Coming into the New Year, I found it fitting to share this story with you............
Tuesday evening my client came into my studio as she does every Tuesday evening with her folder in hand to show me that she had completed all of her workouts for the past week. I asked her if she completed her outdoor stair running (part of her program is to run stairs twice a week). She answered with the following, which inspired me to share her story...........
It was the second day of stair training when my client began to get ready to brave our Barrie winter weather. It had snowed that day and she was sure that the stairs would be snow covered. Now many of us would have taken this as a reason to stay indoors and skip the workout. Not this lady!!! She layered up in her winter wear and proceeded to put a shovel in her car. She was not going to let this snow take her workout away from her! When she got to the set of stairs she quickly began to shovel. After a few steps, she realized that much of the snow could not be cleared. With that, she put the shovel down and began to run her 10 sets of stairs. By the 9th round my client was feeling as though the footing was becoming a little unsafe. However, bound and determined she decided to push through her last set! Well, she was right, the footing had become unsafe and she slipped. She went to grab the railing and felt her arm pull. (I thought I would take this opportunity to note that she did not get injured, as she has been strength training for the past 3 years! She had enough muscle built up around her shoulder to protect her from injury. She was very grateful for all of the time and effort she has put into taking care of her body.)
Getting back to the story............
She had to admit that at that point she was feeling a little defeated, but mostly that her ego took a big hit! She loved her stair workout and realized at this point that she needed to find another way to get it in. The next day when she was at work she realized that at the back of her building was an amazing set of indoor stairs to run! The next day, she brought her workout gear to work and decided to get her stair training in during lunch. Not only did she get a challenging and energizing workout in.......she also inspired another co-worker to join her. I expect next week to hear that more of her workplace friends have decided to take part!
Her “No Excuses” approach to this situation helped her to find a new way to stay committed to getting her workouts in. I thought of how many people so often choose to come up with reasons as to why it is not possible to get a little exercise in a few times a week. There will always be obstacles in life.........but, we have the power to decide to let it remain an obstacle or turn it into a new opportunity.
As Winston Churchill once said, “Never, Never, Never Give Up.”
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