I just got back from my annual trek in the high Sierras of California, where I spent eight days with great friends, a great crew, breathtaking mountain views, and night skies with stars as big as quarters.
My hiking group is known as the NSC Hikers, standing for No Spring Chickens. I’m the youngest at 57, and our most senior hiker is 72. Lest you think we do weenie hikes because of our advancing years, we covered over 75 miles of trail in the eight days, at altitudes from 8,000 to 12,000 feet. If you’ve done this sort of thing you know how strenuous it is, and how exhilarating.
In the high Sierra, you get to see vistas only a tiny fraction of people will ever see, and breathe clean crisp air that clears out your lungs, your body, and your mind.
Heres a photo of my Fit and Fabulous friends (age 57 to 72!) and the gorgeous scenery.
Being able to take trips like this is one of my prime motivations for keeping fit. I love the exercise, the challenge and the solitude the rugged mountains provide, and I plan to keep doing it as long as humanly possible.
Now hiking in the mountains for eight days may not be your idea of a good time, but it really helps to have your own compelling reason to get and stay fit.
Whether it’s improved health, longevity, more energy, the ability to travel, to be here for your grandkids or just to look like a million bucks, having your own reason to stay fit will make it so much easier to take the steps each day to make your goal a reality.
If you have a clear picture of your reason, both mentally and in writing or in graphic form like a photograph, the energy behind your reason will build and propel you even faster toward the results you want.
We are hard-wired to be goal-seeking mechanisms, and giving your mind and body a compelling target that is saturated with vivid and true emotions is like winning half the battle.
So don’t just start exercising or eating right with a half-hearted attitude, dive into the experience with a clear goal of how you want to look and feel, and be amazed at how fast your life changes.
And once you look and feel Fabulous, you’ll begin creating other significant goals for yourself as ready targets for all your new-found energy.
Grab hold of your own compelling reasons to get fit, and don’t let them go till you reach the summit and beyond.
To the Fit and Fabulous You,
Susan Blais
P.S. To check out the common-sense method designed specifically for women in their pre- and menopausal years, please visit my website to see the Fit and Fabulous for the Fifties and Beyond program. You’ll be glad you did!
Copyright 2009 by Susan Blais
