Do you appreciate your fitness? You should! You’ve worked hard for it. Appreciate how far you’ve come and how fitness and living healthy has enriched your life. A great way to appreciate your fitness is through giving back. And if you’ve enjoyed good health, it’s important to take a minute and acknowledge that as well. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Encourage a fellow exerciser. Encouraging another exerciser costs nothing and requires no time. Everyone loves positive feedback for their efforts. Offer a few positive words to someone you see working hard every morning at the gym, or someone in your class who’s come a long way or go to a spot on a local race course and cheer on the athletes running or riding by. Your positive words really do matter to others who may be struggling to keep his or her fitness focus. Kind words really do make a difference.

Volunteer for a community event. There are many races in many sports that happen year round. Find one that interests you and ask how you can help. Volunteers help at registration, at the hydration stops and at the finish area, there really is a task for every helping hand. Many race directors also need volunteers for several days prior to the event, so just drop a quick email or phone call and ask!

Register for a race. Consider competing in a race as a victory lap to celebrate all your training and hard workouts mastered. And keep in mind, registering for an organized race doesn’t always have to come with hard core expectations. Racing expectations are set by you. In fact, sometimes racing can simply provide a fun opportunity to get active with others who share our passion for living healthy.

Get active for a cause. Form a team and register to raise funds and participate in an organized event for a cause that’s close to your heart. The process is very simple: recruit your friends, family, co-workers, neighbor’s and sign up! The American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association, the Arthritis Foundation, the MS Society, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training are all worthy causes to consider lending your fitness to, just to name a few.

Plan an adventure outing. Why not plan an outing and invite others to join you? Consider a hike in the front or back country, a day long kayak excursion or maybe a bike ride is more your pace. Try a new physical activity or a great way to challenge your fitness even more. An outdoor adventure is also a great way to celebrate a birthday or other significant milestone. It’s also a great way for your guests to see the town when visiting you. And who knows, you all may even find a new activity to love.

Often we’re so focused on race to our end goal or even on setting the next goal immediately, we forget to take in the view and celebrate our progress as we go. Stop! Look around you and acknowledge how far you’ve come in your fitness journey. Congratulations!