Do you enjoy being active?

So when I signed up for the Eugene marathon I got three months subscription to three magazines. I quickly chose Runner's World and Sports Illustrated. I didn't know what to pick for my third, so I just checked the one that sounded the most about physical fitness: "Fitness." I have now found that Fitness magazine makes me laugh more than gives me information on fitness. The "how to shed 10 lbs" and "why haven't I lost the weight?" cover the magazine.

Everything in the magazine is focused on weight and body image. That shouldn't be the core focus for fitness. I see the same thing as I pass by gyms: "Shake the weight before summer"

Is it the magazines or gyms fault? They're just trying to reach to the largest consumer audience. Research they have done must draw them to reach out to people to focus on weight loss as their number one reason for being physically active.

I am here to tell you to be physically active in something you enjoy doing. Make fitness fun! If your sole purpose of exercise is to lose weight then your going about it the wrong way. Losing weight should be the bonus to exercise. I'm not saying you can't be excited about losing weight. If it's your number one objective though, exercise will start to feel like work. Then doing workouts becomes an extra stress in your life when it should be a stress reliever.

If you don't get any enjoyment or satisfaction running on a treadmill besides saying "I hope I lost 3 lbs with that run," then don't run on the treadmill. Find something else you might enjoy. Go for a hike and enjoy the outdoors. Go for a leisure bike ride. It doesn't have to be physically draining. Just active movement.

It might just need to be a mindset change too. Certainly not many enjoy running on the treadmill or running in general. I am not saying that you should never run because you don't like it. Maybe you need to find something you enjoy about running and focus on that. The feeling of accomplishment after the run. Or the runner's high that will soon kick in. If there might just be one tiny thing you like about running, biking, swimming, etc. focus on that one thing. Maybe down the line it will be more enjoyable and you'll feel more accomplished.

Also, we all have a little bit of competitiveness in us. Go play a sport. Even if you're bad at it. Just play and have fun. Tennis, soccer, basketball, frisbee, or whatever you like. Go do it and have fun. I know when I was in college I felt like I hardly ever did a "workout." I played maybe 2-3 sports a day for 2-4 hours. It was tiring, but I hardly noticed because playing new and old sports is my passion. Don't be self-conscience about swinging and missing at a ball. Just laugh and enjoy yourself.

Physical fitness should not feel like work one bit. It should be fun! Be active but enjoy what you do while doing it!

Sports, run, bike, swim, hike, dance, garden, lift weights, yoga, wii fit...etc...

Respecting Your Rivals

There's been someone on my mind lately. Her name is Mary Ann Allegretto. She was one of my favorite teachers, even though she taught me in one of my least favorite subjects(English). I had her my freshman year at La Salle. I came into English I, not knowing what to expect. I had been receiving extra help or taking special classes for reading and writing since I was in 3rd grade. I didn't know how it was going to be, basically being thrown to the wolves and having to be in a regular English class in high school, and at a college preparatory school nonetheless.

Mrs. Allegretto made me feel comfortable. I think she knew I had struggles in English, but she didn't let me use that as an excuse. She just knew that I would need a little extra time to grow and adjust to high school English. Did I become an amazing writer after her class? No. Did I even love English after her class? To be honest, no. But what she did was plant the seed of change and gave me the ability and opportunity to be at least an average high school English student. Which I couldn't envision a year earlier going into La Salle.

More than just English though, Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great student/teacher relationship outside of our class(something she had with a lot of her students). Our relationship was focused on the beavers and ducks rivalry. At this point in my life, I was just starting to become a huge beaver fan and debates with duck fans was one of my biggest passions. When you're passionate about something and debating with someone else that is also passionate, things can get personal. Especially for teenage boys. Mrs. Allegretto and I had a great rivalry relationship though. She taught me that it is okay to love and respect your rivals. Something that I still have to remind myself of today, and every time I do, I think of her.

It will be 10 years this summer since she left us on earth. Her funeral was the first funeral I ever attended. Seeing the large amount of current and past students that were there(standing room only at the back of a very large church), you knew how much she meant to each and everyone of her students.

As I have now coached for 4 years, every time a student I coach heads off to Eugene, I think of Mrs. Allegretto. I still love those kids and I try to be respectful, yet I still have to tease them a little bit for wearing that yellow and green. The same friendly banter that Mrs. Allegretto and I had.

Thank you Mrs. Allegretto! I know you are up in heaven watching over all of us!