What are you Grateful for this Thanksgiving?

It is Thanksgiving, beginning the season to count our blessings, give thanks for our prosperity, and appreciate our health.

I myself exercise and watch what I eat in order to see physical results - a six pack, less cellulite on my outer thighs, decreased bra fat showing in a tight shirt, slim and toned inner thighs, and a 23 minute 5k. Results are what motivate us to exercise and eat clean. Working hard in the gym and watching what we eat is how we achieve our fitness goals. However, do we only exercise to lose weight and
look good in our clothes? Is what we look like the only motivation to get to the gym or complete the 4 mile loop on Town Lake?

After the minor surgery on my nose to remove a small spot of skin cancer and having to refrain from vigorous activity for 9 days, I could not wait to exercise just to move my body and produce oxygen and blood flow. Of course I did have small worries about gaining weight and losing my muscular density, however after my Aunt called to let me know that her 3rd treatment of chemo was almost over, it seemed like my worries of weight gain were quite ridiculous.

I am a perfectionist, and at times struggle just like you with body image and confidence. I too do an extra 10 minutes of cardio in order to burn off that chocolate chip cookie I ate with lunch, or better yet, so I can have a glass of wine with dinner. And just like you, my focus tends to be on the results of my exercise game plan rather than the actual process of getting in shape and reaching my optimal health and fitness. Here in lies the difficulty and challenge of remaining consistent with exercise and clean nutrition. If fitness becomes only a mission of looking good and feeling good about ourselves because we weigh a certain amount or we have finally fit into a respectable size of jeans, then when we reach a plateau with our workout plan or become too busy to make it to the gym, our commitment to a consistent exercise game plan will waiver. But if the health of our body and mind is at the top of our list of reasons why we exercise and watch what we eat, we will find it much easier to continue our quest for health and fitness when results are slower than we expected or it seems impossible to put one foot in front of the other because fatigue is stronger than our will to move.

Why do you exercise and watch what you eat? How would you like to feel as you age? How would you like your body to respond to stress, fatigue, and environmental toxins?

What is your motivation? What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?

I am grateful for:

* The early detection of skin cancer on my nose

* The health of my body, mind and soul

* The strength of my body - the muscularity of my legs and my butt, even if it's a difficult process to find a pair of jeans that fit both my legs and my waist

* The ability of my core to stabilize my body during sports and teaching classes, even if there's still a bit of fat under my belly button

* The results of my full blood panels assuring me that my constant dizziness is just a symptom of my low blood pressure and my slow pulse, these being a result of the "supreme" physical condition of my body

* My family, friends and co-workers

* Pure Austin, for going to work each day is an absolute pleasure and blessing

* My clients, for I have more than 30 friends whom I help reach their optimal health and fitness

* Chocolate, ice cream, coffee, red wine, and cereal - what would TV be without these?

* Oh yeah, Mexican food - need I say more!?!

With the increasing demands of work schedules and family obligations exercise can definitely become a burden, an inconvenience, and one more thing hanging over our heads. However, if we do not remain consistent with our exercise and continue watching what we eat, it will be the health of our body and mind that will suffer.

This week take a moment to think about what you are grateful for and appreciate just what your body can do.