Wellness

What I am coming to embrace about exercise is I am really talking about wellness. And this may be the first time in my life. I have always viewed and used exercise as a means to an end, to lose weight, sometimes successfully, sometimes not and NEVER permanent.

Exercise is really about fitness and holistic wellness, mind, body and spirit. I was reminded of this this week when I received a message from a friend who was encouraging me in my running. Fitness no matter what you choose not only achieves and maintains a healthy body weight but it also builds a strong body that gains physical endurance and is better to fight illness, disease and resist injury. It builds a strong mind that provides clarity of thought, confidence and determination that flows to all areas of my life and it builds a strong spirit that connects me to God, creation and myself. It controls stress, anger and anxiety.

I know lots of thin people who do not have healthy bodies, minds or spirits, so my goal is no longer solely to lose weight but to build a better self.

So the number on the scale and the number on the tag in my jeans becomes less stressful and less important, because it is about more than that, way more than that. Of course as those numbers decrease there is much happiness BUT the great part is the person stepping on that scale and pulling on those jeans is healthy and whole and looking great is just icing on the cake!