Your Stories & Your Health~Are You Stale?

Do you ever have those moments where you think to yourself, “I hope I never remember this”?   I’ve had a few of those moments and ironically they are the ones that have taught me the most. Some of the moments I remember: the time my mom decided to have my little brother Aaron on my first communion (I know she didn’t really have a choice!)…I had to have my dad help me get ready for church & wear a dress (something I despised, the morning went like this, “Dad, I can just wear jeans. No, Dad, you don’t need to attempt to braid my hair. No, dad, I should just wear jeans!”). I had to be on time & speak at church. Now I was in 2^nd grade at the time, and my dad was a nervous wreck.  I was so mad at my new little brother for inconveniently arriving at a bad time. Dad, you did great. You did really, really great staying calm, getting me to church & helping me with my little white dress (even if I still had jeans on). =)

Or there is the time when I trimmed my dad’s toenails with the riding lawn mower.  Who new, our quiet, saint like neighbor Theresa could drive so incredibly fast?  I still can see the horror of the pain on my dad’s face from him screaming and limping on one foot as I see a part of the shoe he was wearing under the lawn mower. Ugh. Then there’s the time I suffered from 5^th degree burns on my thigh & privates and had to endure skin graft after skin graft on my 15^th birthday. That pain in itself just set me up to endure all the back pain I’d have a year later from scoliosis & a back surgery.

See the thing is, even though these were moments that at the time I wanted nothing but to FORGET them, have become some of the pivotal learning experiences for me. They are the memories I don’t want to forget but also don’t like to think about. It hurts my heart to think about these times because I physically hurt.

There are the memories that are great that I don’t want to forget either.  Like the time I served 8 aces in a row in a high school volleyball game, the night when I successfully pulled off a surprise party for my dad’s 50^th birthday and the night that Josh proposed to me!  There is one memory though that has impacted my life in a way that I can’t really figure out how to explain.

My cousin and friend, Eric passed away over a year ago.  I watched him die and in fact helped him let go to this life and start his new adventures with God.  It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life – confirm to him that dying would be okay, that he really wasn’t done living yet, that he would live in other forms (our memories and create my motivation to get fit & help others do the same).  The ending of Eric’s life led to my life having a deeper meaning to me.  I feel as though I have more of a purpose now.  I felt kind of lost before hand but now I have a passion that goes straight to the heart, my passion for health & fitness so that we can be around to enjoy our family and friends. My passion is to enjoy life and help others reach their dreams whatever they may be. I want to help empower people.  :)

I’ve come to understand that in order to be healthy and fit it will only happen if you truly want it, it won’t happen if you want it for someone else. I know this first hand because I can’t get my own family to understand my mindset.  They “don’t have time” to understand nor have time to workout.  Not even 10 minutes.  Their prescribed medicines keep them “healthy”.  My parent’s are dairy farmers and I know they work hard. They are the most dedicated, hardest working people I know. There are no vacation days for them. There isn’t a PTO bank building for them.  They do physically tough labor all day long. However, their work breaks their body down. If they added strength training, cardio, and yoga to their days their farm work would become easier their health issues would be reduced, and their stress would decrease.  Studies have proven this; I’m not just on a sad mental trip.

I know this because I didn’t have this attitude about fitness my whole life.  I took it for granted when I was in high school.  When I was in college I didn’t have a fitness routine, it was more of a “social run” when I did workout.  Now that I’ve made fitness a routine, life has become easier. Things that used to stress me out don’t anymore.  I’m a better person. I’m overall happier and have more energy.  And probably one of the most important, I’m a much better driver now (more focused-clearer brain!)  I’ve become addicted to my workouts because I love how good I feel afterwards.

Dedicating time each day to yourself and your health even when you’re tired is like charging your batteries every day.  I see my parent’s and my 17 & 21-year-old brothers as tired and burnt out.  I don’t mean to make them sound negative.  I’m very concerned for them.  I want them to truly enjoy life and I want life to be easier for them and I know it would be if they took better care of their health.  I’ve told my parent’s that I want them to be around. I want them to be able to play with their future grand kids down the road.  They said they will but they didn’t seem confident, they just seem really, really tired.

My brothers seem to think that they are off the hook because they are not 50 years old.  Everyone they know is over weight so why in the world should they start working out?  Why has settling and obesity and relying on prescriptions become the popular way to live?  I wish I could just go up to people and shake them.  I feel so out-of-the norm with my mindset to want to be healthy & be the best that I can be.  To want to enjoy my life which means actually enjoying my job.  I feel as though the American people have been stun gunned.  It’s as if we’re all robots, just walking through life caring more about fake “reality” TV shows then the health and relationships around us in our real lives.  Does it really have to take death or severe health scares to wake us up; to give us the jolt that we need to take control of our own lives?

I want to help wake up America.  I especially want for my family to hear me.  I want my family around. I want to recreate good and bad memories with them.  Right now we’re in the lazy pool just lounging through life yet they are working like hell but only in destructive ways to the physical & mental health.  I hope to get through to them.  I can tell that they are hurting mentally & physically. I’m not going to give up on my mindset & my love for fitness and feeling good on the inside and outside.  Is it too much that I want that for my family?  I know that even though I want health for them that they can’t change on my behalf, they have to want it themselves.

If you haven’t been focusing on your health and fitness, can I ask why?  Are you okay with spending all of life lounging in the lazy pool?  Have you gone off the high dive lately?  Meaning have you done anything new, different, maybe even crazy?  Have you made any new stories lately or are you just telling the same old ones?   Have you been stun gunned?

If someone asked your family members about your health & fitness would they have a good response or a negative one?  What do you want them to have?  What kind of future do you want?  Do you want to be around for your grandkids?  Granted, we have no control of when our last day is here on earth, but if our chances of being here longer were higher if we take our health & fitness serious wouldn’t you take the higher chances?   Why don’t we try to live each day consciously?  Why do we wait for an “event” or a certain date or age, or for the divorce to happen or for the kids to leave the house, to start taking care of us first?

Let’s start with taking a night off from watching reality TV (gasp!)  and  get back to creating memories or fresh new stories to share.  Lets step back and really focus on ourselves & our families first. What if we work on ourselves instead of talking about how things should be, or “some day be”, or complaining about the media, the government, co-workers, neighbors, etc.?  The world just may improve for everyone, if we each individually take action instead of waiting on someone else; to some day make the change.

If you’re reading this and can relate at all please let me know.  Whether you see life from my point of view or my parent’s please share with me.

Let me know if I got under your skin. Maybe it’s time for you to make a change for your own self. I’d love to help you.  I want to help as many people reach their goals whatever they might be.  If you’re too busy to workout, do you at least have 10 minutes to help your ticker out.

Thank you, for reading.  I really appreciate it and wish you the very best!

Alisha

4 Responses to “Your Stories & Your Health~Are You Stale?”

1. Mini Mario says:

   August 22, 2010 at 3:26 am

   With all the doggone snow we have gotten as of late I am stuck inside , fortunately there is the internet, thanks for giving me something to do.
2. Gavin Matier says:

   October 25, 2010 at 10:03 pm

   Fantastic stuff from you, man. Ive read your things before and youre just too awesome. I love what youve got right here, love what youre saying and the way you say it. You make it entertaining and you still manage to keep it smart. I cant wait to read more from you. This is truly a fantastic blog.