Since July I have been working with a personal trainer to get fit and prior to that I had been working out on my own 3-4 times a week. It was only after having an orientation with my trainer that I realized how easy I was being on myself. Sure I could run longer on a treadmill, get through Zumba and BodyPump classes but I wasn’t able to do one sit up on my own!
So my adventure with my trainer began. I had all the measurements taken: weight, inches, BMI, body fat %, etc. All that told me was I was about 20 lbs. heavier that I had wished; about 4 inches larger in my waist than I wished and I had just over 30% body fat. Which is considered overweight (for me, not everyone). Ugh, it only confirmed what I had suspected.
So to the workouts I went. And man, personal trainers are tough! I vomited during my first session – gross, I know. But then I just had a mental shift around what I was going to allow my body to do. My passion for working out grew with each completed workout. By the end of our first round (6 sessions, 4 weeks) I was much stronger. The original orientation workout was much, much easier. I was stronger!
Stronger, Not Thinner
However, I was not much thinner. Even though my trainer was encouraging better nutrition and gave me recipes, suggested snacks and foods, I didn’t listen. I thought “surely working out was enough”. And it was enough … to make me stronger, not thinner. The whole point was to get fit, right?! Yes, people, yes I want to be fit and I would be lying if I said I didn’t want a smaller waist to go with that.
So, round 2, I made small adjustments to my eating habits and did much better. I was feeling great about where I was heading. I ‘felt’ committed and could actually envision a fitter, leaner, healthier Melanie! And others were noticing. Compliments to my physique and my sharing via Facebook and Twitter became frequent.
Then, at dinner one night, I get a call from a fellow trainer that MY trainer had to leave suddenly and no longer be able to train me. Not to worry, the new trainer said that he would take it from here. Not what I was expecting. I rolled with the punches, met and worked out with the new trainer and finished round 3.
It’s been 2 weeks since the end of round 3. I have not been back to the gym. I did not keep my healthy eating habits. I did not sign up for round 4. What happened? Well, part of it is financial. Personal trainers are not cheap. Worth the money if it is in your budget, I admit. Still, that’s only an excuse.
What I have learned
A lot of what I was accomplishing was based on feelings. If I felt good, I was working out. This process was not founded on commitment and determination. Once my original trainer left, I felt a little sad. I had grown fond of her. And while the new trainer was fantastic, even better in some ways, the emotional connection was gone.
Two people recently shared about things they were committed to in their lives and made incredible sacrifices to see out their commitments regardless of their feelings. It left me noticing how I am not committed to ANYTHING the way these two individuals were.
I have passion for things in my life such as my faith, family, causes, projects. Passion is not commitment. (For me, faith and family are obvious commitments. I’m talking about a commitment outside of that.) It’s the commitment that gets you up and do the daily routine to reach your goal. It’s not always the payoff at the end or the accomplishment of the task.
I think that’s where I took my eye off the ball. There will be unexpected changes, there will be emotional challenges and there will be days I don’t ‘feel’ like it. I’m not ending this with big promises of what I’ll do next. It’s not rocket science to figure out that I have to exercise more and eat healthier to hit my goals. Today, I am reminding myself that I am committed to #GetFit. See you at the gym!
