Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 241 – Merry Fitness

Mahler · 12-15-2008, 09:25 AM

Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 241 – Merry Fitness

Merry Fitness (12-15-08)

I attended a performance of Trans Siberian Orchestra last night and left with a real Christmas spirit. The show, to put it mildly, was fantastic. People were all in a good mood and everyone seemed to be open to the music and the message. With the strains of “Wizards of Winter”, “Christmas Canon” and “Carol of the Bells” playing over and over in my head, I ventured out into the DC traffic and back to reality. It had proven to be a busy weekend and I found little time to sit down and write, let alone think about this morning’s motivator. So, I went to bed with the thought in my mind that I needed an idea by morning. As often happens with this guy who, shall we say, gets up often during the night to visit the bathroom, I got an idea about three in the morning.

It occurred to me that there are some parallels between the ways that some people treat Christmas and the way that some people treat fitness. My thoughts, however, were not as positive as the ones I had while attending the concert. Three things in particular came to mind; the decorations, the gifts and the promises.

Around the holidays I almost always notice one or two houses where there are literally more lights and decorations than Rockefeller Center, and yet during the remaining part of the year the house seems poorly maintained, the grass always needs to be cut, and there is always debris in the yard or driveway. In the fitness world, we notice people who are like these houses. They really get into all the decoration with the most expensive running shoes and the latest athletic wear, but the body is in need of repair and maintenance, which never seems to happen.

Another holiday custom, especially if you have kids, is an age-old behavior and it affects adults, too. You buy those gifts that you always wanted or that they just had to have and after a day or two of play they get set aside and unused. In fact, often with children, the wrapping gets more use than the present. I wonder just how many treadmills, stationary bikes, rowing machines and other fitness products will be purchased this year and end up collecting dust, used with gusto for a week or two and then relegated to the status of a yard sale wannabe.

Finally, as you attend the frequent holiday events, how often do you hear the conversations filled with promises of getting together after the New Year, making plans and keeping in touch. You smile and know that the next time you see this person will be some future holiday party, if ever. The holidays are also a time when we seem to make promises to ourselves that we never keep. People promise all sorts of things from quitting smoking, to losing weight, to getting more active and fit. And, sad to say, a year from now they will still be promising.

There is, of course, a lot more to the holidays and so much that is good. The same too can be said of the fit lifestyle. One final thing I always notice around Christmas is that there seem to be more people in church. As you approach the holiday, itself, the pews get packed and on Christmas Day it’s often standing room only. It’s great that people come, but one wonders where they are the rest of the year. Silly, but to me church is like a gym. You don’t get any benefit out of either, unless you attend regularly. Merry Fitness.
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Copyright 2004-2008 John R. Gesselberty. Mahler's Monday Morning Motivators (MMMM) may not be copied or used without permission of the author. All rights reserved.

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Have a Great Week!

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