While I will always be happy to hear that someone has chosen to take a step in a healthier direction, the reality is that not all catalysts are created equal. It would be greatly naïve for me to assume that every person who gets up early to join me in a class, runs to the gym late at night, or foregoes their favored french fries for a side salad, is doing so because they understand the impact that food and exercise have on cells and bodily mechanics. While I am not myself devoid of the desire to enjoy the more aesthetic side effects of long-term training, the truth is, I find it very uncomfortable when beautiful, incredibly disciplined men and women use exercise and healthy foods in a way that is equated with punishment and deprivation just to “look” the way a magazine or society deems acceptable.
Unfortunately, this is growing more and more common in a world that floats in a purgatory between healthy and hungry; all the while seeing food and days on and off at the gym as proof they are “good” or “bad.”
Today, I want to challenge you all to really think about why you eat what you choose to eat and why your exercise routine is what it is. Is your health important to you or do you focus more on sizes? Do you feel bad about yourself when you don’t live up to your fitness goals? What is it that you’re hoping to achieve in your short-term and long-term goals?
The more we think about why we do what we do, the more we can identify areas of opportunity and make the changes we need to make in order to get where it is that we want to go. When we know what we want (not what our partners, parents, or society wants for us) the more we can self-motivate.
I want to see every person who walks into my class smiling at the fact that they are taking care of the body they will have all of their lives, feeling good about its movement and the way it feels when blood is pumping through it, when oxygen is filling their lungs and when they are pushing through limitations they never thought they would break through.
I believe all of us deserve at least this.
Be honest, how healthy is your motivation?
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