This is my fifth post with the Kohl's #MakeYourMove initiative. View my previous #MakeYourMove posts here, and follow the movement on social media using #MakeYourMove.
Staring out the window I see a blanket of white, cold stuff that has been surrounding me the past couple of weeks. Snow and I are not friends, and this unseasonably cold and wet winter has set my wanderlust into overdrive. I've been dreaming of adventures and working hard to solidify the “why” behind my fitness mission, and life in general.
It's hard to explain to the world that you are exercising to be healthy, independent of weight. We are used to being bombarded with messages to minimize, shrink, and shed pounds. When you play the scale game since elementary school, the weeks, months, and years of tying your worth to what a scale says just starts to feel absurd after a while. Can't be be worth more than that number? Can we be fitness seekers and not live-and-die by the scale?
Occasionally I have moments where my past (full of aches and pains, binge eating, sedentary lifestyle, and leg pain) comes flooding back. When I finished my first 5K years ago, I remembered having a flashback to when I got very winded walking around a block downtown after I had to park further away from the building where I needed to be. A couple of weeks ago I was passing people in LaGuardia (a NYC airport) as I carried my overnight bag slung over my shoulder. I've always been a slow walker, so passing people while carrying non-wheeled luggage stood out as surreal. I also remember thinking that my arms were going to hurt the next day from deciding to carry my luggage instead of doing my standard roller bag. But the next morning, I wasn't sore at all.
Hello, NYC! I am not sore!
As I cringe again at the sight snow outside (which is hopefully the last of the season), I am thankful for these reminders that flood my consciousness because they're little pings that push me to want to do more. To stop waiting for the “when I's” for all situations to be perfect before I make a move.
To that effect, I've started envisioning my meaningFULL life. Obviously it's a life full of meaning, but more specifically, seeking out things adventures that make me FULL:
F: Fun – does it fill me with joy?
U: Uninhibited by self-doubt
L: Lively
L: Love-filled
So far, I'm seeking a meaningFULL 2015 with some travel adventures that will meet this criteria! Nashville (x3), Denver, Gatlinburg, New York (x2-3), and hopefully somewhere tropical. No matter where I end up, these are my fit travel essentials, all from Kohl's.
- Contigo Water Bottle: The first thing I do when I get to a new city is buy water. Lots and lots of water. I love that many airports now have water bottle fillers so I don't have to spend $6 on a 16 ounce bottle of water at LaGuardia. I hate traveling without water, even if just at home. Plus, there will be some outdoor adventures, and staying hydrated is a must.
- Simply Vera, Vera Wang Sunglasses: Some sleek shades pull double duty for shielding your eyes while outside, and also hiding the smeared mascara from the sweat – ha!
- GoToob Travel Tubes: I've had GoToob's for a while now as I'm picky about my hair and skin care (has to be gluten-free, or I break out in hives) and don't like to guess as to what a hotel will have on hand. I've yet to have these leak on me, so that's a win. Plus, I try to carry on whenever I can and these are just the right size.
- Nike No-Show Socks: It's basically the golden rule in life – never enough socks or underwear! I actually keep clean socks inside my luggage at all times (even when it's in my home closet) so I don't have to search for socks at midnight before a 6am flight.
- Samsonite Boarding Bag: I'm a reformed wheeled-bag carrier because I've had to gate-check a rolling bag one too many times on the small regional jets that leave my airport. No more pink tags with this bag that is big enough even for me to overpack for 1 night.
- Black Mountain Resistance Band Set: These take up virtually zero room and can be used anywhere. We use bands like these at my gym, so it's a virtually zero-equipment workout. No hotel gym? No problem. I also use these for ongoing physical therapy exercises on my ankle.
Not sure if it's just me, but looking forward to a meaningFULL life is much more motivating for my health and fitness than a number on a scale.
What do you think?
This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Kohl's.
