Healthy Life Pro: acceptance

Doing What I Can with what I Got is Good Enough

It's Good Enough

When it comes to fitness and especially my workouts, I make them my own. If you have read my About Me section, you're aware of my medical issues requiring modification to certain exercises.

I do what I can with what I got and it's good enough. I can recall feeling defeated after my injuries and especially during neuro-rehab when I couldn't even lift my head off an exercise ball.

Tears of pain and frustration would flood over those appointments, and almost to the point of giving up. I would pray every night for things to be different and wake up the same. What an ugly place to be, but there I was years ago. I became so determined to fight, and I did.

Fast forward to now and I'm in a much better place physically, mentally and spiritually. Going through tough times builds a tough inner and outer shell.

The point of life is not to understand everything that happens to us, but handling it the best we can when hard knocks on the door. Giving up and being angry would be easy but what good does that serve ... nothing.

Acceptance of me and what I can do became the focus. Maintaining all my hard earned muscle took some creative program planning. I saw it as a positive challenge and not an obstacle. I had to discover through trial and error what worked best for me.

I am in tune and listen to what my body is telling me. There is a difference between exercise that feels good and not right. If anything twinges in the not right direction, I put on the brakes and immediately modify and do something else.

I don't believe in pushing past something that will hurt my body and land me flat on my back or worse. I appreciate the gift of what I can do and will not fudge this up.

Do I miss certain things ... yes. I get so excited watching others perform what I used to do. I want to jump in and do it with them. That is just my inner athlete still alive and well, but my outer athlete will dictate what I can do now.

Exercise is about being smart and creating a quality life. So many don't realize how good they're supposed to feel and accommodate chronic pain. My goal is to increase lean mass while decreasing or eliminating pain. I know what it feels like to be in severe pain and how hard I have worked to achieve being pain-free.

My fitness journey is not about doing what others can do, but doing the best at what I can do. It's about acceptance of my body and the thoughts surrounding it that belong to me. I believe in adopting a healthy lifestyle to create a quality life. I walk and teach this motto daily. It's about doing what I can with what I got and that's good enough.

Read more of my articles on the Verywell health network under Sports Nutrition.

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TOSSING OUT THE TRASH

So many of us have a hard time accepting the great things about ourselves, the accomplishments achieved, the results gained, and instead zero in on what we think is negative. I have to admit that I am guilty of this on occasion and I know my hubby would like to beat me over the lack of �mental game� head when I have a vocal slip. Why do we go right for that juggler of what we �think� is not a great attribute on our bodies, even if it is a work in progress? I for one am going to toss any negative stuff that may pop out of my mouth about myself into the mental trash can. I do not allow negative talk in my studio, and I will not be a hypocrite behind closed doors. So, next time I complain about how my butt is not as lifted, and go for a squeeze of disappointment on the cheeks, I will slap my own backside for that behavior.

The journey of this life is to be our BEST self at every age, and joining the 50+ club now means my bootie will not be as high and tight as my twenty something beautiful backside daughter (btw � got it from her Mama J), but I applaud that I am happy with my body overall. Sometimes I think it feels difficult mentally to grow old and more like an inability to believe or accept that it is happening. We go through the process of living each day not thinking about what is going on with our bodies with each passing day, month, or year. The reality is that we are all growing older and the changes that go along with that are not an option. I am not counting the options of medical science elective processes that are chosen to hide what is happening with our aging process and let�s face it, minor elective procedures stop working or look absolutely ridiculous as the years add up. In my mind I still feel twenty-something, but the mirror reveals a truth that sometimes blows my mind and I am sure many can relate to what I am saying.

It is not that I am being a negative Nancy about me or my body, but I do miss my younger self sometimes. I believe that is an OK feeling to have as long as it does not interfere with accepting the beautiful person that I am right now. The years have gone by in what seems like a blink of an eye and that is what is so unbelievable. I look at my daughter and see myself years younger and WOW, if that is not a reality check. That is when the meaning of life and how generations are ready to step up and into the position of where I am hits home. It truly is a beautiful thing and growing older is an honor and privilege, but for many it is scary to face or accept. It really is OK to say that I am fifty years old and that I am happy with my fitness level and body appearance. Loving ourselves right where we are is what starts the positive mental game process of improving and progressing.

Trashing who we are, verbally attacking our bodies, and feeling crappy or guilty about it is not a healthy way to live. It is important to achieve the best health and fitness at every age and that is what matters in addition to being happy through the process. No one enjoys being around a negative Nancy or Ned, and that can stop with each of us by holding our tongues and immediately changing our thought process to something positive when those negatives try to knock at our door. In fact, it is important to take it out of our door and right into the trash.

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