Looking & Feeling Great

If I had one wish I could share with humanity it would be to look their best and therefore feel their best.  It isn’t something everyone has experienced in life though.  It’s true when you look your absolute best you feel like a million bucks.  Just moving around feels good.

I’ve sported  several different “looks” in my life due to pregnancy and just plain laziness.  Sometimes being too busy came in to play.  I feel blessed to know the difference and how they have a huge affect on my mood, attitude and body.   It has  become very clear to me that there is a direct correlation between my weight and my mental attitude.  And I can’t be the only one that has noticed this.

For instance, the best I have probably ever felt in my life both mentally and physically was when I took a Spinning class five times a week followed with a Yoga class.  It became addictive…not the classes…the way I felt after the classes.

I remember not even being able to get through the first 10 minutes of the class on my first visit.  It was embarrassing and I was sucking wind while everyone else seemed to be breathing at a normal pace.  I hated everything about it…I only went because a friend had talked me into it.  After attending the third class though, just like with anything else you keep at persistently, you learn to pace yourself and get through it.

Sooner or later I was addicted to the “high” feeling I got about 20 minutes after class.  That high is what got me through the rest of the day with a level head and three toddlers.  I called them partners- in- crime and they were about as busy as three toddlers could be.  I had no help and can honestly say I would not have been able to do it with a smile on my face if it weren’t for Spinning and Yoga class.  I never once drank coffee or any other caffeine related beverage either.  Crazy but true.  I was creating the energy I needed by burning it for two hours at the gym.

I truly felt like a million bucks in just about every way.  If a day went by without my workout routine I noticed it in the way I spoke to my kids & others, how my clothes fit and simple movements.  Just bending over to pick-up up a toy off the floor felt different.  I cannot express enough how glad I am that I had that experience…that I made myself do that the first week.  I now use that experience as a gage.  It troubles me that most people don’t know what that feels like.  No wonder they continue down the path they are on.

We all need to experience what it feels like to “look good” and “feel good.”  There is nothing more addictive and motivating than that feeling.  I can’t honestly say if I didn’t have that experience I would be motivated to get it going again. We all have to have something we consider reachable.  A goal that we absolutely know is attainable because we did it once before.

I also remember the feeling of not wanting or needing the donut or the cookie or the chips.  Yep,  that wasn’t even something I thought about.  There is a direct correlation between exercise and cravings too.  They just kinda vanished.  I did however like knowing that I could have it though if I wanted it because I earned it.   Go figure, you finally earn it and can “take it or leave it.”  Exercise has a funny way of changing EVERYTHING.    It levels out stress, cravings, weight issues, hormones, attitude…and therefore, relationships, outlook, wardrobe, health….EVERYTHING…they’re all linked together.

So, as I work it into my busy day, I realize it’s not just to get skinny…it’s about EVERYTHING else in my life.  That is what I wish I could give everyone.  To give the “feeling” of feeling great and truly understand what it feels like to look their best.  Odds are, they would work out forever after that, because it is more addictive than any Oreo, any pill, any cigarette or any TV show.