Someone at the gym recently asked me, “What are you training for?” It caught me off guard for a second because I’m not training for a race. I’m not prepping for a competition. I don’t have a vacation countdown on my phone or a certain number I’m trying to see on the scale. I’m just training for me.
When I really thought about it, I realized how different that answer would have been a few years ago. There was a time when working out was mostly about changing how my body looked. Burning calories. Losing weight. Trying to get smaller. I think a lot of women start there, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to change your body. But somewhere along the way, my reason for showing up changed.
Now, I want to be strong. I want to walk into the gym knowing exactly what I’m doing. I want to pick up a weight that used to feel heavy and realize it doesn’t anymore. I want to see muscle definition that came from months of consistency. I want to keep challenging myself instead of going through the motions. And lately, I’ve been doing exactly that.
I stopped just working out and started training.
There’s a difference. For a long time, I was consistent in the gym, but consistency alone doesn’t necessarily mean progress. You can do the same exercises with the same weights for months and technically be “working out,” but eventually your body needs a reason to adapt. That’s where progressive overload comes in. It sounds much more complicated than it actually is. Essentially, you’re gradually asking your body to do more over time. That could mean adding weight, doing another rep, improving your form, slowing down the movement or increasing the overall challenge.
One of the biggest changes I’ve made is actually tracking my weights. I used to think I would remember what I lifted the week before. Spoiler: I usually didn’t. Now I write it down. If I did 10 reps with a certain weight last week, I know exactly what I need to beat this week. Maybe I get 11 reps. Maybe I increase the weight. Maybe the same weight simply feels better and more controlled. Those little wins add up. Stop guessing and start progressing. That mindset has completely changed the way I train.
This might be my favorite part. I care so much less about what the scale says than I used to because there are so many other ways I can see progress now. I can see it in my strength. I can see it in my muscle definition. I can feel it in my confidence. I notice it when an exercise that used to intimidate me becomes one of my favorites. And apparently other people notice it too. The person who asked what I was training for told me they had noticed the increased intensity in my workouts and more muscle definition. That meant more to me than someone asking if I had lost weight because those are things I’ve actually been working toward.
This is probably the biggest reason of all. I want to be strong enough to carry my daughter when she asks me to, even as she keeps getting bigger. I want energy for our days together. I want to travel, walk everywhere, try new things and say "yes" to experiences without wondering if my body can keep up. I want Hilton to grow up seeing strength training, movement and taking care of yourself as normal parts of life. I’m not training for one event. I’m training for the next several decades.
The gym has become so much more than somewhere I go to exercise. I’ve met people there. I’ve asked questions. I’ve learned from people who are stronger or more experienced than me. I’ve had conversations that changed the way I approach certain exercises. If you see the same people at the gym every week, introduce yourself. Ask their name. Ask someone how they do an exercise. Ask for help if you need it. You never know what you might learn from one conversation or what kind of community you might build just by saying hi.
Strength. Confidence. Muscle. Energy. Longevity. Being able to do hard things. Being an example for my daughter. And becoming a stronger version of myself without constantly chasing a smaller one.
If you’re showing up to the gym but feel like you’re spinning your wheels, start tracking what you’re doing. Give yourself something measurable to work toward. And if you need more structure, that’s exactly why I created my Well & Worth It strength programs. They take the guesswork out of what to do so you can focus on getting stronger and actually seeing progress. You don’t need a race, a vacation or a number on the scale to be training for something. Sometimes, you are the goal.
Until next time,
Brooke
Well & Worth It
Where living well meets real life, and every choice is worth it.