I staunchly believe perception is everything, and regarding our health and wellness and concerning the concept of exercise, there is a paradigm shift we can enact with ourselves that works wonders. The word exercise does not create positive feelings in most people. It sounds like a chore. The point is movement and we have to “exercise” because for most of us, our daily life does not require much of any utilization of our lungs and muscles and joints. But I want you to consider the term…athlete, and why you may want to strive to adopt it. ⁣ ⁣ This is our Functional Friday episode where we tend to our physical and mental capacity to support us in our desired goals and achievements. Here is my setup; If you join a painting class, you might share with others that you paint. But if you do it daily or weekly and keep it up for years and get proficient, when do you refer to yourself as an artist? You don’t have to do it for money to be an artist. The literal word artist is defined as, a person who produces paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby. There you go. If you produce paintings as a hobby, you are an artist. My home contains many pieces of furniture I made out of raw aspens on our land and when people see it, they often say, “I didn’t know you were an artist!” ⁣ ⁣⁣ So with exercise. The definition is, a person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise. I find a lot of people who engage daily in some fitness activity call themselves athletes. And I think it’s great. I was a professional athlete, as a pro cyclist. I got paid. Not much. But today I don’t have pro status or a racing license. But I ride my bike or run almost daily. I do push ups, or dips or pull ups most days. I call myself an athlete. It’s not what I do, it’s another role I’ve embraced. If you engage in a physical activity and become proficient in it…proficient, defined as competent in doing something, you can adopt the label of athlete. It’s not a chore you try to do, it’s a role you fulfill. Regarding this idea, I asked our audience on Facebook this question, “Do you think of yourself as athletic?” Over 80 comments came in that brought up some interesting issues. I truly hope it inspires you to further embrace your athletic self and from that, your long term fitness and wellness.⁣ ⁣ June 15-16 of 2023 I’ll be in Dallas to attend and speak at the Ziglar coach summit. If you are looking to influence people for the better, professionally or personally, I invite you to join us. First 10 people who register and say you heard about it from me, I’m taking to dinner! Go to ziglar.com/coachsummit⁣ Go to Zocdoc.com/KEVIN and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. For a limited time, Self Helpful listeners can get 20% off InsideTracker’s new Ultimate Plan. Visit InsideTracker.com/helpful. If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, Athletic Greens is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 free travel packs with your first purchase. Go to athleticgreens.com/SELFHELP. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/selfhelpful today to get 10% off your first month.  Get free chicken thighs for a year and $20 off your first box when you sign up today at butcherbox.com/SELFHELPFUL and use code SELFHELPFUL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices