What are you training for?

I was at my new gym this morning for a bonus workout because my husband wanted to go with me to check out this new place where the girls and I are spending a lot of time.  I was doing my typical lower body workout with some additional high intensity cardio.  I asked if I could jump in on a machine while a trainer was with a young lady, and the trainer obliged. 

The young lady, who was probably 10 years younger than me, was doing squats with the amount of weight I used when I first started with my trainer (25 lbs on each side of the 45 lb bar).  She did a great job, but she seemed very uncertain about the squats, as I recall feeling when I started.  When I jumped in, I added plates of 45 lbs to each side.  It felt nice to see how far I'd come in about a year, from 25 to 70 pounds on each side.

The trainer asked me, "What are you training for?"

"I'm training for life," I replied.  Then, I explained that I had lost a whole bunch of weight and I've changed my lifestyle, so I just do it because this is what I do now.  I'm not training for anything, but everything life throws at me (although I am doing a 5K in 2 months, but I'm not specifically training for that).

When I was leaving the locker room after my workout, I saw the young lady all dolled up and ready to hit the day.  I told her that she was doing great, and that she should be so proud of herself.  She told me that my reply to her trainer's question, "What are you training for?" was inspiring.  She said she wants to eventually look as great as I do (how nice of her to say that), and she hopes that if someone asks her what she's training for her reply will be the same: that she's just training for "life".