There are many sources of information on fitness: the seemingly infinite internet, dozens of magazines, TV shows, personal/life coaches, thousands of books, countless health professionals, heck, maybe even your own mother! You’ve likely heard many times over how important fitness is to your life.
So let us ask: how many times do you have to hear the message before you act on it? Virtually all of us have heard the “hows” and the “whys.” So why is it we all of us look and feel the way we truly desire?
The answer is simple: knowledge alone does not always inspire change! Each of us needs to go deeper. But, once we uncover our very own personal, strong, emotionally charged reasons, we are compelled to exercise consistently (and enjoy it), eat nutritious foods in the appropriate amounts (and savour them), create an amazing environment for the important people in our lives (and truly feel fulfilled), and enjoy getting older (without fear). Are we being idealistic? No! We sincerely believe it is possible to accomplish this and so much more!
The most compelling reason for you may be found in this introduction. Or you may discover it on the very last page. You will know when it happens. Your pulse will quicken as you realize what you have to do and why you must take action at that moment. And when this happens, we want you to pause for a minute. For that exact moment will mark a turning point for you. It is a second chance for a renewed way of living.
Hey, everyone deserves a second chance!
This book, Fit for the Love of It!, is loaded with simple tips and well-researched strategies to be implemented immediately. A simple decision to incorporate any one of them is the starting point leading to the enjoyment of greater health for you and the people in your circle of influence. The time to make this very personal choice is NOW!
“The beginning is always today.”
~Mary Wollstonecraft
Psychologists have reported that when someone is ready for something new, it often makes an appearance. There is a reason why you picked up this book. We know you are ready for a new way of looking at this important subject.
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
Whether you know it or not, you already have tremendous qualities inside of you. You may not be manifesting them at the level you want right now because of the all-too-common feelings of self-doubt, fear, guilt, physical pain, or lack of energy. These reasons work against you, holding you back from living the life you were meant to live.
Rest assured, as you read Fit for the Love of It!, you will realize you deserve more than what you’ve been giving yourself and much more than what you’ve been settling for. No matter what kind of health you and your loved ones currently have, there is a chance for you – maybe this is your second, third, even twentieth chance. But it’s your chance to make new decisions and take action – life does not have to be the same again!
In the chapters “Attitude: Our Daily Bread” and “The Power of Intention,” we reveal the awesome creative forces inside each and every one of us. There are powers all of us have at our disposal that only a small percentage of people ever put to use.
As we explain in the first chapter, “The Perfect Time Is Now,” all it takes is one simple adjustment in your attitude towards fitness or health. We like to think of the analogy of a ship on a voyage across the ocean. The first day after a small adjustment in direction, nothing appears to be different. However, it isn’t very long before that one-degree change has a dramatically noticeable effect. An entirely different port of call will be entered. The same is true of the small adjustments you’ll decide to make regarding your nutrition program: the first time you eat the apple instead of the chocolate candy bar for a snack, you won’t see any physical changes. But after a few weeks or months of better food choices, you will notice a difference in not only how you look but in how you feel.
Think of the messages in Fit for the Love of It! as a prescription for reinvention. By making changes in one area of your life, you’ll experience the benefits in all other areas. Change is one of the most powerful forces in nature.
“The real voyage to discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
~Marcel Proust
Making health and fitness a priority in your life can be the first step toward enjoying a better quality of life: success in your fitness endeavours will spill over into all other areas of your life, especially your relationships.
But before you can begin to take good care of others, you must take care of yourself. The bottom line is that all of the relationships in your life reflect the most important one: the one you have with yourself. The only way to change your world is to change yourself first. You’ll find empowering tools for your journey into this new lifestyle in the “Spiritual Fitness” chapter.
If you lead a stressful existence, paying little attention to your physical, emotional, or spiritual self, there will eventually be dire consequences. See the chapter “Creating Balance” for powerful reasons to pay attention to other areas, besides the physical, in your life.
The chapter “Set a Goal, Get a Goal” describes the disciplined effort of doing what you have to do when you have to do it. This chapter assists you in organizing and prioritizing your dreams. It is a call to ACTION.
“To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something.”
~Walker Percy
In the Zen tradition, sages talk of the beginner’s mind – the ability to have an open mind when you are looking at new information. Whenever we read, we have found that by asking the question, “How can this information serve me?” miracles can happen. This process is called cognitive restructuring. Just by reading highly charged material, changes may occur. You will find it hard not to pick up relevant information and start incorporating it into your daily schedule. You’ll see, all this stuff sort of just sneaks up on you.
You will find that underlining and circling information can start the ball rolling. All of the quotes in the text have been carefully selected to enhance the material you are reading. If one hits home with you – write it down in your journal or hang it on your fridge. New facts will be impressed into your mind as you write in the margins of the book, highlight tips, and turn down the corners of the pages. Go ahead, mark it up – you paid for it!
We challenge you to not leave Fit for the Love of It! unfinished. Resting on your bookshelf, it will not accomplish anything. Putting to use the strategies that hit home for you will make a difference in your life. You’ll find simple strategies for nutrition and shopping in the chapters “Food for Function” and “Shopping 101.” We believe you’ll make more than one adjustment. Some of the strategies may be new to you. Some you may have heard before. But, our prediction is that today may just be the day you’ll say to yourself, “I’m ready; I’ll give it a try.”
We will provide you with an array of tools to assist you in your journey. We challenge you to be outrageous in your quest for a renewed way of living. Step out of the old box that may have confined you, and leap forward. Not only do you deserve it – it’s your destiny!
FIT FOR THE LOVE OF IT!  |
