Exercise (Not Exorcise)

Apparently, people are starting to get to know me as a bit of an athlete.  Yes, I love sports, but it's the staying fit part of being athletic that I love the most.  Maybe I take it a little bit farther than others - just a little? Anyway, my sister sent me this picture and said "I don't know why, but this makes me think of you."

Funny huh?  Yeah, really funny Sarah!  I have to admit, at first I was a little offended, but then after say about 5 minutes, I thought it was pretty hysterical.  Suddenly, I felt very proud of the fact that my sister related my dedication to exercise to the movie 'Exorcism'!  What a compliment, right?! Ha! 

But seriously, I was proud - I still am.  In fact, I've put a few t-shirts in production with this picture on the front! (Not really)  I'm glad that my name, Lauri, and 'staying fit' go so well together and that I may even be thought of as possessed with the desire to stay fit! 

There are hundreds of reasons why I am so possessed with exercise. Here are just a few:

1. I feel amazing! Getting going to do a workout is tough, almost every day it is at least a small mental battle, but once that workout is over - I feel incredible!!  It's worth it every single time!
2. The more I workout, the less stressed, anxious, and 'out of sorts' I feel.  My workouts help me get focused and stay calm.  That's important with a husband, 2 kids, 3 dogs, the home, races, and a budding business.  And trust me, when you have kids you realize that each child takes parts of your brain...mommies start to feel like they are losing it because your babies eat your brains.  Mommies, you NEED to exercise!!
3. I sleep at night!  When I have to, or need to take a break from my workout regimine my sleep really suffers.  Sleep is gold in my book.  It's hard to come by with me because my mind never turns off.  I have an awesome ability to worry, even in my sleep!  So I will do whatever I can to get a nice deep, comatosed-like sleep, naturally.  Exercise does that for me.
4. It puts me more in tune with my body.  I have met several women triathletes who said the sport saved their lives.  Ovarian cancer whispers, its symptoms are quiet and easily missed and ignored, but the triathletes I know say they KNEW something was wrong.  They could even tell which ovary was disturbing them!  These women are so fit that any extra weight was cause for concern, slower workout and race times worried them, then they both say they could feel the growth on their ovaries.  The Olympic gymnast, Shannon Miller credits her fit lifestyle to finding her ovarian cancer so early.  Plus, all of these amazing women were able to recover from surgery and start chemotherapy faster.  They all also worked out through chemotherapy, which helped them deal with the nausea, weakness, and extreme exhaustion!  I've never had cancer, but I can testify that being fit has allowed me to recover from a c-section and gallbladder surgery easier.  For my gallbladder removal, I was out of the hospital within 4 hours after surgery - I was supposed to stay overnight!  People, listen to me, it helps - you HAVE to exercise (not, exorcise)!

I should say that staying fit is my priority.  The races and events that I sign up for are part of my motivation to stick to it.  Races are the end result of a long journey to reach a fitness level - they are my goals!  You have to have goals to get anywhere - otherwise, how do you know where you're headed or what it is going to take to get there.  So Lesson #1 (from a very short list of lessons I have to preach about) - GET A GOAL!!

Listen, you don't have to do triathlons, or marathons, or become an Olympic athlete.  You just have to find SOMETHING that gets you moving, that you can love, and a goal that you can work for.  Set a small goal, like walk for 30 minutes today, or get through spin class alive, or get through Zumba, Yoga, Pilates, or ride your bike for an hour....set that small goal, and when you reach it, GROW THE GOAL!!  When you grow your goals, you grow yourself, and your possibilities, and your life!  Trust me, with this philosophy anything is possible!

So, today, make a goal and complete it!