3 Olympic Traits to Live By

Olympians are the pinnacle of health and fitness. I grew up playing sports and pretended to be just like them. I ran circles around my block imagining I was Michael Johnson. I shot baskets for hours wearing my Michael Jordan jersey. I even did flips off the sofa emulating the U.S. gymnasts. 

Years later....still pretending!

We may not have the opportunity to get the gold but we can lead healthier, more productive lives by living like Olympians every day.  

1. Focus- An Olympians' focus is unmatched. Next time you watch, look at their eyes. You will know what I mean. They have a single goal and they do EVERYTHING to accomplish that goal. If your goal is losing weight you need to focus on eating healthy, exercising consistently, and counting your calories. "Focused intensity over time, multiplied by God, creates unstoppable momentum" says Dave Ramsey. Olympic focus will create healthy momentum in your life.

2. Dedication- Athletes dedicate hours every day, for years, to have a chance at being an Olympian. Our dedication does not need to be so time consuming, but it sure puts only 1 hour 3 days a week into perspective. Ideas for dedicating more time to your health.

- Replace 1 hour of T.V. with 1 hour of exercise
- Nix 30 minutes on Facebook and spend 30 minutes cutting vegetables for the week!
- Instead of sitting and talking on the phone, talk while on a walk
- Swap chips and fries for fruits and vegetables

Fooducate called them the "real fast food"

Success for athletes and us comes through hard work and dedication.- Mike D

3. Intentional- Olympians are intentional about their training, their nutrition, their planning, and their competition. Nothing happens by accident. To be healthy we must live intentionally. Last week my wife created a schedule for her morning workouts. It included what time she was going to wake up and the exercise video or routine she would do. This is an excellent example of how to intentionally set up your exercise. Now the hard part- doing it. Remember the best of intentions mean nothing without proper action. 

This year's Olympic motto is "Inspire a Generation". Let them inspire us to stay focused on our health, dedicated to our exercise, and intentional about our actions.

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Pictures taken by Meghan Kidwell & Jon Kidwell