Fit to Print Volume 24 Issue 3 September 2015 | Page 3

@ FI

The Summer of Better
Cor’s Corner
by Corinne Brown

Monday. Atonement day. Punishment day. I can tell just by
watching you. You're not there to have fun or to enjoy a great
workout. No, on Monday many of you are there to punish
yourselves for all the weekend damage you just selfinflicted. When exercise – or anything - is viewed this way
it will never be fun or healthy. The challenge turns into
drudgery. Something that should be uplifting and positive
is instead just one more dreaded chore.
I often ask myself why is it that so many people use exercise
as a form of punishment. Isn't the idea of training our bodies
supposed to ease our everyday chores, family, work, and
mind? When did we lose sight of that?
I don't know about you, but I have fun on the weekends. Of course,
my definition of fun extends beyond parties, drinks and dinner to include
fun physical activities and working out. As a result, I arrive on Monday ready for my
week and happy to see my students and friends at the gym and to be working out
again. Why? I exercise to stay strong, which to me means being able to achieve, both
mentally and physically, the full demands of my schedule with ease and without
pain. With actual enjoyment if at all possible, which it usually is.
I believe we need to start viewing what we do in terms of working out not only for
reasons of body image but also, and most importantly, to continue strong in body
and mind. That's my primary purpose as an FI instructor: to strengthen you mentally
and physically without damaging and breaking your body.( A broken body is a useless
body – another “Cor-ism”)

include diet, work habits, and state of
mind. It’s a broader focus that we have
been evolving at FI for several years,
between the contributions of the Mind &
Body program, the Eat Smart program,
the service and supplement offerings in
the Spa, the Health Coaching of Dr.
Donna Brown and more. We have come
to regard wellness as the ultimate goal
of what we do, and we are looking for
ways to provide you with the tools to
achieve better overall wellness. Several
articles in this issue expand upon this
topic. In particular, take a look at the
Spa column on page 7, where Mary
Tufano discusses her struggle to
overcome thyroid issues; the Eat Smart
column on page 10, where Rachel Ezelius
talks about exercise and sugar
consumption; the Health Coaching article
on page 13, in which Dr. Brown shoots
down the popular myth that thin equals
healthy; and the Mind, Body, Spirit piece
on page 19 in which Karen Britton
focuses on yoga as a complete wellness
package. And that’s just the tip of the
iceberg. Fitness Incentive is fortunate to
have a knowledgeable and committed
group of fitness and wellness
professionals that are uniquely qualified
to deliver a wide range of wellness
services. And they’re not just a bunch of
names on a page - they’re real-life flesh
and blood teachers and coaches that are
here, at FI, for you. I encourage you to
reach out to them. They can radically
improve your life.

When I see a student that gets what I'm trying to communicate to them, they most
certainly get a shout out from me in class. Something to the effect of “you get it!”
The goal is to become a more balanced person, a more capable person, and to end
up feeling (and looking) amazing. To me, that's success! My advice: change your
attitude. You haven't done anything that needs punishing. Focus instead on the joy of
physical movement and on becoming the best you that you can be. Everything else
will fall into place.

FitForce

In This Issue...
It’s been an unusually busy summer, even by Fitness Incentive standards. M