Aloha, Chalkboard Magazine readers,
Laird and I are honored to be your guest editors for this month. I normally don’t act like a pushy wife and speak for Laird, but he is not big on the computer. His motto is ‘more eyeballs and less emails’. As time goes on, I am starting to trend more and more toward his philosophy. Someone sends me an email, I pick up the phone. Even better still, there is nothing like a face to face if you can swing it. Laird and I have been together for seventeen years and have three daughters, so there’s lots of estrogen to balance out our king’s testosterone. It’s irony at its best when the masculine male gets taken down by one or more of his sweet little daughters.
We have, individually and as a couple, pursued a healthy lifestyle. Like everything in life, we cycle in and out of habits and are constantly learning new methods for achieving vitality. Neither one of us is militant about eating perfectly or working out every single day. However, we are pretty consistent with eating real food and moving our bodies on a regular basis. I think what helps each of us most – since all of us humans can be a bit rebellious – is that we look at our pursuit of health as a pursuit full of choices and desires – not full of things we ‘have to do’.
Like the message the Chalkboard often puts forward, we are both of the belief that there is not one approach to eating and exercise that works for everyone. Rather, it is a personal quest that each individual must take the time to understand to figure out what works best for them. Is it veganism? Yoga? Cycling? Lifting? Whole foods mixed with animal protein? Maybe it’s a combination of a few of them. It could even be seasonal eating. That is the beauty of healthy living: it’s your own personal expression. The only thing that’s for sure is that it takes some work and discipline.
We are fortunate enough to have both developed very supportive tribes of people that surround us. This has been a key component in our ability to pursue working out hard and eating well. The presence of supportive groups can be creative, encouraging and a force to push you forward on the days you don’t have the gas.
Our philosophy is: don’t lose your health to appreciate it. Besides friends and family, we will never have a greater source of wealth than our health. Not to mention Laird believes there is a lot of fun to be had out there and you need to be feeling good to enjoy it!
Amen,
Gabby Reece and Laird Hamilton
