Top 10 Fitness Commandments

Back in the early 1990’s, I found a book that was the start of a new mindset for me regarding my fitness. A book called Body for Life, written by Bill Phillips. As I read this book, one message that Bill delivered, at least to me, was that health and fitness is much more than 6 pack abs and the ability to wear a bikini or boardshorts. Although that image is the physical by-product of one’s effort in the gym and kitchen, I learned that fitness goes well beyond that.

For me and my health and fitness journey, I often struggled, physically and mentally. I really struggled more mentally and emotionally than truly physically but I struggled to accept myself as being a little heavier or what I thought was heavy. I valued myself based on the reflecion in the mirror as well as what I saw in magazines. I did not have a sleek set of 6 pack abs therefore, I was not as good as others. This insecurity drove me to work harder and harder and harder to the point where I stopped eating the types of food I needed to fuel my workouts. I very much under ate, I over trained, I stopped menstruating, and dropped down to 120 lbs. I thought this number on the scale was success and I became an obsessed with what the scale said. I then began a cycle of only eating in private and binging. It was when I tried to purge that it dawned on me that I may have an unhealthy relationship with food!

I eventually learned that what we put in to ourselves, we reap in return. Maybe not right away but we do. I also learned health and fitness is not always about the “perfect body” rather creating confidence, creating good habits, blocking out distractions, and loving the process of becoming fit and healthy. The journey of health and fitness is a physical, mental, and emotional journey that will last a lifetime. Every day, we must make the decision to live a life of health, fitness, and wellness.

The Body for Life program is a program that puts fitness and nutrition at the forefront but that is the foundation from which we build strong bodies and minds so that we can create the lives we envision for ourselves as well as those around us. As a result of my own experiences, there are 10 health commandments that have helped me stay focused on my health journey!

They are:

#1. Make and keep a decision to change

#2. Be consistently persistent

#3. Visualize what it is you seek

#4. Desire and Discipline

#5. Gain and apply knowledge

#6. Want what you seek

#7. Survive, thrive and take control

#8. Find a realistic role model

#9. Keep the faith in what you are doing

#10. It is your life

In my next few blogs, I plan on taking each one of these and defining them more such that the reader can better understand how they might be implemented!