As I was driving to our gym today I had a thought. It is a thought that occurs to me a lot but it has always been in the back of my mind. Here it is. When I see people who look out of shape I always wonder why they are that way? This is especially true for young people that seem like they could easily be in good shape and good health. I am sure the answer is the basic fact that they just don’t pay attention to their health. But it could also be the fact that they are just on the wrong path. This got me thinking.
If you are someone that does pay attention but just can’t seem to lose weight you are simple on the wrong path. For me, working out and eating healthy is not hard. I have found my path. Now I have said before that the work is hard but getting myself to do the work is the easy part. I don’t say to myself, “Oh no, today I have to exercise! Yuck!” I say, “Great! Today is exercise day!” This is because in the back of my mind I know all of the benefits that go along with a healthy lifestyle. I know that I will feel better and look better if I take care of myself. Look at my logo at the top of my web page. That is how I feel in the back of my mind. (To be honest I just realized that! I picked that picture because it is how good health makes me feel.) It is a sunburst glowing in my mind. This is how I know I am on the right path.
I thought of a good metaphor that may help you understand what I mean. When I was young I took piano lessons. I liked the piano but I didn’t like to practice. My mom would make me practice 30 minutes everyday using an egg timer. During that time I would push the hand of the timer so the time would go faster. My mom never knew. Eventually I quit and I regret it today especially because I became a singer and dancer. The piano would have helped me a lot in my field. But I wasn’t on the right path. I didn’t enjoy it but I think I could have. On the other hand, I loved to practice singing and dancing. Nobody had to time me to practice those disciplines. I was on the right paths with those but not with the piano. What was the difference? What would have made me like to practice? I am not quite sure but I have a few guesses. Maybe switching to another teacher would have made the difference although I liked my teacher a lot. Maybe if I got to play more current songs or just found more composers that spoke to me. Again, I am not sure but I was not on the piano path.
So what does this have to do with being fit? Think about something that you do that is hard work but you don’t mind doing. You may even actually like it. Maybe you like your job, taking care of your kids, taking care of a pet, painting, sewing, etc. You do the activity, it is not easy but you don’t whine and complain about it. You just do it. Fitness is the same. If it is hard to get yourself to do it then you are not on the right path. You need to figure out what would make it easier for yourself. I can’t tell you what that might be. You will have to try things out for yourself. Do you need music to motivate you. Maybe you need a trainer. Maybe you need to educate yourself more about health and fitness so you know the benefits. Don’t be afraid to try new things. There are plenty of suggestions on my site. Just keep reading.