I went for my first run in Calgary today, I was nervous starting off because I hadn’t attempted it yet. I have done a lot of reading on the change in altitude and how it can effect our health, it’s no Lima but being in the mountain range definitely has its effect on your body. As nervous as I was though, I was nearly jumping out of my skin with excitement!

I started slow, walked up to the trails on the Bow briskly to get my heart rate up and as soon as I stepped foot onto the trails uneven concrete, BAM! It was like a shot of energy ran through my body. I had a stupid grin on my face and I had zero problem with keeping pace just like I did back home. I was confident and feeling kind of bad ass really… My fears of not being able to meet my own standards were gone and I was on cloud nine.

I don’t even know how I started running. I was never a fit kid or a fit young adult, I didn’t really play sports and I knew nothing about anything fitness related at all. I don’t remember the day I started or if it was even a struggle. I just know that now, I am a runner. I am a runner, and a lifter and a proud gym rat… and so eager to learn as much about fitness as I can.

Then there are all of the things fitness has taught me.

Courage.

Something happened in life that made me make this change. I stood up for myself and as a reward I suppose life gave me a new beginning. I see it all as a blur now, and rapid… I just remember waking up one day and being 40 lbs lighter. Literally. That is where it all picks up in my brain. When I truly became conscious of the changes I had made and started to build my life again around those changes.

This is when my courage really kicked in, I joined the gym. I got a personal trainer. I lifted weights… like where on earth did this girl come from? And why did she take so long! My self conscious self had road blocked me my entire life. Very few times did I take a risky road, or a leap of faith. I played it safe. I did only what I KNEW I could and stuck to the shallow end of the pool… so to say.

I still fight that demon, daily. However I now have this voice in my head that says “Fuck it…” and I try. Sometimes I fail, but it only makes me think about what I did wrong and how I can make it work. The times I succeed though, wow…those moments feel AMAZING. I hate to bring in the gym examples (not 😉 cause I know you all love to hear about the gym from all your gym rat friends 😉 The feeling of upping your weights, adding another couple pounds or reps whether it be 5,20, or a plate has become so gratifying to me. It is truly a feeling I have rarely felt. The accomplishment from HARD WORK and persistence I have to say in kind of new to me.

Strength.

You never really think about your strength until you are looking for it. Your strength to believe, your strength to move forward, to face change and to reach for your goals. Just to name a few amongst many others that we hold.

We all have it within us… in every single form that it presents itself. It is how we choose to use it that makes it so powerful.

Strength is the invisible muscle. It doesn’t just appear, you have to work on it. You have to nurture it and train it, rip it apart so it can heal and become better then before. The more you throw at it, the more it will grow. What does that mean? Well, it means, your heart has been broken… it isn’t the first time and maybe not the last, good lord it hurts though. But guess what, that heart ache is growth. Your heart is being torn apart, but a torn muscle if nurtured properly actually is a good thing. It is going to heal and be way better then before. It is going to grow! You are going to be so ready for that next love and your heart is going to be bigger and stronger then ever before, ready for what ever is thrown at it! Whether it be another heart ache (which hey means more growth! YAY!) Or it is going to mean you have met the love of your life and your heart is so big you can give them all the love they deserve and MORE!

Or to step away from the love topic, maybe you are going in for a big job or promotion. It doesn’t pan out in your favour. Are you going to mope around and settle for a job you are unhappy with? Or are you going to press forward in search of the next? You said press forward right…? Of course you did 🙂 Cause guess what, maybe that was a hit to your ego, bruised it up a little bit but you threw a bandaid on that minor dent and looked for positive solutions. Guaranteed you learnt SOMETHING from the experience and you GREW. You are now stronger and ready for the next.

Whatever the scenario, life isn’t easy but the more strength you have at the end of the day the better you will be able to handle it. So, roll with the punches, get beat up a bit, WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU MAKES YOU STRONGER!! Amirate 😉

Patience.

What’s the saying? Rome wasn’t built in a day…

Now I am BAD for this one. I get ideas in my head and I want them NOW. I need to work on that. I get so frustrated with trying to figure out the path sometimes I give up before I even try. Bad Becca..BAD.

Everything takes some sort of effort, no matter how easy some people make it look. Just because you see someone whip by you in their fancy ass Cadillac as you’re rolling in your sweet Topaz doesn’t mean they got it over night. You need to think about what it took for them to get there and how long. Maybe they started out on the bus, or on foot. Maybe they worked 24/7 for years to get to this point. WARNING GYM ANALOGY** Hey Arnold, were you born with that physique? Hell no! HARD WORK & SACRIFICE got him those pipes! Good on him, the struggle is real!

Either way, how often do you feel good about something you rushed? And how often does it come out right? You need to make plans, and stick to them. Talk yourself into whatever it is you must do, stay late to get that final bit of work done or go in early, work over time go the extra mile! Rise to the occasion and push till defeat… but not final defeat… rest…regroup and round 2!.. or 5 or 10! Just KEEP GOING.

Being powerful within yourself is the biggest blessing a person can have. If you have the strength, courage and patience to defeat your own self doubt you most certainly can trample anyone else negative doubt towards you.

So go get em’ tiger!

Show them (and yourself) what you are made of!

xoxo

B