In high school I primarily used fitness to stay thin. Sure, I loved the endorphins it provided and general stress relief, but my primary objective was to achieve the unhealthy thin that was plastered all over magazines, TV shows, etc.

Fitness was obsessive, but not in a fun or healthy way.

Thankfully, I no longer pursue that body image. I do not own a scale and never really plan to step on one again.

Now I enjoy fitness for its mental benefits and the strength it gives me to live the life I want.

Functional fitness.

This type of fitness prepares you for everyday life and the movements you actually do during your day.

Now fitness is a means to achieve the “functional” goals of my life:

1. To be strong enough to carry our bicycles up and down the steps multiple times a day.
2. To run several times per week for mental clarity.
3. To recover from workouts in a healthy way and do it again the next day.
4. To squat down in the sand with my kids and build sandcastles.
5. To do the monkey bars when they tell me I “probably can’t.” (Challenge accepted).
6. To carry my 40 pound daughter occasionally when she is tired. I know she will not want me to hold her soon, so I still cherish these moments.
7. To have the capacity to walk places and get where I need to go on my own power.
8. To bike long distances and be freed from traffic.

My ultimate goal is lifelong fitness that weaves so closely into my life that life and fitness cannot be separated.

-Brittany