Make it Fun!

Are you having fun with exercise?

This is a serious question. I know, some of you are probably wondering if that is possible. To some of you, it might seem like exercise is a chore, something on your to do list to check off, that may be possibly hanging over your head until it's complete. Maybe to some it is fun, you just might not have the time to participate as often as you would like.

Personally, exercise is the most fun for me. It's my one hour to let go, be in my own world, unwind from the stresses of every day life, think about workouts for my clients, and listen to music that makes me want to just get up and dance. I am the most confident and calm when working out. I am at peace in the gym, lifting heavy weight, balancing on a bosu, performing decline push ups off a bench, and teaching my pump class on Thursdays.

I want to tell you that I don't consider myself an exception to the norm. Yes, I was an athlete my entire life, and my father instilled physical fitness in me at a very young age. However, in my opinion, exercise is the best way to balance out the pressures and stresses of daily life.

Strength and Endurance are not just for athletes. We need to be strong and endured for everything that we will encounter. One has to have the ability to remain calm under pressure, mentally composed when combated with confrontation, and secure enough with one's self to stand tall and strong to those things that want to push us down.

I find my strength in the gym and on the streets of Austin. With each weight, each exercise, and each hill downtown, I discover a new element to my internal strength that leads me in the right direction of achieving my goals and dreams. I have always said, sometimes it's not about how great the run felt, but how big the fight was to finish the run that was a struggle from the minute I pushed play on my ipod.

It is the size of the Fight! And this requires strength. Physical and emotional. The gym is not the only place to find this, but I am here to tell you that it is the place that makes everything make sense to me. When I am struggling with a problem, or I am having a fat day, or I just don't feel like moving forward, I download a play list, go to the gym, and in one hour I "find" myself again. This is what the soccer field use to be for me. I could put my cleats on, grab the ball, and within a few drills I felt like myself again. Physical activity is how I feel good about myself. It is how I continue to move forward. It's how I find my strength.

The past two weeks seem to be really difficult for everyone. With the economy and the quick approach of the holidays, everyone seems to be a bit out of sorts. I recommend and urge you to go to the gym, go for a run, grab your tennis racket, or put your cleats on, and go "work it out." Find your strength, discover yourself. We are always stronger than we think we are. We can always push harder. And there's no problem we can't solve without a little persistence and endurance.

Life is full of pressure. And it might not ever get easier. However, if you find fun within it all, you will begin to actually enjoy rolling with the punches.

How strong are you today?