{"id":29353,"date":"2021-02-26T10:57:41","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T18:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/?p=29353"},"modified":"2021-02-25T09:46:08","modified_gmt":"2021-02-25T17:46:08","slug":"living-through-the-covid-19-pandemic-5-keys-to-finding-your-path-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/living-through-the-covid-19-pandemic-5-keys-to-finding-your-path-forward\/","title":{"rendered":"Living Through The COVID-19 Pandemic: 5 Keys To Finding Your Path Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

The recommendations are simple: Wash your hands, maintain proper social distancing, wear a mask, and don\u2019t attend large gatherings. Why has this been so hard for so many people to do? What is in our future since we are faced with so many unanswered questions? How can we gather the strength to survive the crisis of our lifetime?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These and so many other questions have been on my mind over the past year. I believe in the power of choice and living in the present. These two points of reference guide my activity each day and I will share the 5 keys with you that could make a significant difference in your life and yield a rich and rewarding path forward when we finally \u201cget to the other side\u201d of this terrible worldwide tragedy.<\/span><\/p>\n

THE 5 KEYS\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"#1 – Mental Clarity<\/b><\/h4>\n

This key gives us the power to review and \u201clisten\u201d to our thoughts \u2013 the place where our reality begins to take shape. I am grateful for my life because I nearly died in 2019<\/a> after being hit by a truck (8 fractured ribs) when I was riding my bike. My conditioning and my training as a fitness professional helped me survive the initial incident and also the 2<\/span>nd<\/span> emergency (2 months later) that led to the blood clots that nearly killed me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2020 represented a \u201cfoundational\u201d training year for me and included challenging hill cycling (I didn\u2019t quit) and complementary weight training. As I entered 2020, strengthening my heart, legs and overall strength became my focus. I am close to being back to where I was before the truck hit me and now I enter 2021 with a new plan: To build an \u201cathlete\u2019s\u201d mind set!<\/span><\/p>\n

KEY: <\/em>Set your intention and direction establishing your priorities. For me, it became strengthening my heart and legs so I could resume my beloved running program of more than 50 years. This year I will build on what I started last year and find my way from there.<\/span><\/p>\n

#2 – Faith<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Setting your intention helps you in charting your course and finding your path forward (the subject of my 3<\/span>rd<\/span> book not yet published). It is in establishing purpose that we \u201cfind ourselves\u201d. I am working on becoming the \u201cexample of the change I wish to see in the world\u201d since my path is becoming a passionate advocate for the principles of healthy aging as discussed in my first book Healthy Aging & You\u201d: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

KEY:<\/em> Focus on your intention and \u201ctune out\u201d the noise of the day. Get close to your passion by focusing your attention on what you WANT in your life and \u201clet the rest go\u201d! Faith in yourself is most important (my conclusion in my yet unpublished 3<\/span>rd<\/span> manuscript). It is critical to spend time each day contemplating this thought!<\/span><\/p>\n

#3 – Commitment<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

This principle applies to all of life. Those of us who commit to \u201ca greater good\u201d have the best chance for growth, expansion, and eventually success. I am committed to sharing my message with the world so I am joining with my daughter who has an excellent background in PR and media relations to help me connect with journalists and media outlets in print, TV, and radio. We are committed to \u201cmaking a difference\u201d in the world so my training, writing, and passion will eventually \u201cget me there\u201d. (I am now 74 so I have no time to waste!)<\/span><\/p>\n

KEY:<\/em> Become passionate about your life and finding your \u201ctrue\u201d message. Define it clearly and develop your plan for achieving your own dream. Dreams are what fueled Walt Disney\u2019s success so if it was good enough for Walt, it is definitely good enough for me. How about YOU?<\/span><\/p>\n

#4 – Training<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Training represents my foundation and it encompasses \u201call of me\u201d \u2013 mind, body and spirit. I say spirit in reference to our belief systems and what they represent to us. For me, my belief is in my \u201cgreatness\u201d \u2013 meaning I have value and will be able to share that value with others. I encourage you to define your training program and work on it each day. Mine includes cardiovascular conditioning, weight training, meditation and prayer work, and daily affirmations I repeat throughout the day reinforcing my commitment to my purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n

KEY:<\/em> Discipline and purpose work hand in hand. Living in the present and making your choices in the only moment that matters (the present) is a very important concept. Practice it daily and you will find yourself not getting distracted with the unimportant details in life that can literally \u201cderail\u201d our success.<\/span><\/p>\n

#5 – Programming<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

This final key is important because our minds control our lives and destiny. The subconscious mind is where the \u201ctapes\u201d are stored that influence every aspect of our lives \u2013 including our attitudes and behavior. Be careful in programming your mind since what you say, feel, express, and do will alter your course if you are not careful. This is where affirmations and visualization \u2013 and your imagination \u2013 come in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Be aware of how you express yourself and gather to you all the goodwill you can because we need each other. One of my favorite teachers shared a belief I now hold as well: \u201cEverything we desire in life comes through relationship.\u201d A corollary belief I hold is \u201cthe mind of man is unlimited in its potential and responds to the demands placed upon it.\u201d Place the BEST demands on yourself every day and see what happens!<\/span><\/p>\n

KEY:<\/em> Programming your mind is an activity that is priceless. Do it with love and passion and your old negative patterns will no longer restrain you from achieving what you envision for yourself. People will want to be with you because of \u201cwho you are\u201d!<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Nicholas Prukop is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & a Health Coach and fitness professional with over 25 years of experience. His passion for health and fitness comes from his boyhood in Hawaii, where he grew up a swimmer on Maui. He found his calling in writing his first book \u201cHealthy Aging & You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit<\/a>\u201d and since then he has dedicated himself to empowering, inspiring and enabling people of all ages to reach for the best that is within them and become who they are meant to be \u2013 happy, healthy and fit \u2013 and be a part of a world where each person can contribute their own unique gifts to life.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The recommendations are simple: Wash your hands, maintain proper social distancing, wear a mask, and don\u2019t attend large gatherings. Why has this been so hard for so many people to do? What is in our future since we are faced with so many unanswered questions? How can we gather the strength to survive the crisis of our lifetime?\u00a0 These and so many other questions have been on my mind over the past year. I believe in the power of choice and living in the present. These two points of reference guide my activity each day and I will share the 5 keys with you that could make a significant difference in your life and yield a rich and rewarding path forward when we finally \u201cget to the other side\u201d of this terrible worldwide tragedy. THE 5 KEYS\u00a0 #1 – Mental Clarity This key gives us the power to review and \u201clisten\u201d to our thoughts \u2013 the place where our reality begins to take shape. I am grateful for my life because I nearly died in 2019 after being hit by a truck (8 fractured ribs) when I was riding my bike. My conditioning and my training as a fitness professional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":162,"featured_media":29355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[193],"class_list":["post-29353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-mfn","tag-healthy-aging"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/162"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}