You know, when you start a health and fitness challenge it seems like almost everything starts pointing back to that challenge – at least for me. My mind is focused on this because I really want to meet my goals and maybe because of that, much of the outside influences in my life seem to focus in on health and fitness as well. This is probably not a new thing, the world really does focus in on this stuff, I just wasn’t consciously noticing it. I was probably (definitely) noticing it unconsciously – and have been for years and years. I think a lot of that unconscious noticing wasn’t of the positive variety. I was noticing the stereotypes, the inconsistent portrayals in the media, the focus on quick, quick, quick etc. Right now, I am noticing the negatives in this and also the positives that are mixed in throughout, like the curvy fitness models that sometimes make their way into the magazines, the healthy lifestyle articles about making good choices, loosing weight slowly and living an active lifestyle etc. This is all good, and it is propelling me further into my health and fitness challenge and pushing me to go even further in creating the life I want as I move forward.
For example, I was reading an article this morning entitled Fit at Any Size. It was more focused on kids than adults, but a few things hit me. I really think the following statement sums up what I want for myself “Fit means happy too; so does staying active; so does loving your body no matter its shape. The key is to get that body healthy and keep it that way. The numbers on the scale... should start to come second to physical fitness as a gauge for health.” After reading this, I thought this is really what I want this for myself, yes, but I have to admit I am not there yet. Honestly, I still want the scale to change and I think it needs to for me to be healthy. That said, maybe it doesn’t need to change that drastically. Another thing the article said was that “exercise has to stop being a daily chore.” Wow, that is so true and I think the operative word here is “chore.” Daily exercise is good, feeling that it is a chore is bad. So how do I get to that place? I need to figure out how to “make it about playing and fun again.”
Right now, some of the exercise I am doing is a chore and some of it is fun. The dvd is a chore – it is a means to an end – to give me the strength to feel confident in the fun. Fun for me are the sports I play (currently volleyball and softball). The fun is feeling like an athlete. I am not feeling like my full definition of an athlete right now, but I can see that I am moving back in that direction. I think I need to focus my next mini health and fitness challenge around finding my inner and outer athlete again.
For now, I am pretty happy with my progress on my 31-day Shred MHFC. Two weeks in and the scale is moving and I can see changes in how my body looks and how it is working. I am also noticing how the food I am eating is affecting my mood and energy. Good stuff.
And, you know what is really fun? Hitting a line drive so hard down the third base line into deep left field and having all the guys worried the next time you are up to bat! Fun! Thank you push ups :)
Comments