Break/Make the cycle. Bree: There is just nothing...

Break/Make the cycle.

Bree: There is just nothing as awesome as feeling like something you do or say has a positive effect on someone else, and it is especially awesome if that person has done the same for you in the past or is doing so now. The fitness community is an ideal place to witness this in action. Working out with a friend or family member and sharing your excitement regarding your workouts or the results of an active lifestyle can lead to a pretty impressive cycle of reinforcement.

My mom has always been in great shape and has been active since she was a kid. Now in her 50’s (sorry MOM!), she is still healthy and fit but activity has been limited to make time for other things. Though I clearly did not follow in her footsteps immediately, as an adult, her example helped me decide to become more active and make fitness a priority. That decision (in turn) prompted my mom to start running and we now go to the gym four mornings a week to spin, run, or lift. Our morning workouts help fuel my evening workouts because I have a chance to talk through my goals and assess where I’m at. It’s great to see that her influence has inspired me and that mine as inspired her.

As members of the fitness community, we often talk about how no one else can make the change for you, do the work for you, be the difference for you, and it’s 100% true – but that doesn’t mean we can’t be a great example for others and let others be an example for us. Tara and I have often talked about how people show each other they care through food and how it can end up turning into enabling, but what better way is there to show someone you love that you care than to be a positive role model for healthy living; if you love them, you should want them to have a long, happy, healthy life. That’s what my mom, Tara, and so many of my friends do for me – remind me that life is most enjoyable when we are able to live it healthy and happy.

Thanks guys!

(via letsbefitandshit)