Your goals will not drive you but your personal philosophy will – What is driving you???

People ask me all the time “How do you workout all the time? Or What is your secret to staying so fit?” In the past, I have found it hard to have a concrete answer because fitness and health have always come so naturally to me. After some thought, I’ve decided there is only one way to answer those questions. I had to dig deep and define my personal philosophy.

By having a healthy awareness and relationship with my body I have been able to welcome exercise and healthy nutrition choices.  Exercise for me has always been my social outlet. It has been fun and rewarding, created friendships, and been a way to de-stress. There was a time however, when it was not like this. That was when I had to take some time away. At first I beat myself up about not working out, but then tried some new activities and found other ways to develop a healthy outlet. This went on for about a year.  Besides a random workout here or there I literally took 8-10 months off from working out. It wasn’t making me happy. I felt resentment and had the feeling of “I have too” so I took a reprieve.

I found my passion for fitness again, which allowed me to redevelop my healthy awareness and relationship with my body.  My personal philosophy for health and fitness is defined by my desire to keep educating myself and others; to keep learning about myself, my body and what works for me.  I make a choice to workout and eat healthy to continue to maintain a healthy heart, brain, and body.  I have a hope and belief that someday my knowledge and lifestyle will be instilled in my children and family. By listening to my body I have learned so much about its needs, how to deal with stress, and how to feed my body for wellness.  By using these guidelines I allow myself to set realistic standards and attainable goals.

 

Now its your turn to create and define your own personal  philosophy.   Create an understanding of yourself that helps you anchor your goals. Extreme and unattainable goals come from not having a healthy awareness of yourself.  Answer these questions to develop healthy principles to live by so that you can set achievable goals that keep you on track and are rewarding for the right reasons.

1.       What is important to you?  General wellness, appearance,  becoming more fit, building muscle, learning something new, achieving something new, always want to be growing/learning, etc 
2.        What can you become more aware of? Nutritional choices, bodily needs, attitude, Stress levels, relationships, work ethic, etc. 
3.        How does health and fitness relate to your personal life?
4.        What direction do you want your health and fitness path to take? 
5.        What drives you to workout? Guilt, significant other, personal     achievement, enjoyment, stress reliever, etc.
6.        How do you feel about your body?
7.        How do you feel about yourself as a whole?
8.        What are your ultimate health/fitness goals?
9.        What factors stand in the way of these goals?
10.        What are some small steps you can take to start towards your goals?
11.        How can you measure your progress?
12.        What small wins in your daily life will signify that your making progress?
13.        How will you reward yourself when you’ve accomplished this goal?