While the Olympic games may be behind us now (at least until the Summer Games in 2012), the Olympic spirit may stick with you long after the Closing Ceremonies. And you don’t have to be an Olympic-level athlete to let the Games inspire you to better health!
Olympic Inspiration Number One: introduction to new sports. It seems like they add new sports to the Games each year — one I’d never seen or heard of before this year was ski cross. But it sure looked like fun: four athletes side-by-side on a course that includes turns, jumps, and fast-paced passes. If I was a skiier, I’d definitely want to give this one a try! It looked like a blast. The Olympics might introduce you to an exciting new variation on a sport you already like.
I fell in love with figure skating as a young girl, but never got onto the ice until I was in high school. Still, when I get out there and skate, somewhere in my imagination I am on the Olympic ice, skating for the gold. (I’m much better in my head than I am in real life, mind you!)
Olympic Inspiration Number Two: cross-training. Lots of the athletes talk about all the training they do — not just in their own sport, but in other sports. You don’t have to stick to just one form of exercise! The variety is good for your brain AND your body. Different exercises work different muscle groups in different ways. Your workout might benefit from a little cross-training.
Olympic Inspiration Number Three: friendly competition. Some of us (myself included) are more likely to stick to an exercise plan if there’s an element of competition to it. Maybe you want to organize your coworkers to do a walking or jogging race. Maybe you want to challenge a friend to log a certain number of miles on the treadmill or bike.
Some of my writer pals like to measure their exercise progress in terms of legendary fictional journeys — for example, the distances covered in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You could challenge yourself to walk, jog, swim, or bike the distance to your next vacation spot before you drive or fly there!
Olympic Inspiration Number Four: triumph over life’s obstacles. Some athletes bounce back from frightening injuries. Some crumble under the pressure one year and come back to compete again the next. Some keep going during incredible personal tragedies. Life can throw a lot of obstacles (big or small) in the path of good health… but you don’t have to give up. Let the obstacles become sources of inspiration, instead of sources of defeat.