FITNESS AS A LIFETIME JOURNEY

Growing up as a gymnast, I never thought of Fitness other than getting stronger, more powerful, flexible, etc... for performance reasons. We trained and trained and trained for years, in order to score higher, get scholarships, win titles, and better our position. The ironic thing was that we hardly watched what we ate (unless top ramen, pepsi, beer, fried cheese sticks, La Bamba at 2am etc...), we hardly did any cardio, and were not all that "healthy" even though we looked like we were.

What I know now it that health is more than just your physical appearance. Health is a daily practice of taking care of yourself. Everything from sleep, diet, cardiovascular exercise, strength and core training, mental health, and beyond. I also know that it is a continual choice that must be made with balance so you don't get carried away and burn out, and on the other hand not think that if you are trying to lose weight that you "deserve" that dessert since you went for a walk that day. It is a tough balance to find, and at first it may be better to be slightly neurotic just to make some progress and get over a hump (usually a mental one).
For me, I found that getting out in the air for my cardiovascular component keeps my mental health in check, and is good for my heart/lungs/asthma. I really enjoy riding bikes. I personally prefer riding Mountain bikes since I live directly off of sycamore canyon in Newbury Park, CA. Also, there are NO CARS! I am not super fast on the bike, but it doesn't matter. The point is just to do it, regularly.
Making health and fitness a priority not only makes you more healthy but it creates new opportunities to meet friends, have more energy to try new things, and gives you a greater ability to diversify your activities.
In 2006, I got into standup paddle surfing (SUP). SUP requires lots of balance, strength, flexibility, and coordination. I took to it pretty quickly due to a strong base from gymnastics, and my endurance has gotten so much better from riding bikes and doing triathlon that SUP has gotten easier and easier and thus, added to the list of re-creation activities for me on the weekend and sometimes during the week. And it is fun :).
Whether it is surfing, SUP, bike riding, lifting, etc... doesn't matter, but the important thing is to do it, and do it regularly in some sort of routine. Feel free to ask me any ?'s or tell me what you are doing for fun/fitness...