If you have ever been on a plane, you may have heard instructions that told you to, in case the plane depressurizes in an emergency, put on your own oxygen mask before attempting to help someone else with theirs. The reason for this is that unless you take care of yourself, you are not able to assist others.
Because I am a fitness professional, I spend time discussing health and fitness with other people quite a bit. This can be a hard job, because of the answer I get when I ask people how they managed to get out of shape. Often they tell me that it is because they have not been taking care of themselves.
But if you have not put forth effort to help yourself, how do you think you are going to be able to have the resources to help someone else? Here are two questions that I often ask people: 1. How are you investing in yourself? and 2. How are you investing in other people? You see, it is hard to invest in others if you have not first invested in you.
If you have children, you may think that you have to put your own health and goals on hold. Do you feel like you must take care of your children at the expense of taking care of you? This is not an uncommon thought, but you cannot give to someone else what you do not have.
There is a startling epidemic of childhood obesity in our country. One of the reasons for this is the fact that many parents are not taking care of themselves. They are practicing bad habits and are inadvertently teaching their children to also not take care of themselves. Do parents really want their children living unhealthy lives?
Sometimes we need to look hard in the mirror and take responsibility for where we are and what we are teaching. If you do nothing today but make the decision to start eating breakfast, get a 25- minute workout in and upgrade your life because you value it and believe your kids should see you at your best--well then we can rest our heads peacefully tonight.
Because I am a fitness professional, I spend time discussing health and fitness with other people quite a bit. This can be a hard job, because of the answer I get when I ask people how they managed to get out of shape. Often they tell me that it is because they have not been taking care of themselves.
But if you have not put forth effort to help yourself, how do you think you are going to be able to have the resources to help someone else? Here are two questions that I often ask people: 1. How are you investing in yourself? and 2. How are you investing in other people? You see, it is hard to invest in others if you have not first invested in you.
If you have children, you may think that you have to put your own health and goals on hold. Do you feel like you must take care of your children at the expense of taking care of you? This is not an uncommon thought, but you cannot give to someone else what you do not have.
There is a startling epidemic of childhood obesity in our country. One of the reasons for this is the fact that many parents are not taking care of themselves. They are practicing bad habits and are inadvertently teaching their children to also not take care of themselves. Do parents really want their children living unhealthy lives?
Sometimes we need to look hard in the mirror and take responsibility for where we are and what we are teaching. If you do nothing today but make the decision to start eating breakfast, get a 25- minute workout in and upgrade your life because you value it and believe your kids should see you at your best--well then we can rest our heads peacefully tonight.
About the Author:
Have you been neglecting your own health and fitness? Vito La Fata is a fitness expert who can help you with your fitness goals. Contact Fitness Evolution for more tips on personal fitness.
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