Fitness is more than looking good? WHAT?!

No takers on THE ASYLUM, huh...that's okay, perhaps another time. I, however, could not take the anticipation any longer so I started this week. Day 1 proved to be a serious wake up call. That's right Lyenna, you are not as fit as you think you are. Here's your piece of humble pie. ARRRGH!!! First up was the fit test. I didn't do too bad, but I didn't do as well as the super athletes on the video, are they even human...seriously? And Shaun T I didn't know it was possible for you to be even more ripped. How in the world...? I suppose that means we're all a work in progress. I then thought, I have a little left maybe I can do the first video Speed & Agility. LOL...I don't know where my athleticism went, but I think I left it back in highschool 10 years ago. The warm-up is enough to have me crying TIME-OUT...WHAT IS THIS?! I have work to do people and it's not going to be pretty.

We all have a starting point. It's the place with the giant wall that says, "Ya Right, there is no way you can get through me, you're not good enough, strong enough, pretty enough, smart enough, you don't have enough money, time, energy, etc., etc."

There is a battle of the inner voices. One voice is soft, firm, and assuring. It is the voice we resonate with the most. When we connect we know it to our very core, and we have a vision of our potential and who we are. We know when this voice speaks, it is the truth. We feel light and happy. We know we can do anything and that our progress will come through time and effort. The journey is challenging, but what we receive in return is joy, and accomplishment.

The second voice throws a tantrum like a 2-year-old child, demanding attention NOW and will not relent...ever! When this voice speaks and we listen, we feel small and weak. This voice is much louder, but is also a deceiver. EVERYTHING it tells us is a LIE! When we listen to this voice our heart aches with pain and sorrow. It smothers us with ugliness, and self-loathing. It's only purpose is to bring us so low that we feel we have nothing to give or offer to this world. It knows if we believe those lies we won't share our gifts, and talents with anyone else.

What if I told you we can choose? Did you know that the voice you listen to the most is the voice you give power? One of the fastest ways to free ourselves from listening to the ugliness is through sharing with others. This video is an example of that. Why do we feel so good after watching things like that? I'll let you answer that question for yourself and then let you figure out how it applies:)

So what does this have to do with fitness? Fitness starts with a belief. That belief then turns to action. That action increases our belief in ourselves. That belief in ourselves then projects to others.

Fitness and nutrition feeds our physical body in more ways then "looking" good. When we work hard for something we are blessed with confidence and accomplishment. Feeling good about who we are then allows us to give. I'm not talking about monetary things, although that's good too, I'm talking about giving our joy and love to someone else. We, as a society, do a lot of walking around in our own little world. We barely talk to our neighbors. What if instead, we got up in the morning, did something for ourselves (like a workout and a nutritious breakfast;) and then we got to work on sharing our new found love for ourselves with someone else. Hello beautiful person I don't know, you look like you have your hands full, let me help you with that! Did you know that giving love actually increases our capacity to love?! We don't lose anything we actually gain! That is pretty exciting.

So which voice will you pay more attention to, and what sacrifices are you willing to make? True joy comes from effort, not smooth sailing and being idle. Why?! Because doing something challenging and getting through it feels AMAZING! If it were easy than what would be the point? Where is your starting point? It may not be THE ASYLUM, but does it matter? Whatever it is, go get it, and then bask in the joy of having done it:)