November 5, 2010

I’ve made a goal to start running more – a minimum of 10 miles a week to be exact. I have already lost 50lbs within six months after the birth of my second son, Nicholas. However, my body was beginning to plateau and I knew I needed to start doing what my body felt challenged to do.

And so I’ve started running. I run up bleachers, on the treadmill and outside with my double stroller. It’s not easy, nor is it something I enjoy doing at all. It challenges my mind and body and that is why it gets done, week after weekday after day.

As I write this column it is Wednesday morning. As usual, I woke up at 5:30am after hitting my snooze button twice. After training back at the gym, I knew that while I mildly enjoyed the stair climber, the treadmill was calling my name. In the back of my mind I was thinking, I ran on Monday and Tuesday. If I don’t run today, I can just run the next time I train this week. I was internally negotiating how I can avoid running by acknowledging what I had already done this past week. In truth, I can probably sit here and say, Maria, you’ve done well since giving birth to two sons in less than two years. Give yourself a break and just run tomorrow!  This type of thinking seems tempting and has tempted me in the past to give just 90% and not my full effort in intensely training.  Unfortunately, reviewing the past, planning for the future, and not utilizing the present moment is why many people fail to accomplish their personal fitness goals.

You can’t tell yourself you’re going to start your workout program tomorrow, or eat clean tomorrow, or even run tomorrow. At the same token, you can’t tell yourself you were a high school football star, that you won a fitness contest 3 years ago or that you used to be 10% body fat. The fact is, is that who you were then, is exactly that, who you were then. Who you will become tomorrow, will be determined by the decisions you make today. 

 While  I successfully ran every day so far this week, this morning, I was going to take the opportunity to reward my efforts by breaking’ and performing another type of cardio after weight training. As soon as I told myself to give less of my mental and physical strength to complete a fitness endeavor, I decided to choose the harder route. After all, winners are those who travel the least traveled routes.

Winners don’t concentrate on where they’ve been. They look at where they’re going.

They don’t wait for the opportunity to create positive change. They alone create their opportunities.

So create your opportunities for positive change today. Right now. Walk up the stairs. Park a little farther. Eat a little less. Sleep a little more. Get off the couch. Take your dog for a walk. Attend a fitness class. Participate in a charity run. Write down your goals. Take a healthy supplement. Call your fitness mentor for advice, inspiration or motivation. Don’t wait. Do it NOW.

Create your opportunities and be the master of your fitness destiny.

(this was originally written for an upcoming column for Max Sports and Fitness magazine.)