FIT IN THE CITY -LEIGH ANN ROOT
When you get it you got it.
In today's world, you can turn on your television and see the Biggest Loser program and many other like shows, where you're able to witness the amazing results exercise can have on a person inside and out. I've been fortunate enough to work in the field of fitness for over 14 years, and this has allowed me to see first hand the positive effects moving the body can have on an individual. This is how I know it works! It has happened before my very eyes and the results each person sees goes far beyond their reflection in the mirror. Within each person is the ability to treat their body in the manner to which it was intended. If this is done it will function at it's best, plain and simple. Every day living becomes easier and more enjoyable. What more could we want? If you've been reading this column regularly, you probably realize what my underlining theme usually is. I try to stress the importance of moving your body, thinking positively, and eat healthfully. If I'm lucky, it may have actually motivated some you to try doing some of that. Or maybe it has reaffirmed what you already do and believe in. If it has effected you in any positive way, I'm thrilled. It's the best feeling to know I have helped, even if in a small way, people on their quest to becoming healthier. This is why I do what I do. The reward is to see happier and healthier people in our community. These are people who are more productive, motivated and inspirational to others.
Still, there are those who say they enjoy my column, but I know they have not truly gotten "it" yet. They haven't committed themselves to a better quality of life. They're still on the fence, contemplating if it's something they could actually do. Still questioning whether it will really work for them. Maybe they're not quite ready for change yet. I'm thankful, at least, they are considering ways to improve their lives.
I do love it when someone finally gets "it". What I mean when I say "it", is the connection people make between healthy lifestyle choices and the quality of their lives. They begin to feel incomplete when they don't exercise their body regularly. They become masters of figuring out how to fit "it" into your schedule, whether it's healthy eating, physical fitness, or just time for themselves to relax. They have discovered how "it" can effect so many aspects of their life, for the better.
I know, for you "still-on-the fence" people, it sounds too good to be true, huh. Well, it's not. I don't know how else to describe it to you or how to motivate you to try "it". If I could do it for you, for a short period of time and you could feel the benefits, you would be "sold." No question. I'm not saying that every step of the was is easy, but it's always rewarding. You have to be willing to change, sacrifice, and commit. These are things that no other person can do for you. This is a lifestyle choice that comes with more happiness, energy, and self-confidence built right in. The work it takes to get started, replace bad habits, and stay committed will pay off big, I promise. You won't be able to hide it, it'll be written all over your face. There will be something new and exciting about you. You will find the secret to a happier life. When you do move your body and start making better food choices, you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good it feels, how much easier it makes your their life. Then will come the sensation of not being able to live without it. And believe me, this does happen! People in your lives will soon be able to recognize when you don't get "it" and they will beg you to get moving. It adjusts attitudes, de-stresses and allows you to relax easier. When you get it, you got to have it all the time. I know it sounds like a drug addiction, but in a good way! It will become a part of you. You are incomplete when you don't get it.
I just have to share this story. I received a a phone call the other day from someone who got "it". It reassured me that I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing in this life. The person on the other end of the phone said she had been reading my column and was thinking to herself "yeah right, exercise can make you feel that great, I doubt it." Despite feeling that way she decided to take the chance. She joined a health club and began working out. She called to tell me "it" had happened for her, she was loving the way she's was feeling. She couldn't imagine not having it in her life. She never dreamed she could feel this way about something she thought was so far from her "thing." We continued to discuss the effects of exercise on a person and how it can be life altering. She had created a positive habit in her life and I was so happy to have played a little part in that. It really has little to do with me and everything to do with the decisions she had made in her life. I only planted that seed and she had done the rest. I do believe certain things need to be in place before a person gets "it." They have to believe first they are deserving of a better life. They have to be prepared to work on themselves, inside and out. They have to be a better time manager. They have to make a commitment to be consistent. They have to give up on quick fixes and diets. They have to have the guts to do what is necessary to create a healthy lifestyle. They must sacrifice. They must go out of their comfort zone for that is where the success is. They have to replace thinking about it with doing it. It's not hard but it's hardly easy. Like many things, it gets easier the more you do it. It's whatever you want it to be. The level of health you achieve is directly connected to how much you're willing to put in. It's not a lottery. You will get out what you put in, always.
So, if you haven't already tried becoming healthier, why? What holds you back? Ask yourself what you're afraid of. When are you going to put yourself first? When are you going to realize the better you are, the better you are to others? When are you going to take a chance and put yourself out there, out of your comfort zone? When are you going to put yourself in that happier life you think about? The time is now: Get it? Got it? GOOD!
