Progress is rarely instant but always worth the effort

My running trail

This year I have made physical fitness one of my top priorities. I am reminding myself that my body is my living soul. It is my creation, my connection to this world, and the most intimate thing I know. There is nothing more personal than the breaths I take into my body, which become one with me, living inside of me for a brief but life giving moment.

Although I deepened my commitment to exercise and yoga with the start of the new year, I really started moving this way last summer. I have always found this is the best way to create lasting results, whether it be in exercise, work or spiritual goals. I start where I am, ease in, and once I have a solid foundation, then I build from there.

I have never been one to set big, lofty goals such as lose x amount of pounds or run x amounts of miles. I find that to be counter productive as the gap between where I am starting and where I want to go can be so big it can be overwhelming.

Instead, I continually focus on the mantra of one step after another. E.g. today I can run .5 miles. Next week I will run .6 miles. Through this system I build habits and a foundation. Small but consistent steps are the most powerful ally to making change.

When I started runnning I got winded and died after half a mile. At this point I am up to 2.5 miles, with the aim of running at least one mile twice per week.

Whatever it is you're aiming for, and no matter how long you've been after it, keep going. Progress is rarely instantaneous, but when you look back you can always see how important each step was. Sometimes it's even the smallest step, the one you took when you thought about quitting, that mattered most of all.