fit is a choice

Choices are the hinges of destiny. ~Edwin Markham

there are a lot of choices we make in this life.  a million really.  and this subject is one i revisit a lot, in different ways and different blogs, because it pertains to literally every avenue of our lives.  choices.  there are a ton of parenting adages i wrote about forever in my be the sunshine blog, and every one of them is just my own singular opinion about how to get through this crazy life.  but there are  few things ive learned as ive gotten older and hopefully wiser.  and some are just reiterated over and over.

every single thing we do in this life is the result of some kind of choice we make.  and then how we react to that choice.  and then how we FEEL about it.  you choose your activity.  you choose your attitude.  clearly things dont always go the way you plan, or hope.  but ultimately your life is shaped by the series of choices you make day in and day out.  they affect your relationships, your health, your financial well-being.  everything.

Everything is something you decide to do, and there is nothing you have to do. ~Denis Waitley

why bring it up again?  we are getting ready to hit another "transition" period.  school is starting.  which means a bunch of people are getting ready to either stop or start something.  or both.  and so i think its a good time to revisit our outlook on, of course, fitness.

fit·ness noun  the condition of being physically fit and healthy.

people choose to work out for different reasons.  and i honestly dont really care what they are.  i mean, overall we could be nicer to each other about the people who do it for different reasons than we do, but generally we could be nicer to each other, period.  these are my 3 big buckets of fitness folks:  the pretty people - who work out strictly for looks; the competitors - who are trying to accomplish something serious in the gym or on a field of some kind; and pretty much everyone else - just trying to be healthy and live longer.  into those buckets fall a ton of different people.  the figure competitors and the obsessive dieters; athletes and steak heads;  parents, students, and generally anyone that has had a health scare or knows someone who has.  those are the people who work out.  GIANT generalization, i know.  

Definition of Fitness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical fitness is defined as 'the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, without undue fatigue, and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and respond to emergencies.'

but there are a ton of people who dont.  and here is where i lose sympathy for the large group of people i like to classify as the "excusers".  i would BUT.  i dont have TIME.  i wish i could BUT.  i wish i LIKED it.  you are so lucky YOU can. to which i say, very sympathetically, bullshit.  i hate those excuses.  i pretty much hate ALL excuses, but the ones that make the comparisons annoy the shit out of me.  because the number one way most people justify NOT working out at all, is time.  and then they go on to make you feel like you are being selfish for taking (or making) the time to do it.  and this is where i will make the "working out" distinction. i use that term because that is what i do.  i work out.  i do not run.  ever if possible.  i dont do yoga.  or take dance.  or walk around "my neighborhood. i dont ride a bike.  or paddleboard.  or swim.  i dont do A LOT of things that are amazing forms of exercise.  because i dont want to.  not because i CANT.  because I DONT WANT TO.  but i am a huge fan of anyone who does any or all of those things.  or any of the million other things that qualify as exercise.  that help you on your quest "to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness".  because that, my friends, is what it is all about. living longer, or healthier, or both.

Moderate exercise is indispensable; exercise till the mind feels delight in reposing from the fatigue. ~Socrates

i have a lot of favorite people that i work out with.  but my best story in this regard is the dad who joined my gym so that he could play with his kids.  he had his kids a little later in life and just felt like he was dragging ass all the time.  his kids wore him out.  and he didnt want to be THAT dad.  thats it.  his whole reason for making the time to get healthy.  to be there, in a better way, for his kids.  he has no desire to compete.  or kick anyones ass.  he has the best attitude EVER.  because he knows that he can now do all the things he wants to do with his family.  and every time he comes back from a weekend of crazy activity, he just says "this was the best decision i ever made".  think about that. 

our health, or lack thereof, in a lot of cases is contributed to by the choices we make.  clearly i am not talking about serious medical challenges.  i mean the normal day to day health stuff.  can i walk up the stairs or do i have to take the elevator?  can i stand up and watch a game or do i need to sit?  in 5 years or even 10 years, will i be able to keep up with my kids?  or do my yardwork?  or any of the million other things you need to be in good health to do?

Health and cheerfulness are brothers. 

~Proverbs by William Hardcastle Browne, 1900

my point here is this:  embrace the idea that this is your ride.  you can always do more.  and you can always do less than what you are currently doing.  life is a balance, of course.  but if you dont take (or make) the time to take care of your body, it will not be there for you in the long run.  you dont have to be obsessive about it.  but you do have to consider it.  this time thing isnt happening TO you.  its happening AROUND you.  and you get to influence it.  you get to decide to make yourself a priority.  not just physically, but mentally too.  you get to spend time on those things that you CHOOSE to.  yes, you may need to work. and take care of your kids.  or have a long commute.  or all of that.  but somewhere, remind yourself of that old "we all have the same 24 hours" thing.  we all find time to eat, and drink.  we find time to facebook and netflix.  we find time to shop and read.  and all the other things.  that are all good things.  we should just acknowledge that a time suck is a time suck. no matter what it is.  so why not squeeze in some yoga. or running.  or walking.  you know. or the gym. 

He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything. 

 ~Arabic Proverb 

consider this my annual reminder to get your ass up off the couch.  with some of my favorite movie quotes to inspire you:)

"Live Long and Prosper" - Spock

“Get busy livin’, or get busy dyin’.”– Andy Dufresne

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” - Gandalf

"Do, or do not. There is no “try”.– Yoda