Fitness Is A Form Of Self-Respect
In life, we meticulously maintain our most valuable assets. We service our cars, safeguard our homes, and continuously educate ourselves to advance our careers. Yet, we often neglect the single most important asset we possess: our own physical and mental well-being.
Your body is the vehicle through which you experience the world, pursue your passions, serve your community, and cherish your loved ones. It is the instrument that allows you to fulfill your unique purpose. To allow it to fall into disrepair due to neglect is not only inefficient; it is, fundamentally, a lack of self-respect.
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Engaging in fitness is an act of proactive self-stewardship. It’s a conscious decision to ensure that your primary tool for navigating life remains sharp, resilient, and ready for whatever demands are placed upon it. Every time you lace up your shoes for a walk, choose a wholesome meal, or dedicate moments to mindful movement, you are making a tangible investment in your long-term capacity and vitality. You are keeping a sacred promise to yourself, building an internal feeling of trust and self-worth.
There’s a reason why in airplanes it is said to put the mask on yourself before you help others. Because without your well-being, you cannot help or be there for anyone else. It took me a while to understand this concept. I always thought that the right thing to do would be to try to save others first; obviously inspired by heroic movies and tales. But the truth is, you cannot be a hero if you are not there at all.
That’s what taking care of yourself really means. Understanding that your body is sacred and that taking care of it is the highest form of self-respect there is.
The Mirror of Our Actions
We often believe that our beliefs drive our actions. But it's equally true that our actions can profoundly shape our beliefs. When we consistently treat our bodies with dignity and care, we are, in essence, teaching our subconscious mind that we are worthy of such dignity and care.
We often treat our possessions with great care. We make sure it doesn’t break, or even get a scratch, we keep it in a secured place, we maintain it, we clean it, use it carefully and sometimes only bring it out in important occasions. That makes us believe that it has a lot of value, even if it doesn’t have monetary value. Maybe what you treat so nicely is just something that reminds you of someone or some place. Still, we hold it dear and near to our hearts.
Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash
But then we turn around and treat our bodies worse than that. No sleep, always stressed, alcohol, fast food, no physical activities, more social media time than books or learning, surrounded by unsupportive relationships, working a job that we dislike, etc. What kind of value are we teaching ourselves our body has??
When in reality, it is by far the most valuable asset we have. If we start treating our bodies as if they were our greatest possession, we would improve our relationship with our bodies and how it feels and performs. These consistent, small acts accumulate, not just as physical adaptations, but as a deeper, more ingrained sense of self-worth.
It Is Your Responsibility
As humans we are programmed to try to take the easy route. We often try to delegate duties and find shortcuts. I see this often as a coach, as people tend to ask about which supplements they should be on before they even start getting 8 hours of sleep.
And it is equally true that we also try to find ways to get results with the least amount of work. While there are ways to do that in other areas of life; we can go on dates set-up by friends, we can get a promotion at work based on somebody’s recommendation, we can learn something from a mentor, we can be gifted a present; there is nothing that can be done by someone else to improve our own health (medicine is and will always be trying to change that).
Your food, your exercise, your thoughts, your habits are all things under your control. More importantly, they are all things that you must do them yourself. Nobody can exercise for you, nobody can eat well for you, nobody can meditate for you, etc. It is your responsibility to take care of your body.
A Physical Manifestation Of Self-Worth
“An image is worth 1000 words” and “actions speak louder than words” are two sayings that represent this idea that what you look like might say more about yourself than your words will. Whether we like it or not, when somebody that takes care of their bodies walk into a room, we automatically notice them and give them a sense of respect that is to say that they’ve “earned it”.
Anybody can get that feeling for themselves, all it takes to develop this level of confidence it to respect your body. By respect, I mean nourish it, train it, develop it, enhance it, maintain it. Do that and not only you will have a new sense of self-worth, but others will see that in yourself (maybe even inspire them to do the same).
It is also important to mention that self-worth is directly related to our confidence in performing certain tasks. There is no self-worth if we don’t believe we can complete mundane tasks. Therefore, being disciplined with our nutrition, becoming strong in the gym, successfully learning new skills, all enhance our confidence that we ourselves can improve and become “better”.
So, as you approach your next workout, your next meal, or your next opportunity to learn something, I invite you to pause. Shift your perspective. Don't see it as another item on a to-do list. See it as an opportunity to engage in an act of self-respect. See it as an affirmation of your worth, your capabilities, and your commitment to living a PurposeFull life.
How will you honor your body today?
