My sanctuary

I am a seeker by nature, I am restless, always looking to fulfil new dreams and reach new goals. This means that I am always occupied with many different and demanding projects, and I find it very difficult to relax. Even when I appear to be relaxing, I can never seem to get all those thoughts out of my mind, always planning and coming up with ideas for one of the many projects I am in the middle of. I have realized there are only two ways for me to completely relax. One way is to watch a really terrifying movie, the kind that keeps me in breathless suspense to the very end. The other way...is working out!

Every day, as today's workout comes closer, I can feel my thoughts clearing up and coming together to a feeling of total and complete focus. It starts when I grab the bag with my workout clothes and leave work. I visualize today's workout and what I want to achieve with it. I visualize the heaviest lifts and how my body will use its technique and strength to achieve greater results than what I did the last time. During my warm-up my pulse increases, the sounds of the gym fade away until I can only hear the beating of my own heart, and it feels like I am the only one there.

Only light lifting at first, but my body is already at full tension, prepared for the heavier weights to come. Just knowing that my shoulders will soon carry weights far heavier than my own body makes my stomach tickle. I take a deep breath, tighten all my muscles and guide my body through the familiar motions of a deep squat. When I am all the way down, ready to quickly push up again on the next exhalation, there is only one thought in my head − push!

Working out is my sanctuary!