health. Plus, I feel empowered lifting heavy things odd the ground and then putting them back down again.

  28. mental health!!! especially yoga, which i don’t view as exercise but more of a practice. started doing it during quarantine and saw so many physical and mental benefits. for other workouts like HIIT, i just love the intensity and how i feel (and look) after doing it consistently.

  30. It replaces emotional pain with physical pain. And the people I workout with at CrossFit are amazing and some of my closest friends and I enjoy seeing them 5 days a week

  32. I started taking walks to play pokemon go. Walked 8km this week, which isn’t much, but its better than sitting on the couch all day. I just evolved my Litleo into a Pyroar, caught a Charizard, and beat Team Rocket 4 times today!

  33. I was overweight so I started working out to lose that weight, which I did. I’m now very slender. I do yoga a lot to keep myself chill.

  34. Overall better physical and mental health. You never regret a workout! So just start you will be happier

  35. Let me be clear: I hate working out with a passion. So imagine my absolute dismay when I discovered that my mental health is so much better when I can work off my anxiety at the gym. Ugh!

    And while that’s about 85% of the reason why I workout, I do want to maintain my size.

  36. I’ve always been active and was a runner and a rock climber in my early twenties. I got into weight lifting in my late 30s because I started to feel weaker than I wanted to be. I think that because my life had slowed down, I just didn’t move enough to maintain muscle. I got frustrated with feeling weak while trying to help my husband move some of his equipment.

    I keep lifting because it feels good, helps me keep my weight healthy, and I’m as strong as I hoped to be!

  37. i started doing crossfit-adjacent high intensity stuff in late 2017 because a family member thought i would like it and gifted me a free month. i continue to lift and strength train independently because weightlifting has completely reframed my relationship to my body and to food and to my health generally and i live for it and love the life it has given me.

  39. Started running in 1990 at 15 & 32 years later I’m still running marathons. It started out as something to do in high school & college that allowed me to be competitive. These days I am only competitive with myself, and although I still absolutely love running, I am incredibly grateful for my friendships and training buddies who have become like family. Also- if I don’t take care of the one body I’ve got I won’t have a place to live! And maybe I want to look good naked too.

  40. I do strength training and running. I started because I wanted to join the defence force and needed to pass my PFA. I’m off to basic training soon and I’m well past the fitness level I need to be, but I keep pushing it because I’ve found it’s alot of fun. I’ve developed a passion for running and my mother does her strength training alongside me, we’re competing.

  41. I got dumped by who I thought was the love of my life. I started CrossFit at first for my mental health and now I’m just at a regular gym weight lifting. I noticed that my mental health got better and they the negative thoughts got quieter. I still go consistently for my mental health but also because I feel like I’m doing something with my life when I do. Lowkey think I have an addiction to it now

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like