OK, so you know it’s time to get fit. For some that phrase “get fit” doesn’t bring much to mind other than pure misery. Many of us probably picture ourselves running endlessly, jumping, twisting, stretching, and sweating profusely. It’s no wonder we’re slow to get started! Some of us never get underway.
We try positive imaging as we’re sitting there on the couch. Yup, we picture those pounds dropping away, those muscles getting toned. We think about getting into a swimsuit, the kind that isn’t just about looking passable on the beach while covering all the problem spots. We picture ourselves with vibrant good health, energetic, glowing. But there we are, still on the couch.
The truth is, fitness is about more than achieving a svelte body that’s attractive to the world outside. Those judgments are fickle and won’t sustain lifetime fitness. Instead it’s about getting your whole self into shape, and that’s about wellness. It requires giving conscious attention to your whole self: your physical shape and appearance, your mental and intellectual fitness, and your emotional and spiritual sense of well-being.
What if you take your focus off how you look to the outside world for a few minutes and think about how you feel? How you feel as a whole person, that is? And then maybe you can create a different set of images as you’re sitting on the couch, images that will motivate you to get underway toward real, holistic fitness.
Wouldn’t you like to feel happy, creative and balanced, with energy to do the things you enjoy, and know you’re doing the best you can for your health inside and out? You can do that! It just takes a step at a time (literally) with a focus on what makes you feel good.
So drop the hard body images and dread of taxing workouts. Start with something you can do that provides great exercise while it provides mental and spiritual refreshment: take a walk every day.
Start with a shorter walk and gradually extend it. Always do it at the same time of day, a time you can count on. If you don’t feel like walking one day, go through the steps anyway, putting on your walking shoes and jacket and putting one foot in front of another until you’re out the door, walking. If you have a dog, take him or her. An encouraging partner helps get you going! And your dog partner will encourage you once s/he recognizes a dependable time.
Soon you will anticipate those walks and look forward to them. You wouldn’t miss them. That means you’re on the way! As you give attention to your physical, mental and spiritual well-being through your walks, you’ll notice improvements. You’ll want more of the same. And there are so many ways to extend the benefits of your walk, to contribute to greater fitness in all areas.
A fitness coach can help you work out goals and a program that best suits your lifestyle. Enjoying the meditation time on your walks? Your coach will direct you to activities that allow you to do more of it, like yoga. You’ll discover appropriate physical fitness options that accommodate any special issues you have and that will encourage you to extend beyond what you think you can do. You’ll find ways to work movement into your day, taking stairs instead of elevators, doing your own housework, using a standing desk for part of the time, practicing balance exercises, doing sitting exercises during sitting times. Get your brain (and enthusiasm) going with a class in an area that excites you. With nutritional instruction, you’ll learn how easy it is to lose weight without all kinds of artificial mechanisms, just by eating deliciously and healthfully.
A coach will help you discover ways you can contribute to your fitness 24 hours a day by rethinking how you approach your life in every area. You’ll “retool”. Learn what an accountability partner is, and benefit from the expert abilities of your coach as your partner. If there are particular issues preventing you from taking those steps toward getting fit, your coach will help you identify them and get them out of your way.
Contact us today to discuss what your program for getting fit will look like. And remember: it takes less than one second to get up from that couch and one more to take the first step of your walk. You’ll be happy you did!
Teri
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