You’re #1!

This blog post has been inspired by the words of others; chance encounters that have provided me with some pearls of wisdom that I mulled over until I extracted the lessons from them so I could share them with all of you.

Most of the time I’m writing for athletes – but this post is for all of you out there that don’t consider yourself an athlete (yet) and want some tips and advice on how to make health and fitness a priority in your life. How do you make your workouts the touchstone of your life and have everything revolve around that value instead of letting everything else come first?

1. Make yourself a priority.

Making yourself a priority includes your mental and physical health. This idea can be a serious mindset shift for some people. Some of you reading this are so used to put everything else before your own well-being (job, projects, family, friends, etc.) that you actually feel uncomfortable putting yourself first. Working out and being active is not something that you only do “if I have time” or “maybe if I get everything else done”.

This whole idea was inspired by a tweet I came across from Rachel Casanta when she shared the quote:

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha

Making yourself a priority is not optional and most of us think that it is. Making yourself a priority doesn’t mean that you drop everything else in your life, it means that YOU are an equal part and deserve the same love, energy, and attention that is given to the other parts of your life. Make sure you are a part of that equation.

2. Get out of your own way.

Working out is something you do until it becomes something you are. You have to put in some serious time and commitment before you get to the point where you really miss your workouts and intrinsically enjoy the time you spend moving your body. Here are some ways to get out of the way and get moving:

• Schedule it in your calendar before the week starts.
  Plan out your workouts in advance so they get into your calendar first. Then actually write your workout in your calendar and you will be more likely to stick to it
• Make it easier to work out and harder not to.
  Put on your workout clothes and THEN decide whether or not you want to workout. Plan to workout before you go home from work. Plan to meet a friend for a workout. Find little ways to make it easier to get your work out in and harder to skip it.
• Live your values.
  It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-to grind and immediate rewards. Make sure that your daily choices and actions are in line with what you really want out of life.

3.  You can’t be afraid to call it out.

I recently wrote a blog post for Bike Monkey about an experience I had last September while I was in Hawaii. During my trip I had the amazing fortune to meet a local Noni farmer that lives on the Big Island of Hawaii. We had the opportunity to hang out together one evening and during our time together she wanted to teach me some of the stories and beliefs integral to her Hawaiian heritage. One of the many lessons I learned from my new friend is the idea that “When you really want something, you have to call it out from the sky.” Many of us are afraid to say what we really want. There is tremendous power in giving a voice to your biggest dream. What’s the most ridiculous, outrageous, crazy thing that you would want to go after? The thing that you usually, immediately dismiss because you don’t think you’re capable?

What do you really want?

What are you afraid to say out loud? 

SAY IT RIGHT NOW!!

You have to have the courage to call it out from the sky. To put it out into the universe and make it real. You’ll never give yourself a chance if you can’t give it a voice.

4. Give yourself a gift.

The other amazing thing my new friend taught me is that we can give gifts to each other in our minds. She showed me that even if we can’t actually buy a gift for someone, we can still give them these gifts. We sat next to each other for the next 10 minutes and gave each other gifts and it truly felt amazing. She gave me a surfboard and I gave her a washer and dryer. I gave her and her kids new mountain bikes and she gave me a house in Hawaii.

So as you embark on this journey of making health and fitness a priority in your life – here are some gifts I would like to give to you:

• I give you the gift of all of the memberships and workout equipment you need to do the exact workouts you want to do.
• I give you the gift of the most amazing, inspirational, ideal coach/personal trainer that is a perfect fit for you.
• I give you the gift of an entire drawer full of fantastic workout clothes that make you feel strong and fit and awesome when you wear them.

Image: Chaiwat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net