Are you living your authentic life ?
(photo credit: jonaspeterson.com)
When reaching your fullest potential is the goal and a work-in-progress at the same time
There is so much available these days on line regarding fitness and physical well-being that I doubt I could add anything new. That said, in this section I aim to share content on a number of topics that are quick reads and I find of interest. I imagine that it´ll will be an on-going thing.
As is my wont, I will first say a few words how ´Physically Well-Being´ relates to the essence of this site, namely Authentic-Living. I think when I first heard that term, I had the impression that it referred to an ideal ´life ´and by extension ´ideal´ physiology where, one would be the embodiment of perfect health and fitness. You know the image, the one where everybody has perfect hair, skin and teeth, a trim toned physic and is often seen running along a beach or through a meadow smiling from ear to ear and oozing the joys of life, and of course looking ten years younger than they really are. Wait ! that´s the advert for something or another I´m sure.
Well I realised for me that couldn´t be further from the definition I use. One where, Authentic Living, means ´real living´ and where being real actually means there´s a bit of work to be done here but I am aware of it and not letting it stress me too much. In other words everybody´s reality is a personal thing and as such how they live their ´real´ lives is more about working towards reaching their fullest potential and not one that is rammed down their throats by advertising campaigns or social influencers. I don´t know about you, but as far as Physical Well-being is concerned, it is definitely a work in progress and very very REAL.
So is keeping it real the answer to a happy healthy life ? Well, it is not for me to say what people should or shouldn´t do. Real could also be damaging to one´s health so I guess in this context it´s more about being mindful and honest with yourself. ´Own it!´ as they say. Here I can just share things I find interesting and my thoughts on, in this instance, what physical well-being for an authentic life means to me.
Looking back over the decades, I can see how I intuitively did things that made me feel well. As a child I recall getting my first bicycle and how every available opportunity my friends and I would go off for bike rides for hours, without a care in the world. We were encouraged as kids to be outside and playing rather than ´moping´ around the house. During the summer we would spend hours and hours at the outdoor swimming pool. We needed no encouragement to get and be fit.
My first bicycle, not only brought me joy but a sense of freedom. My younger brother, seems to agree !
Yet, bad habits over the years required drastic action. On and off diets, gym subscriptions, exercise classes you name it ! At times I was at my peak fitness and at others I needed a kick up the backside to try undo the damage. So today I am honest with myself about my flaws and bad habits and when I decide to do the next diet or fitness regime, I try and keep it ´real´ and by that I mean. I give it a go and if I slip up or drop it I try not to give myself a hard time over it and accept that I will for sure, try again soon. Life is too short to be constantly fighting with yourself. That doesn't mean that I am not painfully aware that right now I really need to lose several kilos to be healthier and happier because I do, it just means that I am slowly learning to start to care for myself holistically bit by bit and keep things authentic on all levels is how I´m going about that.
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