Want To Be Fit? Act Like It! Darn

“If you really care, act like it”

Have you ever heard that before? This holds true for even more than just feelings. This is a principle that applies also to fitness. If you want to be fit, act like it.

If you want to be a runner, act like it. If you want to lose weight, act like it. That really is all that is required to become what you want to become. Being the person you want to be requires acting like the person you want to become. And even if you don’t look like that person YET, you will – as long as you keep acting like it.

You Got This

Someone recently asked me how to become a runner. My answer was “start running”. Of course I don’t expect them to run 3 miles straight, but they have to TRY. A new runner runs as long as their body is physically capable. Then they will have to walk and catch their breath. Then they’ll go right back to running as long as they can until they have to walk again. Basically, they are interval training – rotating high-intensity running with low-intensity walking. The more they do it, the less they’ll walk and the more they’ll run. Before they know it, they are running non-stop.

When did they become a runner? In my eyes, they became a runner the minute they started trying. A runner practices running. It doesn’t matter how good they are at it. It doesn’t matter how fast or slow they are. A runner is someone who dedicates time to run. That’s it.

The same goes with a weight-lifter or a fitness enthusiast. There is no minimum requirement of how much you have to lift or how often you have to go to the gym. You are more fit the moment you begin to make fitness a part of your life. To me, fitness is a verb, not a noun. It’s a work in progress. It doesn’t matter how much body fat you have right now, it doesn’t matter how much muscle you have. It doesn’t matter how weak or out of shape you feel. What matters is you act like what you want to become. You keep showing up. You keep running, lifting weights, doing yoga, training, practicing, becoming…

If you act fit, you will BE fit. Plain and simple. Starting acting like who you want to be today. Be proud of who you are NOW – because you know who you are becoming!