The way that I view fitness has been shaped by various people, books, and research studies. Hold on tight because this will be a 5-parter highlighting insights from wise people in the area of fitness. Today, I will start with 2 educators who have taught me a lot about health. I will pass on this important info to you:
Character, discipline, skill, and fun -- all these things are key components in life-long fitness. My health teacher and soccer/softball coach, Barry Veenstra, emphasized these things and I believe they are very important. (See more about sports and kids at this post: School-Aged Athlete.)
Character: not letting success or failure define you; not letting what you stand for be compromised to gain success.
Discipline: working hard and practicing even when you don't want to; also allowing for rest when needed and knowing when other things/people in life are more important than discipline.
Skill: developing skill in something active helps you enjoy it so much more. It's never too late to develop a new set of skills. (See recent post about my dad.)
Fun: having fun while being active is what keeps you going back for more. Going back for more is what creates life-long healthy habits.
In college, Dr. Doug Miller posed this challenge to his sport and exercise science students: To help clients improve their physical appearance while diminishing the importance of physical appearance. He encouraged future professionals in the health field to redeem their profession by guiding people to put their identity and value in something greater than their physical appearance. When your value comes from the love and approval of the God of the universe through Jesus Christ, then it does not matter if we have the love and approval of those who do not see past physical appearance. You have value apart from physical appearance. Learning the science behind fitness has taught me to be active for health and not for appearance -- and I encourage you to do the same. See more in a prior post addressing fitness and Christianity.
It was in my high school health class that I decided to go into the health field -- thanks Coach.
