You may not even know it, but you have cheerleaders!

I grew up in a family where athleticism was not prized. One of my sisters and I were talking about this recently... how when in grade school she was "this close" to making the President's Physical Fitness Award, and when she said something about it at home, it fell flat, on deaf ears. And she stopped striving for that award because of the response she got at home.

Remembering this painful experience made her more determined to support me when I walk/jogged the Lincoln Half Marathon. She's the one that showed up to give me that all-important motivating hug at mile 11. If she only knew, I told her later, how motivating that was, to have someone I care so much about show support for what I was doing.

Of course she gets it! As a sibling group we have become much more supportive of one another's efforts to get and stay healthy, because as all Sparkers know, it isn't easy.

This week at work, a fellow journey-er who had already retired and moved on to a fancy new job halfway across the country came back to visit. She came over to my cube specifically to have a look at my medals, say congratulations and to tell me I was inspiring her, spurring her to re-start her efforts at exercise. That means a lot, because she in her own right had inspired me. We have both struggled long-term with the roller coaster on the scale.

Here on Spark, every day we encourage one another: in our teams, on the message boards, and in comments on one another's Spark pages... maybe giving a goodie here and there.

In real life there are people cheering you on, too... they may not say it out loud every day, but they are watching... and they rejoice with you and weep with you over this struggle. They may not even know your name. Maybe they see you at a bus stop, or walking in your neighborhood. Maybe they are beside you at a charity event. But they are out there. And believe me, they WANT you to succeed. Because in your success they find hope, motivation, renewed commitment to their own health and fitness.

Maybe you are one of these quiet "cheerleaders" when you see someone making a good choice. Know that your smile, nod, word of encouragement makes a difference. On behalf of all journeyers, I thank you.

Now turn it around if you are both a journeyer and a cheerleader: make sure you cheer for yourself. Because YOU are worth it.

Here's to all the encouragers, the supporters, the people who see in YOU the potential AND the reality. Live, and Love LIFE!

Spark on!