From the Ground Up: Five Qualities to Build Your Fitness Foundation

I'm an avid reader when it comes to fitness and nutrition.  I enjoy many "how to" articles that gives strategies on getting fit, loosing weight and staying healthy.  However, I often think there is an element of fitness being ignored. Beyond just understanding topics such as how to work out and what to eat, there is a deeper level we must strive to understand.  How do we change our mindset and develop a foundation for creating a healthy lifestyle?  Like building a house, you start from the base. You can't put a roof on something without the foundation from which to build. 

How does one build the foundation for fitness then? A good place to start would be to look at what fit, healthy, balanced people do. Across the board, I found there are certain characteristics these people share.  

1. They make fitness and healthy living a priority.  
It's easy to forget about ourselves in the game of life. This is particularly true for those of us who are caretakers and moms. We are taught to give all of ourselves and often times that makes us feel worthy. While admirable, those who have mastered fitness and health as a way of life seem to recognize that in order to best serve others; they need to care for themselves first. This requires spending some time every day on self-improvement. Just as sleep, family and work are priorities, so is fitness. They find creative ways to incorporate it, encourage others to participate and embrace a lifestyle that promotes balance. They make "we" time but also make "me" time.  This isn't always easy, but it seems to be essential as a base for achieving healthy living.

2. They are mindful.
This can be a confusing concept. I know this because for years I couldn’t really wrap myself around what it meant to be mindful. I think all the time, sometimes too much. Does that make me mindful, apparently not. To be truly mindful you need to connect your inner voice with your outer actions. It's the mind/body connection that creates this.  How does mindfulness play into fitness then?  Let's consider this; how many people do you know who work out all the time but never achieve their fitness goals?  There are a lot. 

The answer to this is thinking very hard about what you are doing while you are doing it.  Quiet your mind to all the other things in life and pay attention to your body. When you lift weights, do you notice the way it makes your muscles feel? When you run, do you pay attention to your breathing, how hard you have to push yourself, when to back off, when have you rested enough and should be quickening your pace?  When you sit in yoga class do you go through the moves or do you feel the pull of your body, think about every part of you and what it is doing, let everything else go and simply be in that moment? When you do the simplest of moves, like a sit-up, do you rush through without engaging your muscles or do you pay careful attention to making every contraction of your body count? This is what turns a 15 minute workout into something powerful.

 3.  They are confident.
Generally fit and well-adjusted people exude a unique confidence.  Confidence comes from believing in yourself. You have to believe you are worthy and important. You deserve this. The best way to find this is to start by changing the voice in your head. What does it say to you?  Do you wake up and think to yourself, “I am beautiful”?  I am important and have valuable things to share with the world”? Start there and listen to your self-talk and if you notice it is not positive then change it.  Say something positive about yourself out loud.

Beyond telling yourself positive words of affirmation, begin to tell other people. Find the things you admire in others and let them know. Self-confidence is not just about seeing yourself as beautiful and worthy; it's also about seeing that in others. When you can begin to celebrate others successes and achievements very genuinely, you can also begin to celebrate your own. 

4.  They have passion.
Passion fuels action. I always think about those around me who are good at what they do, but they really don't love it. It's the love for something you do that makes you great at it.  Find a fitness activity you are passionate about, and spend time working on it. In his blog, photographer, writer and public speaker James Patrick often asks his clients, would you rather have passion or talent? Both can lead you to success, but only one can keep you there. http://jamesmpatrick.com/blog/marketing/passion-versus-talent-which-would-you-rather-have/ Passion is what drives us and makes us want to do it better. Develop the passion for something active, anything, and work on becoming better at it. 

5. They seek support.
People often succeed in groups surround by others who support them. Pick up any self-help book and you are likely to find a chapter about building a network of strong healthy relationships. These are what allow us to get through difficult times. One resolution I always keep is to have at least three people in my life I'd drop everything for if they truly needed me. 
You should not only be that person for someone, but have people who serve as that for you. You get what you give. Give others support and you will be surprised how they reciprocate. Giving support doesn't always have to be with your time.  It can be kind words of affirmation, small tokens of affection. Don't underestimate the value of the smallest thoughtful gesture; those are sometimes the most meaningful. 

