True or False:
- Personal Trainers don't have to work out much because they are "naturally fit".
- Workouts are easier for Personal Trainers because they are strong.
- Personal Trainers don't need to pay attention to a healthy diet because they burn it all off.
- Personal Trainers never have a day where they would rather stay in bed than workout.
FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, and FALSE!
Your Personal Trainers are human too, and while we may be further down the fitness path than some of you, we had to start the same way as each of you; one small step at a time. And we have had our share of obstacles to overcome through the years, and we continue to face some of the same challenges that each of you face such as stress, relationship struggles, raising children, aging, losing loved ones, etc. Even though it may seem to some that as Fitness Trainers we have "arrived" at our fitness destination, the reality is that attaining a healthy body and lifestyle is a work in progress.
Both of your Trainers have traversed a relatively long journey on their respective roads to fitness. After an active youth, followed by a relatively sedentary decade in my 20s, my road to fitness started almost 25 years ago with a one mile run. One mile led to a 5k, 5k to a 10k , 10k to a half marathon, half marathon to a full marathon... to a career as a Firefighter and then a Personal Trainer. My journey seems sorta boring and it started sooooo many years ago that I have a hard time recalling details.
Katie's journey, on the other hand, is more recent in my 50+ year old brain and I seem to have a knack for remembering funny details. Some of you have known Katie for as long, or longer, than I have and know that prior to her current job of ordering you to squat lower and do one more push up when you don't possibly think you can, she held the stressful job of spa director at a local resort. In addition to that, she had a young child and all the responsibilities that go along with being a wife and mother.
I tried my best to get her to take up running but she insisted that her body DID NOT RUN. The "running shoes" that I saw her wearing were "yard shoes". Repeated attempts at trying to get her to move failed until 2007 when she decided to walk the Sedona 5k to support the members in the training club where she worked. Then she swallowed her pride, and her yard shoes too, and in November of 2007 asked if I would train her to run the 2008 Sedona 5k. I suppressed my sarcastic side and resisted the urge to say anything but "sure". And so it began...
As some of you have heard, Katie used to whine about anything and everything imaginable. It is too cold to run, it is too hot to run, it is windy today, my toe hurts, my teeth hurt, my nose is running, I am never going to be able to run up this hill, my stomach doesn't feel good, I'm tired, I am never going to be able to run up this hill, it is still dark, I am never going to be able to run up this hill. So you can see the hill was a really big problem. But eventually the whining became less frequent and, yes, she finally made it up the hill. She also ran not just the 2008 Sedona 5k but she went on to run the 2009 Sedona Half Marathon as well as several other half marathons.
The picture below was taken on a trip to Idaho in the summer of 2010. At this point Katie had been running steadily and strength training off and on for almost 3 years. The Idaho trip included running the Mesa Falls Half Marathon and lots of hiking and biking. And while she was still known to whine a fair amount she had reached a relatively high level of fitness.
But the journey was just beginning. Over the next three years, Katie progressively added more intensity to her runs and cardio training, and became more consistent with her strength training. Throughout this I endured her dirty looks and tantrums. She has been known to walk out of the gym on me when I give her an exercise that challenges her. But the sick flip side of that is that when she masters the exercise it finds a place on her favorites list. She also once threw the dumbbells on the garage floor when I introduced a 40 second interval and told me I was going to kill everyone. Interpretation: she really meant she thought I was going to kill HER.
So I have pushed forward trying to kill her with my Personal Trainer kindness, and she has taken on both me and the challenges I throw at her. She has lost 25 to 30 pounds (depending on that lovely weight bounce we all have). She has completed many half marathons and two full marathons, coming within just a few minutes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon. She has gained strength and muscle definition and can now bench press me, while I am holding a couple dumbbells! So I now flinch sometimes when she gives me that look. One of her latest goals has been to tackle pull ups and she is now doing double digit pull ups.
During her journey to fitness she has been through two major surgeries, and as mentioned earlier, deals with all the same day to day life challenges that we all face. So how did she do it? One small step at a time, sometimes a couple steps backward, but she picked herself up, re-evaluated and set new goals, and kept pushing forward. It is the only healthy direction to go.
As you can see in the next picture, she has continued her transformation into 2014 and has no plans to stop. She would only let me brag on her and post this blog if I agreed to one thing, though. I had to reveal that the best changes she has experienced aren't those that are visible on the outside. Much of her drive to keep going comes from knowing that heart disease runs in her family. She knows she has a stronger heart, lungs, and body and that by pursuing a healthy lifestyle she is doing the best she can do to reduce her risk of many different diseases. She is a better wife and mother because she takes care of herself and can give more to her family. She has more self confidence and an inner strength that comes from knowing she can tackle physical challenges that she once thought impossible.
Remember, her fitness quest began in November 2007 which means she is approaching seven years. It is an interesting correlation to me that my running research tells me that no matter what age you begin running, you can usually continue to see improvement for at least 7 years, and that it also takes at least that long to mature as a runner or athlete. And the really exciting part is that both world class athletes, and everyday Joes and Katies, continue to blow holes in the notion that our best days are behind us once we reach 40.
I am now well beyond that 7 year improvement phase, and quite a few years ago reached my "fitness peak", but that certainly does not mean that the journey is over. In fact, there are perhaps more reasons than ever now to continue. Research continues to support the benefits of fitness at all ages and fit people simply lead longer, healthier lives.
So use the mirror if you wish to motivate you toward your goals, but find the intrinsic reasons that will keep you moving down that fitness path and enjoy the ride because it is a rewarding, lifelong journey and there is no finish line.
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