What constitutes "being in shape"?

I have come to really appreciate this question and over the years my attachment to it has evolved considerably.

For many of us, the relationship we have with our body image is one that we check-in to EVEryday of our lives multiple times a day...basically anytime we look in the mirror. We check-in with this idea or connection to "in-shape" that we see on the magazines in the grocery isles, the billboards and other advertisements, desperate housewives, and a number of other poisonous interruptions to our subconscious that tend to play way to big a part in answering this question of "am I in shape?" Our question towards our physical state should not be vain asking ourself, "do I look good?"...our question(s) need to be "do I feel good and do I feel strong?"

Our subconscious conditioning through these poisonous advertisements has unnaturally polluted our perception of what it is to be in shape to a detrimental degree. We really need to wake up to this. We are very backwards in our thinking when it comes to being in shape...we think in shape means physical  when in reality it should be rooted in mental. Obviously the physical aspect of "in-shape" matters but again it should be a question of strength and feel primarily and vanity(if we must acknowledge it) secondarily.

Our physical bodies are a product of our thoughts, actions, and most importantly our EVEryday habits. When we ask ourselves, "am I in shape,?" our first responsive thought to this should most definitely be, "well how is my mind working? Are my actions aligning with my words in my life and in my relationships? Currently, are my instincts strong towards being positive in crucial or character building situations or have they been strong towards being negative? Does my routine serve me or does it take away from my potential happiness? (And thennnn)....oh yeah, let me check on my stomach and make sure it looks good!" This should be the order...tailored to the individual and the questions that keep them on their desired path of life performance.

Our level of consciousness towards the physical benefits we receive when we focus on cultivating our mental as well as spiritual strength is as valuable a resource as any we have on this earth. It should be thought of as an equal to Water!! It is measurable in our EVEryday habits. It is measurable in our relationships. It is measurable in our own self reflections. Our level of consciousness is parallel to our level of life.

Athletes that desire to be at a state of consciousness in not only their physical routine but even more importantly their mental routines separate themselves from the pack infinitely before the baseball even begins. They desire to create championship habits EVERY SINGLE DAY. They are very in tune with the conceptual question of "WHAT'S IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW?" Is what I am doing right now making me work towards being not only the very best but my very best?

Sometimes when you look in the mirror you just have to allow yourself to get chills at the presence of blessings you have in your life. If that is hard for us to do then we need to figure out a way to create a habit that can help us achieve that goal of truly appreciating what we have. This is measured in not only our quality of athleticism, sportsmanship, training, physique, and endurance, but more importantly it is measured in our quality of life. This ruthless thankfulness and appreciation of all your blessings, again, is as valuable to your life as water.

Harnessing your appreciation of the game of baseball is the first step towards becoming an elite player and an elite person. That appreciation spills over into the mirror into consciousness and realization of self when asking "am I in shape?" When you appreciate everything you have the first question you will ask is "do I feel strong?" Second question.."how can I get stronger today in the game of life?" Third question..."what can I do to help others today?"

Next time you are feeling out of shape when you look in the mirror, tell your mind to focus NOW, on creating a couple of new tangible positive habits that can get you out of your current routine and on to one that will nurture your inner beast and help you to reach your maximum abilities. Tell your mind NOW to be so ridiculously thankful that you still have that person you almost lost. Check in with your appreciation of the mirror you have to look in and the bed you just got out of.

NOW get off your butt and go do some push ups.

Much love to the world out there that desires to keep getting better and appreciates the game of life EVEryday you live and get to love.

Thanks for reading,

Isaac