Who’s at the top of your gift giving list this holiday season? Might I suggest YOU as the first recipient of your generosity? During this very busy season I want you to give you and your family a boundless gift… the commitment to take care of your own health and fitness. If you are already committed I applaud you. If you feel overwhelmed by countless responsibilities and demands, let me encourage you to start small. Just get outside and walk! A simple walk in the brisk air can reinvigorate your soul, AND burn about 200 calories in the process. Those are your gifts.Now it’s my turn to give you a gift. I want you to shut off your cell phone, calm your mind, and listen for that little voice in your head… the one that guides you to authenticity, compassion and strength. Let me share something that could change the way you see fitness in your life.

Recently, I attended the annual California Women’s Conference held in Long Beach, hosted by Maria Shriver. Inspiration was abundant with world class speakers and leaders that included Elisabeth Edwards, Michelle Obama, Tony Blair, Jamie Lee Curtis, her Majesty Queen Rania Al- Abdullah of Jordan, Nobel Peace Prize Laureates as well as everyday extraordinary women who recognized a problem or challenge, identified a solution, and pursued it with courage, perseverance and compassion.

However, the most moving part of the day for me remains Maria Shriver’s message. She spoke eloquently of the challenges and sometimes unwelcome changes in her life; her growing children, caring for her ailing mother, her profession, as well as her struggle to discover who the real Maria is under all those hats she wears being part of a famous family, a wife, the First Lady, and a professional working mom… all the while trying to find a healthy balance. But as many of us do, she was resisting the changes.

It was during a particularly difficult time that she came across an old Hopi Indian poem that goes, in part, like this…

     
  There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is great and swift and there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off toward the middle of the river,
Keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.		  
     

She ended with “I am letting go of the shore.” Her message resonated with me to the point of tears… still does.

I can’t stop thinking about how the lesson in the Hopi Indian poem is so applicable to fitness. I have long felt that the biggest struggle with women and fitness is not how to do the perfect bicep curl or spin class. The true conflict is that we resist because we feel torn between obligations to others and responsibility for ourselves. And when it comes to exercise, we often lose sight of the destination.

Fitness is not just about a smaller butt or flatter abs. Exercise makes you more self confident. You actually show up differently in your life… with your eyes open and your head well above the water. This is how we best model our lives for children, especially girls. We show them that while we are women, mothers, professionals, wives and partners, we are authentic, compassionate, strong and valuable.

During the Women’s Conference we were all asked to take a pledge that you might consider as well:

Ten Things I Pledge To Myself

  1. I pledge to “show up” in my life as myself, not as an imitation of anyone else.
  2. I pledge to avoid using the word “just” to describe myself. For example, I won’t say, “I’m just a mother,” or “I’m just a student,” or “I’m just an ordinary person.”
  3. I pledge to give myself 10 minutes of silence and stillness everyday to get in touch with my heart and hear my own voice.
  4. I pledge to use my voice to connect my dreams to actions.
  5. I pledge to use my voice to empower myself and others.
  6. I pledge to serve my community at least once a year in a way that will benefit other women.
  7. I pledge to ask myself, “Who am I? What do I believe in? What am I grateful for? What do I want my life to stand for?”
  8. I pledge to sit down and write my own mission statement.
  9. I pledge to live my own legacy.
  10. And I pledge to pass it on.

So this is my gift to you. I sincerely wish for you the gift of fitness. Whatever that may look like for you. Now let go of the shore and pass it on.

To Find out more about the conference and view the main stage speakers online go to www.californiawomen.org. And if you would like to be inspired to get your personal fitness back on track e mail me at ToYourPeak @ yahoo . com