The sum of my parts…

Today I almost feel like Sarah Kay who writes in her book “No matter the wreckage”, “It is December, and nobody asked if I was ready.”

Yesterday a matric girl from Pretoria was quoted in “Beeld”: “My biggest wish is that 2020 should be a thing of the past.”  Yip, if we had a rand for every time someone said “2020 is the worst year ever” or “2020 sucks” or any of the other hundred words and sentences on how they hated the year 2020, we would all be rich by now!

In his book “The world in Lockdown”, well-known social worker Peeyush Pandit says: “As human beings, the need to attach hopes or failures to a period, like years, days or hours has been a part of man since time immemorial. That is why we look forward to New Year’s “new year, new me”, or possibly dread Friday the 13th because we associate it with bad luck. With all that has happened in 2020, it’s not a surprise that the majority of people have cursed the year.”

…I have shared many thoughts on my personal experience with this Covid-crazy year over the past few months.  I really don`t think that I wish 2020 never happened – like everyone else, I have learned so much.  I have learned that happiness shouldn’t have to be created. It should be cultivated naturally by the choices you make and the people you surround yourself with. 

I have also learned that times of isolation show more of what you have than what they take away.  That when the world is at its darkest, people show the brightest parts of themselves.  Also, that if you can’t find an entire bright side in a situation, just a spot will do.

And:  Care for yourself the way you would care for another.  I think this was one of the most important revelations of 2020 – discovering once again that fitness is so much more than exercise and looking good.  It IS a catalyst for positive changes, and it DOES affect every aspect of your life. 

We have hosted three Fitness Challenges since lockdown started, and I experienced first-hand how strong-minded women climbed and conquered their own personal Everests with dedication and discipline, constant and consistent work ethic, patience and a fire from within.  It made me think of a greeting card someone gave me
last year:

2020 has given more meaning than ever to the above words.  Fitness is not a get out of life free endeavour.  I`m a fitness professional in body movement.  I`m a health coach.  That does not excuse me from stress or challenges.  Every single person who has reached his or her body stats goals in 2020 still had to face obstacles, ups and downs and insecurities.

More than ever it`s time to invite a lens of reality and truth into what we have been working with this year.  Obtaining a well-built physique in 2020, to me, is a symbol.  It represents work and reflects the sacrifices.  A fit physique shouts from the rooftops: “2020 was a rocky battlefield but I was willing to conquer it.” 

You see, the thing about fitness is that it`s not a tangible object you can just take from someone else, like the hacker who tried to take my Instagram account away a fortnight ago.  A fit physique – it has to be earned. 

If you want to look great, you…YOU…must put in the effort.  Day after day, meal after meal, moment after moment.  It doesn`t matter how much money you have either.  It cannot be bought.  Desire to acquire a great physique is the key, and the ultimate realization that it`s not a one-time event.  It`s constant hard work.

I know what you want to say – that you know all this, and that it`s a cliché, right?  Wrong.  Yes, of course more people started exercising during lockdown because they had nothing else to do.  Yes, going out for an hour of exercise WAS at some point our only freedom.  But fact is, according to the World Health Organization more than half of people have experienced weight gain during lockdown and most of them are still struggling to lose that weight. 

But please don`t get me wrong.  Fitness is much more than getting a friendly number on the scale or measuring your waistline.  Fitness is also much more than physical strength.  It`s inner strength – the kind of strength that sits quietly underneath the cover of muscles and workout clothing.  It`s about putting yourself out there with a brave smile and a strong heart even and especially when you don`t feel like it.  It`s about going home and seeing your family`s faces flush with pride.  It`s about setting the example and about not giving up.

It`s not about how much weight you lift or how fast you can run 5 km or if your visceral fat is under 4.  Fitness is about whether you tried and keep on trying.  It`s about your effort, attempts and decisions.  Day after day.

Today I would like to pay tribute to all my members, and everyone else, who have made it a priority to stay committed to fitness in 2020.  Who, instead of cursing the year, took it head on and challenged it.  Who faced their fears and did what needed to be done, regardless of their feelings.  You have proved that through good times and bad you had the strength, the optimism and persistence to push through.  I salute you.

You are the sum of my parts.  In 2020 you did not allow the gloominess and noise of others to mute your inner voice and block the light of your joy.  And, like Sarah Kay, I would like to say to you:

“I have seen the best of you and the worst of you, and I choose both. I want to share every single one of your sunshines and save them for later. I will tuck them into my pockets so I can give them back to you when the rain falls hard. Friend, I want to be the mirror that reminds you to love yourself. I want to be the air in your lungs that reminds you to breath.”

May you have a wonderful December, scrubbing out all the stains of regrets and resentments of 2020.  May you remove all the clutter from your schedule and your mind to create more space to focus on what is really important.  May positive thoughts help you to reset your limits, restore your image, rediscover your true self and reclaim your uniqueness.

Always remember – when it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  The process isn`t easy, but it is necessary.  For every great picture on Instagram, there`s probably a photographer, lighting and a preset filter.  For every beautiful family photo, there`s probably a tantrum that happened 5 minutes before the shot.  In every Pilates class, no matter how professional, there`s probably every time someone who farts. Period.

And last but not least, remember, none of us are guaranteed of a next year, so stop postponing your dreams…

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507