Man I love the Olympics! I wish they were held every year instead of every four. All of these highly competitive athletes that have trained hard day after day and year after year to attain that highly coveted gold medal excites me and makes me proud. As a personal trainer this is the type of spirit I would like to see in my clients. I want them to exhibit the same passion for health and fitness that an Olympian has to be the best at their respective sport.
Gold medals are great! But they can't compare to the benefit of aging with the grace and poise that comes from living a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a healthy diet. It disappoints me when I hear people say they don't have time to exercise. I always think to myself you have time you just don't find exercising pleasurable so you'll conjure up any excuse not to do it. You'll never hear Usain Bolt or Micheal Phelps claiming they don't have time to exercise. They couldn't imagine life without their exercise regimes. That's why they're Olympians. They also don't view exercise as an unpleasant chore or burden. They see it for what it is which is a challenge that reaps great rewards.
Next time you feel like skipping a workout think of Serena and Venus Williams, Gabby Douglas, Kobe Bryant, Micheal Phelps, Usain Bolt and the slew of other athletes that are participating in this year's London Olympics. You may not be an Olympian but you should have the same desire to win at life in general. Wouldn't you agree a long happy life free of diabetes, high blood pressure, musculoskeletal dysfunctions, joint pain, metabolic disorders, Alzheimer's disease and dementia is worth the investment of exercising at least thirty minutes four to five days a week and avoiding junk food? Wouldn't you prefer to be independent and free in your golden years as opposed to a burden to your loved ones? That would be the quintessence of winning!
