Children and puppies make most people really happy, and instantly. I'm pretty sure we love them for their innocence and their excitement for new things that have become our daily routine. There is something unbelievably beautiful about a brand new experience.
If you have read my work in the past you'll know that I'm obsessed with getting people to look at fitness from a new angle. Creating new memories with active travel, and enjoying life with energy and passion is the part of fitness we don't hear enough about. That was the reason I've created the One Fit City movement. I'm going to change the Nation, One Fit City at a time. Give people things to try, places to go to enjoy life.
We get caught up in body image. That is not what health and fitness should be about.
I read an awesome blog from Julie Rubinger called "Size Ain't Nothing But A Number". It's a brilliant piece done by a Fashion writer who writes from a background in psychology. The story got me thinking, what are we "dieting" and "exercising" for?
We want to get to a certain number, physical look, or something along those lines. Vanity is a great motivator, and can't be over looked. It will keep you going at times when you really just want to eat processed sugar filled foods, or sit on a couch.
But what about getting back to a state in life where we are like puppies and babies. Seeing things for the first time? Look at your fitness journey as a chance to:
1) Try new things - Challenge your body, exposure yourself to new adventures.
2) Challenge yourself - Fill yourself with confidence by showing yourself what you CAN do.
3) Get healthy - Weight loss isn't as important as feeling mobile and full of energy.
4) Have fun - Get out with friends. Go on crazy dates, enjoy life a little more.
We got tangled up in a fashion world that assigns a number to beauty, and we struggle to get to it. Our outlook on a healthy body has been completely focused into the small niche market of looking good on a beach. I want to re-work the way we see fitness. As I write for Inside Fitness Magazine, post here, or talk about fun dates on MyToba.ca, I want to get the focus for health to go to people doing things that make them feel alive.
Try something new, return to that sense of wonder when you were a child and everything was new. Feel like a puppy, bounding through snow or running in a field that you've never seen before. Let's get away from the sedentary life we have led over the passed few years. Let's create memories, use fitness to branch out. There is always something to do, or a place to travel. It may seem out of reach, but if you want to go on a vacation, try creating an account. Put in $15 a week. That is $575/year. In two years you'll be close to having enough money to go just about anywhere you have dreamed of. Buy one less drink when you are out, and one less fancy coffee a week. The world will become yours to discover.
In the meantime, discover your backyard. I've got a day planned up in one of Manitoba's Provincial Parks. I'll be posting the adventure to Instagram coming up. It's $30 for two nights in a provincial park, and because I'm not a regular camper and I don't have a lot of space to store stuff, I found out my local Mountain Equipment Co-op will rent the equipment I need to #ExploreMB . This is the way to get out, exercise, and be healthy.
Trips like this are what motivate me to go to the gym and exercise. I'm going to go see things I can't see in the city, and hike places I've never been. These memories are what motivate me to be fit and healthy.
So go try something new. If it wasn't for this mentality, I would never have done this