Getting in shape, or fit, or fulfilling your personal fitness potential, takes a few different factors in order for one to be successful. First, one must have a balanced workout program, a balanced menu plan, and a healthy relationship with themselves, food, and exercise. I can suggest workout programs and meal plans all day long, but if my clients don’t have a healthy relationship with themselves, food, and exercise, they are most likely destined to fail miserably, no matter how sincere their attempt. I bring your attention to this subject matter because I want to talk a little bit about “relationships” when it comes to fitness. Our relationship with ourselves, our relationship with food, and our relationship with exercise!

Number 1, if we don’t have a healthy relationship with ourselves, most likely we don’t have enough respect for ourselves to do what is best for us. Therefore we will act in self-sabatoging ways to punish ourselves for not being the best version of ourselves in our own minds. However, we cannot be the best version of ourselves if we keep getting in our own way.

Number 2, if we don’t have a good relationship with food, we will most likely eat it for the wrong reasons and misunderstand what really tastes good to our bodies. Food is there to nourish and nurture our body temple which then nurtures our spirit. It is not there to poison our minds and bodies and therefore dull our spirit. Heavy, unhealthy foods hold us down, whereas light, healthy foods allow us to have space inside of our body temple and to transcend human suffering. I’m not saying its not ok to endulge every now and then. I’m simply saying that when we put our attention on wanting to “feel good” and that becomes our motivation to eat because we understand what “Feeling good” ultimately means, then the choices we make will follow and come into alignment with our intention. We will just naturally make better choices, with power, not force.

Number 3, our relationship with exercise is equally important because if one is intimidated, bored, or unmotivated by the workout program, then why do it right? However, again, this relationship is based on wanting to “feel good” and allowing your decisions and choices to come into alignment with that. Once you are aware enough to feel the difference between life with exercise and life without it, then you cannot go back to no exercise, because you know too well how much better it makes you ultimately feel when you are consistently exercising your body and in turn enhancing your mind and spirit. Then it is also a matter of keeping things interesting, doing a little bit of everything and really changing your program up to suit your moods:)  Check out the video to see one of my favorite pieces of fitness equipment in action:  The TRX!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsSpWCTEgNU]