We all have reasons that we all do what we do each day. The older we get, the more people think that at an advanced age, you should be grateful just to get out of bed in the morning. Well, that's not the way it works. You have to have a reason to get out of bed in the morning and even then, life can turn right around and step on your nuts. Everyone needs a passion, something that drives us and motivates the very core of our being to get us moving each day. It can be something as simple as listening to the birds chirp in the morning or something much larger, like a significant other, your job or who you are going to interact with that day. One thing personal trainers have to be detectives at, are finding out what motivates their clients inside as well as outside of the gym. And further more, find out why they are at the gym in the first place. Let's face it: not everyone wants to be inside of a gym everyday and for that matter, at all. There's a certain breed of people who find themselves worked their asses to the bone, trying to better their bodies for different reasons....health, beauty, etc. Whatever the drive may be, the results produced are pretty much the same for everyone: better health in the long run. Isn't that what we all strive for anyways? So why do some find it very easy and other's find it grueling to walk inside a gym for a half-hour at the least?
Humans are creatures of habit and we stick with what we know for the most part. We don't deviate from the norm unless we are risk-takers by nature or there's a positive result that comes from doing something different. The way each of us and the values we're taught as children as big factors and often come into play when we grow up and become adults. As trainers, we are constantly faced with the issue of trying to help clients become motivated to change their outlook on fitness and their health. For some clients, it's very easy because they have seen results in their family members, friends and people they know and the benefits they have received from becoming healthier, tangible and intangible. For others, in a word, it can be tough. You are usually working against years of self-deprecating, negative thoughts, images and comments from other people that have a nasty effect on the psyche of the person you are trying to help. I believe we all have depression on some level within ourselves but some just cope better than others. There's nothing wrong with the ones that don't, they are just harder to reach with positive feedback on their own progress. Every gain they make, there is another negative thought that usually inches its evil little head in and makes itself known to the world. Depression sucks, period. It's like an abusive marriage, always putting you down and figuratively beating you up at every chance that it gets.
You don't have to be a trainer to find these kinds of people either, they are everywhere! And my heart goes out to them because I know what it's like to feel like you've lost all hope of ever accomplishing anything in the world. But at some point, someone or something comes out of nowhere and puts you on the road to bigger and better things. At least it did for me. It's funny how my illness always is the pivotal points in these kinds of stories but it's true. And if you've never gone through it yourself, you'll NEVER understand. There came a point, where I just got angry at what I had to deal with everyday. I realized getting angry wasn't necessarily a bad thing because in the long run, it inspired me to get better.
As an adult man, I carry the emotional scars of the kid who, at the time I was going through all my stuff, never knew what each day was going to bring or if I'd survive. The fear of the unknown made me try and try harder, not just for me but for my family, friends and loved ones. I had to, I had no other choice and I wasn't going to give up either. No one knows the physical pain that I went through and no one ever will...it's like a secret that you never tell anyone. From time to time when I look back on what I've accomplished and where I've been since then, it amazes me sometimes. Currently, I've pushed myself to start running, something that I've avoided for many, many years. But I decided that it's something that will better me in the long-run (No pun intended!), health-wise and temperament wise.
What's really amazing is how my life has come full circle and I've found an inner peace that I didn't have so few years ago when I was in college. I attribute this to my current circle of friends and family that continue to motivate and push me to try harder and accomplish things that I could've ever dreamed of.
But everyone doesn't have inner motivation like mine, so what do you do? Make friends that motivate you to become better in your own life, whatever your situation may be. There are people in this life that you are supposed to connect with on your journey for a specific reason. When you find these individuals, hold onto them because they can be viable assets in your arsenal of motivation and happiness in your own life. Get mad. Scream. Yell. Go a couple rounds in the ring like my friend Sam. He'll tell you how to let out your anger in the gym. Whenever I see him and he's not training clients, he's going a few rounds with a punching bag. Or you could be like my other friend, Leah, who immerses herself with yoga, writing and diffusing herself from her own personal world of crazy anyway she can. I admire how she handles all the things that she has to do and put up with day to day and still find time for herself as well. The bottom line here is that we all have bad things in our lives, but the truth is getting beyond it. Seeing the light at the end of tunnel can be hard but when we finally get to the light, the warmth that we feel from it stings like the sun on a hot, summer day.
For me, if I don't take chances and risks, I always feel like I'm missing out on things in life. We have a set number of years that we are able to enjoy things without the pains of growing older and such, why waste it? In our short lifetimes, we won't even scratch the surface of all the things there are to do on earth but why minimize the number of experiences you have by sitting around feeling sorry for yourself? There comes a point where you can't sugarcoat things for people anymore. You can be understanding and caring, but on the same token, you have to be a realist. Ok, you're not motivated but your unhealthy and you NEED to change and here's how we're going to do it. Get a clear plan of what needs changed, make steps on how you expect to accomplish it and enlist the help of friends and professionals that will help you reach your goals. It's as simple as that really. Not this long-drawn out, bulleted 12-point plan about reaching your goals, etc. Get up, get active and get healthy!
Humans are creatures of habit and we stick with what we know for the most part. We don't deviate from the norm unless we are risk-takers by nature or there's a positive result that comes from doing something different. The way each of us and the values we're taught as children as big factors and often come into play when we grow up and become adults. As trainers, we are constantly faced with the issue of trying to help clients become motivated to change their outlook on fitness and their health. For some clients, it's very easy because they have seen results in their family members, friends and people they know and the benefits they have received from becoming healthier, tangible and intangible. For others, in a word, it can be tough. You are usually working against years of self-deprecating, negative thoughts, images and comments from other people that have a nasty effect on the psyche of the person you are trying to help. I believe we all have depression on some level within ourselves but some just cope better than others. There's nothing wrong with the ones that don't, they are just harder to reach with positive feedback on their own progress. Every gain they make, there is another negative thought that usually inches its evil little head in and makes itself known to the world. Depression sucks, period. It's like an abusive marriage, always putting you down and figuratively beating you up at every chance that it gets.
You don't have to be a trainer to find these kinds of people either, they are everywhere! And my heart goes out to them because I know what it's like to feel like you've lost all hope of ever accomplishing anything in the world. But at some point, someone or something comes out of nowhere and puts you on the road to bigger and better things. At least it did for me. It's funny how my illness always is the pivotal points in these kinds of stories but it's true. And if you've never gone through it yourself, you'll NEVER understand. There came a point, where I just got angry at what I had to deal with everyday. I realized getting angry wasn't necessarily a bad thing because in the long run, it inspired me to get better. As an adult man, I carry the emotional scars of the kid who, at the time I was going through all my stuff, never knew what each day was going to bring or if I'd survive. The fear of the unknown made me try and try harder, not just for me but for my family, friends and loved ones. I had to, I had no other choice and I wasn't going to give up either. No one knows the physical pain that I went through and no one ever will...it's like a secret that you never tell anyone. From time to time when I look back on what I've accomplished and where I've been since then, it amazes me sometimes. Currently, I've pushed myself to start running, something that I've avoided for many, many years. But I decided that it's something that will better me in the long-run (No pun intended!), health-wise and temperament wise.
For me, if I don't take chances and risks, I always feel like I'm missing out on things in life. We have a set number of years that we are able to enjoy things without the pains of growing older and such, why waste it? In our short lifetimes, we won't even scratch the surface of all the things there are to do on earth but why minimize the number of experiences you have by sitting around feeling sorry for yourself? There comes a point where you can't sugarcoat things for people anymore. You can be understanding and caring, but on the same token, you have to be a realist. Ok, you're not motivated but your unhealthy and you NEED to change and here's how we're going to do it. Get a clear plan of what needs changed, make steps on how you expect to accomplish it and enlist the help of friends and professionals that will help you reach your goals. It's as simple as that really. Not this long-drawn out, bulleted 12-point plan about reaching your goals, etc. Get up, get active and get healthy!
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