Fitness

Fitness, just like diet, is a constant struggle. Even for elite athletes, it never ends. You are never finished. It's a lifestyle. Do I want to be fit or not? If the answer is yes, then it's time to get to work.

For anyone just starting out on their road to fitness, there are many ways to get started, and it all depends on what your goals are. The most important thing is to begin! You can't say tomorrow or next week, start right now. With that, you don't need to rush out and hire a personal trainer and buy a new gym membership. These are options for everyone but not requirements. I always tell people, and practice this myself, find hobbies that keep you active. Many of us don't necessarily want to grind away in the gym for hours and hours. We just want to maybe lose a couple pounds, tone up, or gain a little lean muscle. Most of this can be accomplished without ever going to the gym and with no difficult work out programs. Hiking, biking, walking with a friend or partner, swimming, sports.... there are so many things that you can do to increase your fitness level, and you can have a great time while doing it! Additionally there are tons of groups out there for these types of things so you might even meet some cool new people in the process!

I like to stay active as much as possible. For me it's all about having a routine. I wake up early almost every week day and hit the gym or get a run in. It's tough at first, but once I got used to it I couldn't live without it. It's my favorite time of the day. It's the one time of the day where nothing matters except myself, and we all need that. Then on the weekends or in some evenings I enjoy active hobbies like I mentioned above.

For me fitness isn't about being overly vain or impressing anyone. It's about quality of life and staying healthy. I have a pretty rugged career and I see what happens to folks who don't take care of their bodies. By their 40's they are broken down and wore out. I don't want this for myself. I want to run through the woods and climb trees and use my body the way it was meant to be used, as my vehicle through life. If you don't take care of your vehicle it will break down and leave you stranded. No one wants that.

All it takes is that first step. Or if you have already started, push yourself harder. The only one stopping you is YOU! Your not going to get the body you want by hoping for it. If you can't make it to the gym today that's okay. Take a few minutes after reading this knock out a couple crunches or push ups or whatever! That's what I did ;-)

Grab what is yours. It's waiting!

An introduction

I have started a new blog. What for? Well, I suppose it's on online journal in a way. I don't really do New Years resolutions, I think they are a bit hokey. However, I suppose starting a new year can be beneficial for some because you can make a promise that this year will be better. So I guess I am doing a bit of that.

2016 was rough. It was the most challenging year of my entire life no doubt. I was deployed for the first couple months of it, went back and forth in my marriage, ultimately deciding to initiate a divorce, I've had some issues at work that almost became very damaging to my career, and much more, but this outlet isn't for bitching about my problems. On the contrary, it's about overcoming them and never giving up.

While I don't necessarily have a New Years resolution for 2017, I do however plan to rip this year apart, and I mean that in a good way. I will be very healthy, focusing on the best options for me when it comes to diet and exercise. I will be a good friend. I will be a good father. I will make good financial decisions. I will go on adventures. I will rarely say no to an opportunity, regardless of what it is. I will be helpful to my neighbors and community. I will volunteer. I will donate. I will live a meaningful life.

That sure sounds like a lot, but I think I can make it. I'm not promising to be a saint by any means. Everyone has their own moral compass and I have no illusions about becoming the next Dalai Lama. It's about balance. It's okay to be bad, as long as you are not bad all the time.

As I focus on living a meaningful life, I will be attempting to examine the hows, whats, and whys in this process, and documenting them here. I cannot promise to post all the time and I do not know how long I will keep up with this process, but I intend to share my findings, in the hopes that they might provide assistance to another. I plan for each post to examine one specific topic in my self reflections, enabling readers to hand pick from the subject in which they are interested.

So, join me if you will, and live better. First off understanding that this process has to be about yourself. You cannot be a better you for someone else. It doesn't work that way. First you must be a better you for yourself, and then you will inherently be a better you for others as well. Make sense? Being selfish is good at times, because when you are always giving, sometimes you can give too much. So sit back, stand up, or do whatever you must, but lets get started.