"My fitness program was never a fitness program. It was a campaign, a revolution, a conversation. I was determined to find myself. And, in the process, found my body and the soul that went with it."
- - Dr. George Sheehan; from the book, On Running and Being
Leading a physical life is about so much more than how it makes you look. It’s about how it makes you feel. That is not to say that having a healthy body is not a wonderful by-product of fitness; it is. But it is not the motivating factor that will sustain leading a truly fit life. You see, the person who pushes himself beyond what he believes to be his physical limitations, discovers what he is truly made of, and in doing so, discovers himself. Fitness can be our formula, if not for greatness, then for the self-knowledged necessary to lead a full life. Which is the most all of us, great or small, can expect
The mainstream portrayal of fitness as vain, glamorous, and solely ‘external’ perpetuates a myth that fitness is spiritually empty and void of ‘real’ meaning. It is no wonder then that according to the Surgeon General, only about 20% of Americans are engaged in regular physical activity. Because the truth is that nothing in our material world will continuously and totally satisfy us. And on some level, conscious or unconscious, we all know that.
Instead, think of "working out" as just that. It is the actual ‘working out’ of all of the emotional stuff that weighs us down. It has been clinically documented that negative emotions eventually, inevitably manifest in the body in the form of weight, lethargy, aches and pains and illness. "Our bodies are us," writes John Updike. And although working out will not fill your entire day, it will influence what you do and how you do it. It will also influence how everyone else sees you. Therefore, leading a fit life is imperative to leading a full life.
Our minds and our bodies are one. A lot of people walk (push) around as if their body was a separate thing; there is me and then there is my body. "If I were only thinner, firmer, not disabled; if my body was just not ‘in the way’ then I could get on with my life." The image they have of their inner self is different than the body they are carrying around. But the truth is that your body is really just a reflection of your inner self. People don’t necessarily see what you think they see. Women do it all the time. They say things like, "don’t look at the fat on the back of my thighs." Well, honey, no one noticed the fat on your thighs until you decided to point it out. Now, not only are we noticing your fat thighs, we are also noticing your lack of self-confidence. Hence, this women becomes unattractive, not because of her fat thighs, but because she does not see herself as attractive. "As within, so without." See yourself as fit and healthy and you are fit and healthy.
If I had to choose the most important thing I could impart to my clients, it would be work out for the emotional and material benefits first and the physical benefits will follow. The secret to exercise as a way of life, for the rest of your life, is intrinsic motivation.
So the next time you hit the gym, remember that the body you live in is the only body you will ever have. Acknowledge that, then repeat it like a mantra when you exercise.