Fitness Friday #41: Fuel Your Life

Usually, when I talk about ‘fuel’ I’m referring to post-workout recovery. Like, bananas.

But it takes more than bananas (or insert whatever you like to eat after a workout here) to keep your fit. It takes attitude. It takes focus. It takes time (and the effort to MAKE time). It takes mental stability, to a point. It takes…happiness?

I stumbled upon this article about 7 Habits of Happy People this week, and it got me thinking about fitness as it relates to happiness.

Do you need to be happy to find success in your fitness/wellness world? Is happiness a piece of the puzzle needed to fuel fitness and wellness?

I often see happiness listed as a benefit of physical activity. But does it work the other way around, too? Does happiness cause you to find success in physical activity?

I don’t have the answers to any of these, but I have my personal experiences to help flesh out the ideas.

The year that I ‘rewrote my script’, ended a 6+ year ‘relationship’, and finally started allowing myself to see the truth of my unhappiness, I ran 15 road races, broke all of my race PRs, and totaled 1,000 miles. I also taught 9-11 fitness classes regularly. All of this, I think, was because of the pursuit of happiness. I was unhappy, and looking to fitness to fuel my life, to find my happiness.

Fast forward to this past year, 29, and you’ll find me at my favorite year. I’m stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. I got to marry the most loyal, sincere, sweet person. I don’t second guess myself. I’m nowhere near the same dedicated ‘shape’ I mentioned in the above paragraph. But I’m chasing bigger fitness dreams, moving toward additional certifications, options, a new path. I say no to things that shift my focus from the things and people I love. I feel ok saying no, too, which is just as important. Things don’t seem out of my reach. I’m fueled to chase these passions because I feel happy. Happiness fuels my life, which includes physical activity as a chosen path of interest. And as a way of life.

So, what do you think? Does happiness fuel physical activity like physical activity leads to happiness? Does it all work together? Tell me your thoughts!

Just to keep the world balanced, I also loved this article about Clueless in 2015, too. It was super fetch. Or, wait.