Mind, Body, Spirit…the philosophy by which the YMCA is grounded —is at the core of how I view fitness. For me, it’s more than how my arms look in a sleeveless dress… It is about one’s inner strength.
One of my latest clients at the Y is a cancer survivor who committed to 12 weeks of working to regain her strength. Over the past 3 months, I have witnessed an increase in her aerobic stamina, a gain of confidence in working with weights and an overall lift in her spirit. It was my honor to be her coach in this process: to encourage her and listen to her struggles and joys of success. It is amazing to me how our relationship started out as coach/ client but quickly turned into a friendship.
That is partly why I chose the name “Fit Friends” for this blog. Not only am I trying to use “social networking” as an advertising tool for my personal training business (k.hillis.pt@gmail.com), but I also hope to motivate clients to focus on their fitness. Really, it’s okay to focus on being fit -- it is not self-indulgent. Sure it can be, if you let it. Or you can make the time that you take for fitness to be so much more than that. One of my favorite fitness activities is running. For me, when I am alone, my runs become very spiritual times. And when I run with a friend, it is a very social time and a chance to encourage one another along the road of life.
Your health (mind, body and spirit) is the biggest reason to focus on fitness. In fact, the newest recommendation stated in the Presidential Active Lifestyle Program- is for adults to be active a minimum of 30 minutes EVERYDAY of the week (http://www.presidentschallenge.org/pdf/ActiveLifestyle.pdf). So grab a friend and go do a physical activity that you enjoy. Come on... let’s get fit!
