Prompt is something about physical exercise.

is mental agility. You would think that mental agility is not a part of physical wellbeing, but this is where the two fields intersect.

As a high-level athlete, there are several things that I learn every time I compete.

This year I learned that now that I have turned 30, my body has decided to take the slip n’ slide to assisted living. I am obviously joking, but somedays I sure feel like it might be. Haha.

In the past season, I have learned that I must listen to my body and learn to adjust accordingly to how I am feeling each day. I have only one body, and I must do what I can to not only keep it strong, but also healthy. Sometimes that means that I need to take a break for a week to heal and return. I have found that this has actually been beneficial in my fitness journey, because it gives me time to rest and then when I do return – I often return a lot stronger than I had been before my hiatus.

Numbers don’t lie. Before my illness that put me out for a few weeks, my hang clean max weight was 85 pounds/ 38 kilos. Since I’ve returned, my max weight is now 95 pounds/ 43 kilos.

I have learned that I can be strong without being muscular. I can be strong even if I were obese or elderly. I can be strong no matter my condition. I can be strong even when I am weak. Strength is a mindset, not an attribute.

I have learned to become more comfortable with my body and its differences. I used to hide my stomach when working out because I have a lot of scars on it, and this causes my stomach to be misshapen. I also have a feeding tube and I get self-conscious about others seeing it.

Having learned these different important concepts, I am so much more comfortable with what I look like and my differences. I no longer worry about what I look like in the gym because I am there regardless of my ability levels, appearance, and guess what – I am so much happier now that I have let go of some of those mental barriers.

I am now physically stronger because I am mentally stronger. The overall fortitude of my body has increased even if I am not as healthy or strong as I had been at various times in the past.

Take care of both aspects, they balance each other out.