For some people, fitness has always been an uphill climb. They struggle to find a way to make it work for them. Whether it’s time, energy, motivation, or results, there always seems to be something that stands in the way of them reaching their goals. When they see others looking the way that they would like to look, or living the lifestyle that they are trying to match, they can be both inspired and discouraged.
For other people, fitness just seems to click. They always seem to be in-tune with the lifestyle. They are consistent in their workouts, manage their eating habits without being obsessed about them, and generally enjoy the process of doing the things that make and keep them fit and healthy. No, every day is not easy and yes, it can still be a challenge in terms of motivation, effort, and simply the difficulty of pushing yourself to get better. But overall they have solved the riddle. Fitness is a permanent part of their life even to the extent of contributing to who they are and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
But that doesn’t mean that the people in the second group who live fitness were not at one time a part of the first group who couldn’t seem to make it work. Sure, there are exceptions and those for who the fitness journey has always been a smooth path, but this is not true for most. So the question becomes, how does someone get from the first group into the second?
Halfway through my workout the other day it dawned on me. It was something that, while I had never taken it for granted, I may not have viewed it as clearly as I could have. The truth is that when it comes to fitness, some of us have an unfair advantage over others.
I’m not talking about genetics or youth, some type of performance chemical, or even basic good health. I’m talking about the mental and emotional advantage of understanding what fitness can and will do for us. Knowing these things make it easier to keep going, even when it is a challenge. We understand how much value we will get from doing the day-to-day things that fitness requires of us. That we will get things way beyond what is visible in the mirror and even measurable by health markers. We will gain an elevation of self that while certainly including the physical, goes well beyond just that. If we are fortunate, we also know how to make the different components truly work for us. Compared to the people who have not discovered or learned these things, this is a huge advantage!
Once you know all that fitness can do for you. Once you actually FEEL it, that is a huge advantage. It’s like eating a favorite food and trying to get someone else to understand how good it is even though they’ve never had it. They won’t understand unless they try it. No, they may never like it as much as you do. Maybe some other thing will be their favorite. But now they have the chance through self-discovery to find out what that is.
That’s exactly what fitness is, a journey to self-discovery. It is filled with likes and dislikes, obstacles and accomplishments, triumphs and failures. Along that journey, many tangible aspects of fitness take place. You gain more energy, more strength, improved appearance, better health, greater longevity, more confidence, lowered stress, new friends, and develop a greater degree of adaptability. In addition to these, depending on your individual make-up, you will find other things as well. Things that will be important to you, whether or not you knew you were looking for them. On this journey, you will develop a greater understanding of who you are and what you are capable of. It will be beyond what others may see or understand. It will be personal and valuable to you. And it will be the thing that keeps you coming back to walk that path as far as it will take you. It will be your own unfair advantage!
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