Finding Inspiration

I was lucky to spend this past weekend at the Missouri Grand Prix, a swim competition for Olympians, Olympic hopefuls and up and coming young swimmers.  Never have I been around so many wonderfully healthy, fit people.  Elite athletes understand that good nutrition, health and fitness is the key to their sport, even more than talent or natural ability.  You can't perform if you don't eat well and certainly not if you don't train and take care of your body.

I am always looking for inspiration to keep me going.  I don't always want to get sweaty; maybe I'd rather lay on the couch.  I have my food issues too.  Chocolate milk shakes are always calling out to me; I'm surprised others don't hear them.  So use other's example to motivate you in your quest for fitness, weight control and better health.  Surrounding yourself with people who live a healthy life will help you too.

One swimmer in particular is my hero.  Dara Torres is 43, has competed and medaled in FIVE Olympics and is training for 2012.  This weekend I was privileged to see her swim her first race since having reconstructive knee surgery in 2009.  She has been back in training for a couple of months now and her competition is in their teens and twenties.  Dara managed to qualify for the 2012 Olympic trials in the race on Saturday; her time was the 5th best.  Dara does train differently than she did earlier in her career.  She has to be mindful of old injuries and a body that doesn't work like it did.  You can bet that I find her dedication a great motivating factor in my own life.

So get off the couch and get going.  Maybe you aren't an elite athlete but maybe you'd like to improve your tennis game or run your first 10 K.  Instead of just watching those games, use the athletes as role models.

As always, I'm on the lookout for veggie recipes and I found a great carrot dish that I'll share on Thursday.  Check out my blog on jonesboro.com for more results on the health of the cardiologist and his wife.