In my freshman year of college I was required to take a speech class. Aside from the fact that death was probably preferable to me, I did take away a lot of value from that class. Small pond to big pond and all that stuff, I will save for another post. Today being Christmas, I want to talk about the candy cane.

Because of my high anxiety levels during college, I can remember very little of the four years. But one of the assignments sticks out in my mind.

Object impromptu it was called, I believe. The Professor came around the room, reached into a box, and gave each of us an object. We then had 10 mins to prepare a speech, which we had to give that day in class.

My object was a candy cane. I reflected on my experiences with candy canes and came up with a speech about the changing feeling you have as you age about holidays and the real value they hold.

As a child, it is all about the gifts. As you get older, some tend to dread the holidays. Time with our families is not always pleasant. It is a stressful time for many as well. I closed the speech with the importance of family, no matter how messy they are, and the importance of tradition and ritual in our lives.

Why am I talking about candy canes and speech class on a health and fitness blog?

This same journey happens to some with Fitness. It starts all about fun and games. Then as we age, it changes. If you ask a sixty-year-old why they are in the gym, you will probably get a much different answer than the 25-year-old new member.

I still greatly enjoy working out. But enjoyment is not the only reason I do it. Me being my best for everyone in my life is the main reason. Am I able to help out when I need to? Am I going to be around to be a guide to my young family members?

These are the things that guide me and keep me going to the gym.

The most interesting thing about that candy cane is that I never took the time to get to that line of thinking before those 10 minutes were forced on me. I was not too fond of holidays until that Professor handed me that piece of sugar and told me I had 10 mins to write about it.

Have a great Holiday. Enjoy your friends and family. See you at the gym.