Turn the Corner

          Welcome to afitnewyou!  Please excuse me for not having posted in a while.  I just have been pretty busy with things, and because of that I realized a little more just how easy it is for things in life to get in the way of things that we should be doing.  Reasons, excuses do not eat right and / or hit the gym constantly pop up.  It can be a struggle to stay motivated, but it is essential that you do.  Realizing this myself with writing, it caused me to go back to what I preach, that it is OK to not be "perfect" as long as you are continuing along the path to your goals.  As I have said many times, the key is to not allow yourself to stop.  Thinking about it even more, it led me to what I wanted to talk about today, this idea that even if we get stopped, that you need to continue on; and if you achieved a certain level, its time to go on to the next.  The phrase that summarizes this to me is to "turn the corner."  This phrase is used to describe going on to the next level, particularly after a set back.  It is sort of like "dusting yourself off."  But, I like the visual of turning the corner better for a few reasons, especially because it envisions you in motion.

          I grew up in a time when kids went outside everyday to be active.  Cell phones and video games weren't around all that much, and you would stay outside until you were called in for dinner.  Parents weren't acting like helicopters, and us kids thought we had all of the freedom in the world.  The truth of the matter was that we were watched and governed by certain rules.  For example, when I was very young, I was allowed to ride my bicycle up and down the street as much as I wanted as long as I didn't cross the street, and I turned around at the corner.  And I would do this for a very long time, up and down the block, always turning around when I got to the corner.  It was a right of passage at a certain age to be able to turn that corner and then be allowed to go around the block all by myself.  This ability to literally turn the corner is very much in tune with the metaphorical "turning the corner" phrase.  You see, the actual corner was a physical barrier that I was not allowed to cross, but once I was able to turn that corner it opened up a whole new set of experiences.  I can ride further so my physical activity increased, and it literally introduced me to a whole new perspective on my small world.  These two aspects are developed as well when you "turn the corner" with what you are doing to achieve your fitness goals.

          It is common to have set backs along the way to achieve your fitness goals.  Injuries can occur, "life happens" and things can get in the way.  Sometimes its hard to stay motivated.  However, if you get knocked off course a bit it doesn't mean you give up, instead you must shoulder on.  Doing so requires you to turn the corner as the phrase is most often intended.  It means to leave the past behind and start fresh with a new point of view.  Just as I got to see much more of the world when I literally turned the corner, so too will you when you can get past what has been holding you back on your fitness journey and start heading towards your goals again, albeit from a different direction.  I've used a good number of cliches already, but as they say, it isn't about the number of times that you have fallen, but the number of times you have gotten up...so turn the corner as the phrase is intended and continue on with your fitness goals.

          In a more positive perspective, sometimes it isn't a set backs that requires us to turn the corner, but simply either reaching a plateau or, even more positively, attaining one of your short term goals.  As I have said in earlier posts, the past way to achieve your ultimate plan is to have short terms goals leading up to your larger one.  Each accomplishment along the way is beneficial for so many reasons.  When you meet one, take it as reaching the end of the block, that street corner, with the ability to turn the corner and head in the next direction.  In this positive take, it isn't that you need a new direction because of a previous stumble, rather, it is turning the corner because you reached one end, and are ready to head to the next!  It is like when I was allowed to not only turn the corner, but now go around the entire block; I reached the end of one block, and then by turning the corner a few more times, I made it to my ultimate goal of going around the entire block.  When you achieve one of your short term goals it doesn't mean you should just stop there, and it certainly doesn't mean that you turn around in the directions from which you just came.  Just the opposite, you need to continue on your path, just tackling that next part of the journey.

          When you turn the corner you get both new opportunities and a fresh perspective.  In its traditional sense, turning the corner means to pick yourself up after a set back.  This is relevant to achieving your fitness goals in that if you had something that has been holding you back, now is the opportunity to turn the corner and start again.  Turning the corner also gives you a fresh new view and a chance at opportunities that maybe weren't there initially.  Again, in terms of your fitness goals, turning the corner relates to striving for that next step towards your ultimate goal.  By turning the corner you are giving yourself a fresh outlook to reaching a fit new you!