Elite Shape

A bout of the obvious: we live within our physical bodies, we carry them around on a daily basis. I am almost constantly aware of the state of my body, and what kind of physical shape I am in makes a huge impact on my life outlook. I suspect that most of us are the same.

"Elite" is defined as "representing the most choice or select; the best." The word probably refers to the best relative to everyone or everything, but I am looking at it relative to my own past experience when I think about getting my body in elite shape: the most choice or select, best shape I have ever been in.

Yesterday, I began a training program for a half-marathon in April. It is something I have always wanted to do, but I have never made a commitment to training hard enough to make it happen. But I am in doer mode now, and plus, I am the ultimate form of commitment at my disposal: I'm on here telling all of you that I'm going to do it! What am I going to do? Get six weeks into it and tell all of you that I changed my mind because it was too hard? No way.

Think about your own situation. What is the best shape you've ever been in? What were you doing, eating, etc., that contributed to that? I believe in each of us that we can get it back, committing to the process one day at a time of caring enough about ourselves to move and eat well. For several of us, getting our bodies into elite shape would do more to inform our daily state of mind than anything.

Today's challenge: Break a sweat--somehow. Add one serving of fruit, one serving of vegetables, and 4 glasses of water to whatever you currently consume. One day at a time...