Staying Motivated

As many of you know, this past weekend was the Genesis Fights Cancer Fundraiser. I personally was stressed about it because teaching new releases for classes can be time consuming as one has to learn the music as well as the choreography. But I do it because I love it! I love teaching classes. I love training clients. I love being at the gym! And for someone who was once nearly 230 pounds and wouldn't set foot into a gym for fear of being made fun of, that says a lot!

I didn't start off loving the gym though! I started off by setting a goal for myself of getting healthy and having a plan of action. I set my mother as my accountability partner where she'd always ask if I had worked out for the day. If I had any doubt in my voice about working out, she would respond with, "Just go, once you get there and going, you'll be fine!" And that was true. I'd grumble all the way to the gym swearing I wouldn't do more that 20 minutes of cardio. But 15 minutes in, endorphins where pumping through my body, I would tell myself I was already there... I can stay a little bit longer.

Then there came the routine. I always went to the gym at the same time. And there were other people there at the same usual time. After a while, you talk to them and then if you miss a day, they ask where you were the day before. And "too tired to come" didn't seem like a good excuse after a while. Whether or not the other people at the gym liked seeing me or not, I felt accountable to them because they were always there to say, "Hey! How are you doing?!"

Once I became a trainer at a gym though, my motivation changed. My motivation became my clients. My clients who were working 60-70 hours a week. My clients who worked two jobs and had a family. My clients who had lost a significant other. My clients who lost a family member. My clients who were fighting or had fought a disease. My clients that continue to fight... THAT'S WHY I STAY MOTIVATED!

Yes, I've made the changes to get healthy. But the outside change isn't as great as my inward change. Being nearly diabetic because of my pour health choices and getting myself healthy had more to do with my mindset. Getting healthy is more about realizing where I was, and where I don't want to be again. Taking my health for granted is not something that I want to do again. Getting healthy is about the individuals I work with and seeing them fight day to day with far greater struggles than I have. Some days my clients come to train with me and with a deep sigh, I hear something like, "I couldn't wait to get here today, my day was horrible!" It's humbling to hear that an hour with me working out and allowing them to blow off some steam is all they need.

So how do I stay motivated? My clients. Their daily grind IS my motivation. I had created the healthy habit to reach my PERSONAL goals, but sticking with it was do able because of the positive people I surround myself with. My favorite word is 'Relentlessness' and hearing that reminds me when you least feel motivated, think of someone who is fighting for something greater. It's very humbling.

Please take the opportunity to look into Oscar Health Insurance. https://www.hioscar.com/
They provide health insurance to those living in New York and New Jersey and they understand and know the importance of being proactive about your health. Oscar encourages healthy behaviors through things like gym reimbursement programs. A few of my clients actually have benefitted greatly from this type of insurance and make amazing progress. Take the time to be proactive verses reactive when the time comes.

#BeBlessed