When we develop a support network in our fitness world, we surround ourselves with like-minded people. Those who value what we are trying to accomplish.
Your quest for health and fitness may be a big change for you. As such you could be met with resistance and unforeseen obstacles. At that point, you really have to decide which relationships to keep and which to let go. Carefully choose from whom you will draw your energy. Let people know about your goals and seek out support networks. Surround yourself by people who believe in you.

Fitness is a journey.  It’s something we re-make over time and continually strive toward. Even the people I most admire in the fitness world have goals they work toward. Whether you are starting from the beginning, or well on your way to achieving health, keeping the principles of balance, mindfulness, confidence, passion and support can help you along the way. Take the time to build the foundation because that is what will support you in the long run.

The Road to Health

A blog, an open journal of sorts, how scary right?  “I don't know where to start,” I tell the people close to me.  "Well why are you doing it", they ask?  To which I respond, "because I think it might help someone, and it will help me to put my journey on paper".  Well then if that's what your goal is, start at the beginning and talk about what's important to you.  Start at the place that mattered the most, the turning point.  "Okay," I think.  Here goes.... In the beginning, my goal was to lose weight, look better, and be healthy.  Two kids, 40 pounds later... yep, it's about that time.  There's nothing more daunting than the overwhelming goal of taking care of you, especially as a mom. You're going through life and suddenly you find yourself responsible for one, two, maybe more people.  Taking care of yourself takes back seat.  That's okay, it happens to the best of us.  Eventually though we remember that we matter, and we have to take care of ourselves, in a way that makes us feel human again.  For me, that was getting back in shape. I remember the realization I had sitting on the coach, completely exhausted, drenched in spit-up, watching Days of Our Lives, thinking I have to get back to me! I looked around at the people I respected, moms who seemed to have it all together, happy, in-shape, well rounded and thought, how the hell am I going to get there? I guess at the time the first mistake I made was looking at the big picture, rather than thinking of taking one step.  I finally decided I was going to start by running one mile.  That was the goal.  I strapped on my running shoes, went to Target to buy some shorts, because remember I had two young children, NOTHING fit, and I set off around the block. The run went well for the first three minutes, and then it sucked!!!!  “Why does anyone actually do this?” I thought to myself! I considered turning around and chalking this up to a bad idea.  Thinking back when I finished I probably went home and ate a gallon of ice cream as a reward for my hard work!  Nevertheless, it was a step.  For those of you who know me well, you know where it lead.  I've learned over time to love running, to love fitness, but it didn't start that way 5 years ago.  Now when I run I do my best thinking.  People ask me nearly every day about running.  They want to do it but they dislike it.  It grows on you, I always say, it really does.  Some days I smile running, some days I reflect, and some days I cry.  It fills me though and gives me perspective.  It reminds me I am responsible for 2 other people and if I want to do a good job at that I'd better put the oxygen mask on myself first.    Remembering back to where I started reminded me that it's never too late to be who you could have been, or want to be.  It starts with one step, one foot in front of the other.  It's a slow process.  If you go into it knowing that, and give yourself adequate time, you'll be successful.  It's very easy to get frustrated when you don't see immediate results, whether it be with running, weight loss, or fitness in general.  Don't look at the scale.  Don't time yourself at first.  Just go out and try something.  Surround yourself with people who believe in you, find a role model, or a few, and take a step.  For me, that was around the block.  That block turned into 2 miles, then to 5, then to 15, and on to racing and now competing.  Most importantly, the step brought me back, slowly but surely.  What goals do you have for yourself?  What are the risks involved?  Are you willing to be patient, to wait for the results?  What happens if you fail?  How will that feel?  These are all questions I ask myself on a regular basis.  It seems to help me to think about fitness in this way.  There's always a risk involved.  Then again, there's always the chance that I might inspire someone along the way.  I guess that makes the risk worth it.