I was working on a project this past week (details to come at a later date) and it caused me to step back and think about what fitness means to me. This blog is about my relationship with working out and how it makes me, me (and Uncle Peter, I’ll do my best to keep this one concise).
___________________________________________________
Throughout childhood, I struggled with my loss of sight and fitness began as an outlet for me to cope with the challenges I was facing. However, over time, fitness has become so much more. For me, fitness is a form of self expression and self discovery. It’s the place I go to do hard things, to push my limits, to learn more about who I am and to forge a path forward toward the person that I want to be. It’s when things are hard that effort and attitude matter the most and exercise provides me with repeated opportunities to dig down deep and find the other person who can do more, give more and be more. To me it’s about seeking discomfort and finding strength, not just with movement, but in life. I’ve experienced over and over again how physical limits reveal mental limits and those mental limits translate to life.
While it’s important to balance performance with wellness (they’re not always the same thing), fitness allows me a place to get close to the outer limits of what my body (and therefore mind) can do. It’s at those outer limits of fitness that we get have a choice a series of choices that shape who we become.
We can do what is easy or we can do what is hard. We can stop short or we can finish what we started. We can crumble to temptation or we can stand firm in conviction. We can fall back to who we used to be or we can step forward into who we want to be.
How you do anything is how you do everything and for that reason, fitness is about becoming better. I feel like I owe it to myself and to the world to pursue the best version of myself in all that I do and that’s what fitness helps me do. While it might sound like an individual endeavor, fitness is anything but that. I’ve found incredible community with others who love fitness (Bare Performance Nutrition Team) and I would encourage you to do the same! If you’re interested in the Bare Performance Nutrition community (or products), check them out and use code (DRJOE) for 10% off any purchase.
___________________________________________________
If you’re into fitness then you’ve likely been into this blog, nodding your head in agreement the entire time. On the other hand, if you’re not into fitness, you might not get it (heck, you might not still be reading). I’m not writing this blog to persuade anyone to exercise (although, you totally should), instead, I’m writing this blog to let you know that doing hard things on purpose makes us better. Let me end this blog with a quote that I hope resonates with you.
“Coming out of your comfort zone is tough in the beginning, chaotic in the middle, and awesome in the end…because in the end, it shows you a whole new world.”
Manoj Arora
Go do hard things and if you’d like, let me know what fitness means to you!
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
P.S. If you enjoy my content and want to support me while getting access to my exclusive email and audio newsletter, please click here. I appreciate your time, consideration and support so much!
P.P.S. If you enjoyed this blog, I’d love for you to subscribe below (one email per month).
Not bad. I might start reading these blogs again. Uncle Peter
I love to hear that!
Beautifull blog! This really resonated with me, how I discovered fitness to try my best to be the best version of myself everyday. 🙏
I’m so glad that it resonates and thank you for your insight! 🙏
Great blog Joe. I agree 100% with what you are saying. For me fitness is also a way to push my limits and prove to myself that I am capable of so much more. And all these little wins and positive emotions translate into my everyday life and help me become a better version of me.
I’m so glad that the message resonated with you and that you feel similarly about fitness! I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment! I hope that you have a great week!
Joe, your blog is fantastic! I wholeheartedly resonate with your perspective. Fitness, to me, serves as a platform to surpass my boundaries, showcasing my untapped potential. The accumulation of these victories and the positive emotions they evoke transcend into my daily life, shaping me into an improved version of myself.
http://www.sharpsolutionspersonaltraining.com