The Undefined Woman

I don't know about you, but my daily list of things to do does not include trips to the spa, a personal trainer, or my local nail salon—not that there's anything wrong with any of that—I'm a simple woman.

I love wearing a comfortable pair of jeans/slacks, a nice top, and a great smile. That's how I make my mark on the world—physically—everyday.

I've never bothered with make-up much, don't care much for heels, and probably know more about football than fashion, but  that's the me I'm happy to be.

The me who has stopped being overly concerned with any suggestion that I'm not "feminine" enough simply because I don't fit into a certain idea of what a woman is "supposed" to be. 

Let me tell you this, despite what you've been told, being a woman has nothing to do with the clothes you wear, the bag you carry, or the face you put on in the morning. Those are merely the things that please the eyes of those around you and make you feel good about yourself when you step out your front door every day.

None of those things mean a hill of beans where peace of mind, heart and spirit are concerned.

You should be able to remove all of the material comforts that people associate with you, and still know who you are, what makes you tick, and what you stand for.

Any woman can buy a pretty piece of clothing and wear the devil out of it, but not many have the courage to say 'this is me, love me or hate me, but this is me' once stripped bare of all the glitz—can you?

When you wake up in the morning you are already beautiful, tussled hair and all. All the stuff that accompanies you out your front door—the bag, the make-up, the shoes—are just the cherries on top of an already perfectly iced cake.

Don't ever forget that.

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The Importance of Scheduling Your Workouts

I would not describe myself as an exercise fanatic, but I will say that my exercise regimen is something of great importance in my life. A typical week consists of about 300 minutes worth of scheduled physical activity (60 minutes of strength training, 120 minutes of yoga, 120 minutes of aerobics/cardio).
I make time each day for these things because I know that they are of great value to me—physically and mentally.  So, the message I wish to convey here is a simple one: schedule your workouts.

So much of our days are filled with family, professional, and social commitments, that we often aren't able to find the time to exercise. Of course, if you've read enough of these posts, you already know how I feel about making excuses. Even so, I recognize that it's tough for most of us to keep the momentum going once the thrill of seeing results has passed us by.

However, never forget that complacency is the mother of failure where attaining your fitness goals are concerned, so it's of the utmost importance that you evaluate each day and try to find time to where fit in a workout—even it's only a 15 or 30 minute one.

A solution that has worked well for me has been to either offer myself a make-up day or the option of  adding in a second workout on an otherwise uneventful day.

For example, if I find that I will not meet my 60-minute goal on Monday, I resolve to move that session to another day during the week. That might mean taking an early morning bike ride on what might have otherwise been my off-day or opting to participate in a late evening yoga session on a day I normally would only do cardio.

These are adjustments I am willing to make in order to keep my fitness goals on track.

That doesn't mean that I haven't encountered a week or two, here and there, where I miss multiple days or completely flake out on a workout session—I have my days of complacency too—but the point is to not allow one missed day to become a habit for the next string of days, weeks, or months.

Schedule time for meeting your fitness goals and make them a part of your day-to-day life.

Day 17: Mirror, Mirror...

What you see when you look in the mirror can tell you a lot about yourself.

It's human nature to pick at the flaws: Our hair is too short or too long, our nose is too big or too little, our teeth are too crooked or too yellow, or we wish we had a more ideal body—one that rivals that of an athlete or a movie star.

That said, some of us have a tendency to be more critical than others. Some of us see flaws that aren't there—things that we perceive, in our minds, to be visible to others, but that are, in truth, only a reflection of what we feel inside.

It's those thoughts that can be the most damaging to our self-worth and overall growth potential.

At some point, you have to come to a crossroads about who you are, and who you can be. None of us are destined for perfection, but no one will fault you for trying to be the best version of you that you can—so, go for it.

However, don't lose perspective in the process. Always remember why you are doing what you're doing.

If your motivation is to fit a goal that you've already realized within yourself, then plug away. There is nothing wrong with self-improvement that's born of positive self-actualization.

On the flip side, if your goal is set based on external factors in your environment, then you could be setting yourself up for failure. There is nothing "real" about the images you see on a billboard or a television screen. A lot of people, trainers, and money are behind the pretty pictures you see, and setting your goal based solely those images is akin to setting out on a dark path—minus a working flashlight, a map, or a clear sense of direction—you might get there, at some point, but your emotional and psychological compass will be battered and bruised a great deal along the way.

Don't let your journey towards self-actualization be set using a worldly compass, develop your own compass, set your own pace, and have faith that, at the end of your journey, you will be every bit the person you hoped you could be.