Have you given up on your health and happiness during COVID-19?
As the second studio opens, I took a moment to reflect on life changing moments and the many steps that led me here. It all started on March 15th 1983 - the day I joined the gym and started a new chapter in my life. Outside of the Lord coming into my life, working out has had the biggest influence on my life. No matter what happens, fitness helps me stay strong mentally and physically.
At first, I was only focused on the physical transformation the gym could give me. I decided I wanted to be Arnold and little did I know his genetics and mine were different. That small fact didn’t stop me.
I went to the gym everyday like it was a job. It took several years before anyone could tell I even went to the gym, because I started so painfully thin and lanky. But, I knew results don’t happen overnight.
What I didn’t realize was that something was happening on the inside that was far more powerful than what was happening on the outside. I had spent so much of my life feeling awkward, ashamed and like I didn’t fit in anywhere. My workouts and the community I found at the gym started to fill that void. I found a place that let me fit in and where everyday I could do something that made me feel good about myself.
I learned how to set goals, what it took to achieve a goal that pushes you to the limit, and that hard work was rewarded. I also got this incredible feeling of “I can.” As I made accomplishments in the gym, I found that I was making powerful accomplishments in my life, too.
During these troubling times, so many of us have given up on our fitness and the abundance of benefits it provides. As we sit at home in front of the TV or computer, our temple that God has given us starts to deteriorate both mentally and physically.
Now more than ever, we need that feeling of “I can.” Isolation and negative external forces are a melting pot for depression. With no end in sight for COVID-19, not having a positive outlet can make it all feel hopeless.
When so much of our life is at a standstill, we need a daily dose of positive progress to fulfill our human need to move forward. It’s hard to do that sitting in your house. The gym can feed this need for something hopeful by providing something tangible and positive.
Why is it that during times of duress - we turn to substances that only help us on a surface level? If we’re honest with ourselves, we know these things don’t provide lasting benefits. Numbing with unhealthy food and alcohol may make you feel better temporarily, but will lead your body to feel worse over time.
What if instead we focused on community, progress, and positivity to bring light and hope back into our lives? What we need more than ever now is to return to our health and fitness. I have experienced firsthand what a powerful feeling consistently working out provides. We need to reclaim the feeling of “I can.”
When you’re ready, fitness and your Success Studio community are here for you - socially distanced, masks and all - to help you journey back to hope and health. You deserve a healthy dose of something positive. Give us a call 434-984-2277 or email info@successstudiopt.com today.