What is this gym going to teach me today?

“What is this gym going to teach me about myself, today?” — Trainer Bob Harper, Season 16 Biggest Loser

When I heard this quote from my favorite trainer on NBC’s Biggest Loser tonight, I knew I had to finish and hit publish on the blog I started this morning. And I knew that quote had to be the lead.

What a powerful question for anyone (like me…and perhaps you) who once feared, loathed and avoided the gym only to years later “find her best self” in the gym by pushing past mental limits to find her true potential — inside and out.

While I don’t often workout and blog about it anymore because daily/weekly workouts have become routine, today was special. A fitness milestone, if you will. So I want to share it here and hope it provides inspiration for you. Because if I can, you can.

Fit girl provides inspiration/tips in the gym. Yep. Me!

This morning, like many mornings, I didn’t want to get out of my warm cozy bed to exercise. In fact, it was the last thing I wanted to do. That said, I got up, bundled up and promptly walked to my local community center for my morning workout — where, once again, I had the place all to myself.

I got straight to business. In one hour, I knocked out a vigorous strength training routine followed by high intensity interval training (HIIT). And while that’s pretty awesome and I hit a new level of intensity on the treadmill, that’s not the milestone I want to tell you about.

While I was in mid squat-workout, a woman in her late 60’s came in, watched me for a few minutes and then asked for advice. Well, first, she said,”You are so good at that and you look so trim and fit. Can you help me with squats?”

I’ll admit I looked around to make sure she was talking to me and at the same time was beaming with pride. She then told me that she couldn’t do squats because she has bad knees and squats hurt her knees. I told her that I also had knee problems, but using proper form I am now able to do deep squats. And, in fact, I find it helps strengthen my knees. I then demonstrated the proper squat form I learned from my trainers (weight back on my heels and my butt sticking out) and we practiced together. I also showed her the alternative wall squat with the ball and explained that’s where I started.

She thanked me profusely and mentioned again how fit and trim I looked. She said, “I want to be strong like you.”

Ok, wow. This made my day. She is a runner and I am a former fat girl. I resisted sharing my weight loss story with her because, just for today, in the gym I wanted to be known as the “fit girl” (not former fat girl) who inspired and actually coached another. How cool is that?!

The truth is, many days on many exercises my form is off. And, all too often, I don’t want to get out of bed super early and workout. But Bob’s quote inspires me and makes me want to seek out exercise and push me to the next level. Today, by helping someone else I was able to see how far I’ve come in just four short years.

So yes, this made my day and I had to share it here in the hopes it provides inspiration for you — to get out of bed, go to the gym and ask what it can teach you about you today. To anyone reading this who doubts their physical ability to work out, to move, I say: If I can do it, so can you. I promise you.

Cheers!

Lori