What does fitness mean to you? Is it a way of life? A far away dream? A
constant struggle? Is it about joy and pleasure, or deprivation and
punishment? The way you view the process can determine your level of
success. Many new fitness enthusiasts start off on the wrong foot, and even
veterans can be led astray. There are some important points to remember:
eating is not about willpower, exercise isn’t a penalty, and deprivation is
never a successful long-term strategy.
A healthy routine should be based on adding things to your life not taking
them away. It’s about trying delicious new foods and moving your body and
mind in ways that inspire you. Try fresh blueberries on your cereal. Pack a
handful of baby carrots in your lunch. Learn a new exercise. Read a book on
T'ai Chi or triathlons. Take a rock climbing lesson. Spend time thinking
about ways to enrich and improve your life rather than ways to punish
yourself for eating that last slice of pie. Ask yourself, can I do this for
the rest of my life? Does it make me feel good? Does it make me happy?
In a world that’s focused on the quick fix, it’s not always easy to do
things slowly and do them right. Fanaticism seems to reign supreme. However,
falling prey to all-or-nothing thinking can wreak havoc on your body and
your self-esteem. People seem to think that they can pound out a new body
with hammer and chisel, but the truth is that each healthy day is a layer of
paint, every workout a brush stroke. It’s the healthy changes unfolding over
time that make the masterpiece.
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