8 reasons to use the Olympics to get off your butt

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***The Olympics can be a great boost to motivate you to get back into shape and lose weight!***

If you don’t live in Canada, the CTV “Believe” ads are irrelevant to you. If you do live in Canada, you’ve no doubt been touched and moved by these extraordinary ads of courage.

Each one of the CTV “Believe” ads focuses on one athlete and features how their mental attitude has brought them to the Olympics and it’s because of their belief that they’ve been able to surpass some of their own perceived limitations.

These ads have been running since summer 2008 and I remember my first reaction was “Are they already going to beat us over the head with the Olympics?” For the first few months I ignored the ads and would even change channel to avoid them.

Then one day, I paid attention. I actually listened to the words and I was transformed by the message. From that day on, I’ve looked forward to the Olympic Believe ads and there are many that I know word for word.

I’ve highlighted below some of the most memorable messages from the CTV “Believe” ads:

>> Jan Hudec – He and his family fled to Canada from Czechoslovakia in a wooden boat his father built. For many years now, Jan has been training 8 hours a day/11 months a year to win gold on Canadian soil!

>> Dominique Maltais – I love it when she says “I had two dreams growing up – becoming a firefighter and become the best snowboarder in the world. I believed in myself and I achieved those goals. I never gave up, I know what I need to do.”

>> Manuel Osborne-Paradis - “Losing is not an option” (I think that sums it up nicely).

>> Steve Omischl – He’s a high flying sky jumper and his message has had the biggest impact on me “Fear is an illusion” “Belief is a state of mind, an intrinsic faith in his abilities and a certitude that countless hours of practice WILL be rewarded with success!!!!!”

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>> Krista Grove – “I’ve always had an Olympic dream. As a kid I was never the fastest, I just really loved to skate!” (Krista never gave up on her dream and overcame shortcomings to become a winner.)

>> Gillian Apps – She’s part of the Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team. Can you imagine how far women have come? Women hockey is now officially an Olympic sport where women compete against other team of women for the gold trophy!

>> One of the skating champions had this to say about falling down “Skating is like life because every time you fall, you have to get up again.”

Given that these ads have touched me, I thought that perhaps using the Olympics to write a post will also inspire you to take your fitness seriously.

By now, a lot of people have given up on their resolution to make 2010 their healthiest year ever, but I want to let you know that even if you’ve fallen off the wagon, it’s not too late to get right back on it and that’s why I offer you:

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8 reasons to use the Olympics to get you off your butt:

1. The 2010 Olympics will be held between February 12 and February 28– that’s 16 days that you should use as inspiration to find a winter sport that inspires you. If you don’t like the gym and live in a part of the world where it’s colder at this time of the year, think of skiing, figure skating, speed skating, the luge, ice hockey, cross country skiing, snowboarding, winter biathlon, curling and snowshoeing sports.

2. Think of how much physical effort these athletes have to endure. We’re talking about 8-10 hours of training a day EVERY single day. You can surely find 30-60 minutes each day to work out and exercise?

3. Athletes focus on their successes and not their failures. If you tried to stick to a fitness regime in the past and it didn’t work for you, forget about that setback and use this time to start a new success story for yourself.

4. If you’ve been good at making excuses in the past, think of those Olympic athletes who train for hours pushing their bodies to limits they never thought possible. Do you think they use excuses as a way to getting closer to their Olympic goals? I don’t think so. Turn your excuses into opportunities during the next few weeks. If you think that finding 60 minutes in your day for exercise is too much, start with 15 minutes or make the decision that you will 1) park your car further to force you to walk more 2) you’ll take the stairs instead of the elevator (okay, if you work on the 17^th floor, then get off at the 13^th floor and take the stairs for the rest of the way) 3) over the weekends, you’ll actually find the 60 minutes to exercise. It might not be a neat package, but if you are determined to make it work, you’ll find ways to increase your fitness level during the week by including more exercise opportunities.

5. How much TV do you watch? I’m not one to advocate getting rid of your TV. Some people are happy living without a TV, but I’m not one of them. That said, I don’t watch six hours of TV a day. If you watch a lot of TV, you then have some time on your hands and you can turn that time into calorie-burning time instead of sitting on your sofa/couch. I’m sure most Olympic athletes watch TV, but since they are at the top of their physical game, it’s clear they put their fitness first and the TV entertainment is a nice bonus on the side. Dr. Oz has demanded that a number of his challenge participants move the couch to the side and install exercise bikes in the living room. If you’ve tried that in the past and it didn’t work, why not use the Olympics as a new boost. Imagine being on that treadmill while watching the Alpine skiing competition? Now that’s motivation.

6. If you think your age is a barrier, think of some of the medal winners of the 2008 summer Olympic games in Beijing. Do you remember Dana Torres, Eric Lamaze and Ian Millar?

> Dana Torres at 41 (a mother of a two-year old and an asthma sufferer) won a medal and broke a number of records and she showed the world that you CAN be at the top of your physical shape in your 40s.

> Ian Millar from Canada won a silver medal at the age of 61! Ian has been working towards an Olympic medal for the past 28 years … he’s been competing at the games since the 1972 Munich Games! Can you imagine NOT giving up for that long?

> Eric Lamaze’s gold medal win at age 40 in the equestrian show-jumping category was also proof that it’s not always about age when it comes to competition.

It will be interesting to see which over-40 athlete wins medals during the 2010 winter Olympics! Canadian Pierre Lueders is almost 40 (born September 26, 1970 and he’s a 7-time bobsledder world champion and it’s going to be interesting to see if he wins a medal on Canadian soil during these Olympics!

Are you 40, 50 or 65? Do you think that fitness is for people are younger than you? Have you given up? It’s never (EVER) too late to start.

7. You can NOT become a world class athlete if you neglect your body and the foods you eat. If you’ve been neglecting your body, it’s time to think of yourself as a world class athlete and start asking yourself “Which foods should you eat to be at the top of your game”. This question will automatically make you see the foods you eat in a different light. You might not be able to make radical changes to your diet overnight, but if you take baby steps over the 16 days of the winter Olympics you will surprise yourself.

8. Any athlete who has ever won a medal or who has even been able to qualify for the games has had the belief that nothing can stop them. They are mentally wired to work around challenges and keep pushing towards their goals. I think these 16 days of Olympic games are the perfect time to start telling yourself that “you can do it” and really believing that you can make 2010 your healthiest year to date!

These are 8 simple reasons why you should use the 2010 winter Olympic games to get off your butt and start exercising and taking better care of your body.

If you feel discouraged or overwhelmed, don’t forget there are many ways of getting support. You can work out with a buddy, a trainer or if you prefer participate in group sports, and you’ll find plenty of support there and you might even make a friend or two!

If you have other ideas why using the 2010 winter Olympics to get back into shape is a good idea, I want to hear from you.

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>>> For those living outside of Canada, I’ve found the Olympic Believe ads and you can watch some of the videos that are featured online – pay close attention to the message on these ads:

1. Believe in Vancouver 2010 ad with Chris Del Bosco:

2. Believe in Vancouver 2010 ad with Gillian Apps

3. Believe in Vancouver 2010 ad with Jan Judec

4. Believe in Vancouver 2010 ad with Mellisa Hollingsworth (Skeleton competitor … check her lifting those heavy weights):

5. Believe in Vancouver 2010 ad with Kristina Groves:

6. Believe in Vancouver 2010 ad with Dominique Maltais:

7. Believe in Vancouver 2010 ad Patrick Chan:

8. Believe in Vancouver 2010 ad with Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison:

Photos by The National Guard

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