When There’s A Want There’s A Way

I want to tell you about my client of the week, “M”. I don’t actually have “a client of the week” thing going on here at Very Personal Training, but if I did, she would be it (hmm, maybe I should start…).

I’ve told you about M before and her amazing perseverance. But this week she brought it to a whole new level and gave the word “conviction” a whole new meaning.

2 weeks ago M. and I had our last session for about 4 weeks. I went to Italy for a week and then when I got back she was going to be away at a resort in Connecticut and then she was to go off to the Jersey Shore for 4th of July week. After that we planned on returning to our usual 5-day-a-week training routine. Yesterday though, M. called me, sounding so refreshed and alive, asking if I had any time available to train with her today. Immediately I got worried and asked if she had canceled her trip to the shore. I was nervous that she had a bad time at the resort and needed to get back on track. Instead though, she said that she had a fabulous time and had actually met with a trainer at the resort for 7 out of the 10 days that she was away and that she was home for 2 days between vacations and just wanted to keep the momentum going.

I was beyond thrilled! I had planned on taking today off, but when I heard she actually WANTED to train and was pushing herself so hard I jumped to schedule a session. You might think that just because she trains 5 days a week with me that this is a no brainer for her, but that’s not the case. She has to push herself to get to me every single one of those 5 days and she does (even when she has food poisoning), because she is determined to keep the depression at bay, take the last 10-15 pounds off (which she is succeeding at), and sleep well at night. For her, this is medicine and as hard as it is she never ever gives up and always pushes herself harder.

This is what it means to really give it your all, be consistent, and keep on fighting no matter what. There are no excuses with her ever, no whining, and no complaints.

When I opened the door this morning she looked like she just woke up (because she did). She overslept, but still managed to jump out of bed, put her clothes on, and make it here. I didn’t get a phone call from her trying to reschedule or cancel and she had such a bright smile on her face. Because she knew that she was right where she should be.

Take this lesson from a 65-year-old cancer surviving woman. If you want to succeed at your goals, first you need to know what they are. After that, it’s all about consistency and perseverance. There are no shortcuts and there are definitely no excuses. Do not let anything ever stop you.

The 3/4 Mark

Whenever I go out for a run, whether it’s a 2.5 miler or a 10 miler, I start strong and ready to go. I run and I run and I run and I think about how great I feel, how strong my legs have gotten, and my mind clears from all its day-to-day thoughts. But, inevitably, when I get to the 3/4 mark of almost finishing that’s when I get antsy and I can’t wait to see the finish line. I start to psych myself out and think that I won’t make it. That it’s too far away. That I’m going to pass out if the end mark doesn’t come soon and fast. And it seems like it takes longer for that to come than the entire run itself.

Like I said, this happens whether it’s a short or long run, which means I’m clearly psyching myself out. Even if you’ve never run at all you know what I mean by this if you’ve ever walked up a few flights of stairs. It’s those last few stairs that seem like Mt. Everest. It takes a Biggest Loser type perseverance to climb to the top.

So, why am I telling you this? Because we all hit the 3/4 mark when we’re working hard to get somewhere. If you’re trying to overcome some bad habits that are keeping you from losing weight and feeling good about yourself this 3/4 mark will creep up on you at some point. You will start off strong, motivated, and inspired. You’ll keep this up for a bit, but eventually you’re going to want to just forget it all, because it’s going to seem too hard. You have to be stronger than your mind at this point, because it will try to bring you back to your old ways.

But listen to me, if you can just get over this hurdle and remind yourself that you’re hitting a wall, that this is your 3/4 mark, you will be golden. You will overcome this mammoth sized challenge and you will come out stronger than before, and everything that you’ve struggled for will seem so much easier. You won’t even believe that it was all that hard in the first place. You might even have your Aha! moment.

Whenever I hit that wall I think of Rocky running up those steps. Find your Rocky and fight for it!