Tricked ya! I actually love exercise. Do I love it all the time? No. We never love anything all the time. . .well, except chocolate and sunshine. But I do love the feeling after exercise, every single time. I think of it as a metaphor for life and I get many insights when I exercise, whether it’s yoga, running, or a workout. I hadn’t ran in almost a year, because I stopped running when I was pregnant and it’s been winter here. I do DVD’s at home and my baby watches me and kicks her little legs as I move around. Yesterday, the sun was shining and I got the idea to get my sneakers on and run. It felt so good to be out in the fresh air, moving my body and feeling strong as I challenged myself. I didn’t know if I’d have to stop often to catch my breath and I was not going to judge myself. I am of the philosophy to just do my best. Running doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m more of a jogger.

One block I ran, then another, and I ran a half a mile where I had to decide whether to head back from there so it would total a mile. I decided to just keep going. This is the gal who never even ran the mile in school. I didn’t believe I had it in me. I ran two miles yesterday and was so happy with myself. My two miles may be nothing to some, but I celebrate every run. I don’t say I’ll run a certain amount of days or for the rest of my life. I see how my body feels and what it wants. I love the feeling of being alive. As I was at the mile mark where I was turning back, I realized I’d be running into the wind. Since it’s always a metaphor for me, I had an awareness that I had been running against the wind many times in my life, which was really an invisible wind that was created by me. It is where fear and doubt slap us in the face and make us afraid to move forward.

How often had I stopped because things got hard? Where I didn’t do or finish something because I didn’t think I had what it took to succeed? Until a few years ago, I had such little faith in myself in so many ways. I didn’t like to be out of my comfort zone and judged where I was at by where others were at. When I got out of the competition game and worked on living my own life, I thrived. What others are doing doesn’t have anything to do with me. There will be those who run faster, longer, more often than me. Good for them, I say. I run my own race. I wish others well when I know we can all win. We can all be a personal success. Next time you observe someone running down the street, you’ll see all runners run a little differently. Their pace, stride, arms, and style is their own. Just like in life, you gotta rock what you got and realize you are in competition with no one. Enjoy the journey and don’t forget to look at the scenery as you’re jogging along.