Being Fit Involves How We Respond to Life

Life is not always easy. I'm no different than many of you: woman, wife, mother, daughter, a friend. I do walk the walk of fitness with my occupation as a personal trainer and writer. This doesn't change the fact I sometimes have up and down days emotionally and physically. I also experience burnout with my workouts.

One of my favorite life quotes is “life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it”. I came across this quote from a school project my son made in junior high and it has really stuck with me. My son is almost 30 now. 

I have realized through my journey of life and fitness we are limited in what we can control. The only thing we can control is how we think, feel, and respond to life’s circumstances. We simply need to learn to let go of the rest. This can be a hard task but a necessary one. Also, we are definitely in control of the choices we make for ourselves to become healthy, fit people.

Getting fit and healthy involves both our physical and emotional self. Many of us struggle with self-acceptance and not feeling good enough. Fixing our mindset is so important to be able to get physically fit. There is no such thing as perfection but progressing each day as a better and healthier person.

One of my clients just shared this quote: "You do not have to get an A every day!” This was a revelation I took to heart as an overachiever. It also brings us back to life and health not being about perfect, but simply doing our best. This is important stuff when it comes to fitness.

Attitude is huge in life and really determines how we respond to our day. We can choose to be bitter or positive. We can either refuse to grow or open our door of potential to become better people from every circumstance in life. This is where life and health can feel hard. We need to be able to wake up and be happy and healthy on purpose. 

If my attitude and response were unhealthy, I would be unable to help people. I wouldn't be a good trainer choice to see for a healthy lifestyle. Would you want to entrust your health to a person who was unhealthy in any sense of the word? Sadly, many people walk around emotionally unhealthy without anyone knowing. 

Getting back to why this is important. My attitude and how I respond to life is what lifts me up, motivates me, and keeps me moving in a positive direction. It enables me to put forth my best self each day with nutrition and fitness. I choose not to give up in despair but to persevere through life. 

Life will bring challenges for all of us. I have faced many and will continue to do so. How I choose to respond will be the key to my healthy self. None of us are immune to the struggles of life, injuries, finances, illness, or family crisis. What remains important is how we respond. I can tell you this, it may be hard to get to the gym on a down day, but after I get going, it becomes easier. After a few minutes, a whole different attitude kicks in and I start using this time to think through things. I accomplish great healing during a hard sweat session. Nothing feels better than a finished workout. 

The takeaway: life is about balance. Health includes the emotional as well as the physical. When one is out of sync, the machine will not work properly. I began today on a downer and after some prayer time, writing this Blog and soon to workout, I feel energized. Nothing will ever be perfect but life and health can always be good. 

Motivation of the Day: Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it

Be well and Stay Healthy