My Journey to Health – Week 17

feels. I look better in my clothes and have more energy and stuff, but there have been changes that you can not quantify. Those are the things that I want to start to touch on. My self confidence has risen dramatically. Awhile back I watched an episode of Penn and Teller’s BullS***! on self esteem. I thought, “Wow, I thought I was the only one that felt self esteem was a load of bullhockey.” Still not 100% convinced that it has as much control as people tend to give it. But, I’ve noticed a few things. I carry my head a little higher and my shoulders back. It’s beginning to be uncomfortable to slouch. Now you might say that posture is physical, so that has nothing to do with self esteem. But, it does. I sometimes get ropes into going to functions. I’m not big on that kind of stuff and always feel out of place. I’m never able to just go hide out in the corner either. So, I force myself to stand up straight and not slouch. I always felt like if I slouched, people would see how completely uncomfortable I was. So, while I’m not giving into the concept of self esteem fully, I’m not as dismissive as I was. I feel proud and accomplished. This has been and will continue to be hard work. There are some days that I feel like there is no way possible that I could bring myself to do another rep. I have to drag myself to the car. Then, by the time I make it home, I’ve had time to reflect a little. I am always amazed at the things that I am doing. I was a serious couch potato when this all started. It seems like inactivity breeds inactivity. The more I sat around, the more I looked for activities that allowed me sit around. After a while of that, you start to feel pretty crappy about everything. My first day in the gym, we did bunny hops. I almost landed on my face more than once. This past week, I hopped my little heart out. If you think that sounds like a silly thing to be proud of, wait till I get the hang of jumping rope! When You’ve never been physically active, you get tickled over that kind of stuff. When you start out on your journey, you will be amazed at the differences you will notice in every aspect of your life. I’m not saying that exercising and being active is the key to happiness…..for everyone. Don’t be too quick to dismiss it though. I just read an article at fitness.gov that states, “We now have evidence to support the claim that exercise is related to positive mental health as indicated by relief in symptoms of depression and anxiety.” You can read the entire report by clicking here. Regular exercise, according to the report can help with mental health diseases like chronic anxiety and clinical depression. People who started on a exercise routine of 10 to 15 weeks saw benefits similar to those on other treatments like medication. Certainly supports Anytime Fitness‘ philosophy that Exercise is Medicine. Who really wants to stuff themselves full of unknown chemicals when there is a natural and fun (never thought I’d say that!) way to take care of the problem? Until next week, take care of your body and your mind. There’s a whole lot more to this new healthier lifestyle than meets the eye. I’ll see you at the gym. Have a healthy week.]]]]> ]]>