Sometimes we need to remember
what the goal is.
With fitness, it is easy to get
distracted into thinking that the goal is something other than what it really
is. The goal is not to be
thin. It’s not to work out for a
certain number of minutes a day or week.
It’s not to be lean or toned or strong or even plain healthy, even
though those are all good things.
The goal is to be happy.
Yes, I know that being healthy is
a major component of being happy.
Lifting that previously-impossible weight, finishing that marathon,
buying those smaller clothes—all good things that can contribute to
happiness. They are not the goal.
So please, when you choose your
fitness activity for the day, pick one that will give you joy, either in the
moment or in the long term. Lift
weights because you want those muscles to turn your kids upside down as long as
possible, even when they keep growing.
Ski because you like to go fast.
Dance because the music moves you.
That is a goal worth meeting.