Fitness Inspiration From… Alanis?

Hello Athletes!

My name is Vikki, and I am the newest member of the Synergee Family. I am very excited to bring you a weekly tidbit of motivation, information, and tips to help you on your fitness journey! I love telling stories, sharing ideas, and squatting— that’s what you can expect to read about in this Blog!

A Quote that Made Me Say “HECK YEA!”

Since I started working at Synergee this quote has been on my mind, as if it were a song that got stuck in my head upon accepting my job offer:

I think there is no better way to invite a human being to view their body differently than by inviting them to be an athlete, by revering one’s body as an instrument rather than just an ornament [...] as this incredible, awe-inspiring machine that you need to fuel well in order for it to function.

I had come across this quote randomly on the interwebz years ago, and it hit me HARD. “An instrument rather than just an ornament”… “incredible, awe-inspiring machine”... upon reading these words, I thought, “HECK YEA! THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!” (“It” being “fitness”, “being an athlete”, “life in general”, etc.)

Before I saw who had said it, I also thought, “Woah, whoever wrote this is probably really into fitness. A workout guru, perhaps. Most likely an Olympic medal-owning athlete who has retired and now does motivation talks at schools to inspire young children to play sports instead of video games!”

Enter: Alanis

Posted under the quote read “Alanis Morissette”. Ms. Morissette… Grammy– and Juno-award winning Canadian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actress. While she’s known for her 90’s rock hits such as “Ironic”, “Thank U”, and “You Oughta Know”, she is not known for her athletic prowess. At least, as far as I know… and I’m a fan!

What I’m trying to say is: Alanis—Canadian music icon—yes, of course! Alanis—athlete— um… I don’t really know, sure?

I had never thought of her this way before! But based on what she had to say about being an athlete; yea, she sure was Talking the Talk! And her being the quote’s source didn’t change or diminish the meaning. So I added her quote to my “Quotes I like” folder on my phone for safe-keeping.

*fast forward sound!!*

Flash forward to the present, i.e. me working at Synergee:  

As I’ve been refining our “About Us” page, product descriptions, etc. on the Synergee website, I KEEP THINKING ABOUT MY GURL, ALANIS! WHY?!

(Ironically, much like this quote has been rattling around in my brain, “Ironic” also frequently gets stuck my head at work. Maybe it’s connected… It’s a little... ironic, don’t you think? But I digress!!)

I decided to ride with it n’ explore it. Googling “Alanis Morissette athlete?” brought me to “I’m a Runner: Alanis Morissette”, a 2009 article in Runner’s World. Fair enough! In this article, Alanis talks about training for her first marathon, running on behalf of the National Eating Disorders Association, kale, and more. And in this article, I found the quote again.

BOOM! Or “My Epiphany”

I had a mini epiphany. I understood why this quote and Alanis were lingering in my thoughts. It was actually significant that singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette said this quote, and not some revered Annie Thorsdottir/Tom Brady/Serena Williams/Michael Phelps-type Athlete-with-a-capital-“A”.

She IS an athlete! She HAS an incredible, awe-inspiring machine of a body! Her body IS an instrument for running and eating kale—and writing/performing songs!

And you reading this blog post: you are all these things, too. Whether “Athlete” is your job title or not, you definitely are an athlete.

The moral of the story...

I realized that this quote and Alanis were on my mind because this “YOU AND YOUR BODY ARE AWESOME AND CAN DO AWESOME THINGS” towards everyone is the vibe Synergee exudes. Not to toot Synergee’s horn too much—I’ll be honest, I am a little biased as I am a Synergee employee writing for the Synergee website’s Blog— but this is honestly what we are about. Whatever your fitness goals are, go get ‘em. No matter where you’re at, be loud and proud and work at your own pace; just let us know what tools you need to keep moving.

I don’t take it lightly that I found a job that reflects my own personal values. It’s more than a perk; it’s fulfilling. I believe health and wellness should be accessible to everyone, and meeting personal fitness goals are more important than trying to look like photoshopped models. I believe bodies should be celebrated for their achievements and weaknesses should be appreciated because they are opportunities for growth. I believe exercising is therapeutic for my body and mind. I believe everyone is an athlete and I accept that how they express that will be unique to everybody’s body.

And I love that I get to work somewhere where these thoughts and values can influence the written work I produce, and that gives me time during my workday to workout and celebrate my “incredible, awe-inspiring machine”!

Final words/Pep talk

So give yourself a pat on the back—and give your bestie or workout buddy a high five—because you’re doing great!

Keep challenging yourself. Keep sweating. And keep celebrating the incredible, awe-inspiring things your body can accomplish!

Oh, and if you follow us on Instagram, be sure to enter our Giveaway for our new Core Sliders!
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