A ReCap Plus a Little

So I am recapping an article I read by Jamie Eason called "Firestarters" in the March 2011 issue of Oxygen (my favorite health and fitness magazine). It sorta spoke to me and I thought I would share

She talks at first about how it seems like with life in general and in relationships people go through periods of time. The falling in love, the maintenance and then sometimes breaking up. There will always be ups and downs and stressors in our relationships but she says it is how we cope with those things that determine the success or failure of our relationships. When we make it through a setback or a bump in the road in relationships, or in our healthy lifestyle we more often than not feel stronger having been through the trail. We are able to choose to get through the bump with more motivation to keep on going and work harder, or we can choose to let it bring the whole house down and eat the whole box of doughnuts.

I, like the author didn't have a hard time so much in the beginning of my road to a healthy lifestyle. I had set goals-- running 3 miles, running a half marathon, becoming a health coach to real people, and becoming a fitness instructor. Those were goals I set and once they were achieved I sometimes have felt like, "what's next?" I have felt it easier to slack off a little because I stopped posting my weight on my blog, and I am not heading up any weight loss competitions. I have achieved and maintained my weight loss goal. This is where Jamie recommends we do something new to recommit to our health and fitness goals. Take a new class (like bootcamp at IAC Tues and Thurs) a dance class, kick boxing or join a running club.

"Anything worth keeping for the long term requires regular maintenance," Jamie quotes and I would go a bit further to say anything worth having is a lot of work, but in the long run the hard work is what makes it worth having. If it were easy to be eating healthy and working out everyday, everyone around us would be in shape. Obesisty is an epidemic in the United States in portion because everyone wants things instantaneously. They want to sit on the couch and watch tv, or eat fast food, or take HCg and get skinny quick only to end up gaining all their weight back because they didn't go through the blood, sweat, and tears it took to get every damn pound off their body.

How important is overall health in your life? How important is it to feed your body healthy "clean" foods, how important is it to make it to the gym a few times a week for a sweat session? What brings you joy and happiness long term? Is it that ice cream that looks soooo good right now, or is that first 5 mile run, or first mastering of a yoga pose? Is it fast food and watching the Biggest Loser on TV, or is nutritious food and being your own biggest loser?

The author warns: "Do not waite until change is forced upon you or you come to a breaking point" (like disease, cancer or broken bones etc) Plan ahead. If you need to set goals like a 5k race, or becoming a health coach (I can help you with that) or looking fantastic in a swimsuit for your vacation you have worked your butt off to earn... then so be it. Whatever it takes for YOU to make YOURSELF the best, healthiest, strongest, happiest person you can be.

My frieds, remember the best is truly yet to come....