Today I am proud to say I can do just about anything my children can do and I love it. I will say I get comments for my “extreme” work out habits. But honestly, I don’t mind because the hard work I put in to regain my health and ability to move again was worth it.  It has given me the ability to join my kids in activities instead of growing old “watching” the boys do the things we love doing.

However, something I learned through my fitness journey is that happiness was not found in how much weight I could lift, how fast I could run, or how many PR’s (personal records) I could break.  It was not in my weight loss goals achieved or how I could keep up with the kids.  At the end of the day not even any of those things were enough. I would still stare in the mirror and be unhappy. 

Happiness is a mindset.  Yes, it is an emotion, but it’s also a choice we make daily.  I strongly believe in order to be a well-rounded healthy person we need to work on our mental health as much as our physical health.

Voltaire stated, “I’ve decided to be happy because it’s good for my health.”

He was definitely on to something.  Choosing to be happy helps us to be all around healthier women. It lowers our stress, allows us to have peace of mind, lessens our anxiety, and gives us more rest. We are able to think clearly and see things positively. Therefore, we feel better and stronger emotionally and physically.

Remember being healthy is not just a physical accomplishment but also a mental attitude.  It is what we think and speak over ourselves just as much as it is what our physical bodies are capable of.  The bible states:

 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.” -Proverbs 18:21 CSB

Let’s be the women that choose to eat positive fruit staying away from the bad that will eventually poison our hearts and perspective. After all what goes in must come out.  So, let’s keep our thoughts positive and aim for happiness as a mindset.