I have been thinking.....

Last week was a difficult week at work. First, let me over emphasize that I love my job. The fact that I get to get up every morning, suit up in Nikes and Lululemon, and then enter the best gym in town - Pure Austin - is a dream come true. When I was a waitress and truly unsatisfied with my place in the world, I worked my butt off to become a trainer and to find a position in a gym I was proud to be a part of. I moved to Austin and began working with a stellar bunch of people. I walk the gym every day proud of myself and happy to love my job.

It's been three years now that I left Key West, FL and moved to Austin for the job at Pure Austin. I was reflecting the other day and had a good laugh: it feels like just yesterday I worked the night shift and rushed to the bar for my nightly shot of Yager to begin the festivities of the evening. Ha! Now don't the get the wrong idea; however just like I can go, go, go in the gym I definitely was a responsible, yet crazy and fun party girl. (Note: when I left Key West I was so happy to leave the bar stools behind and truly chase the life I always knew I wanted to live.)

My first few years as a trainer I guess you could say I was trying to find my footing. I had practiced teaching classes in my living room as a little girl with my twin sister dreaming of the day I could do just that in a big gym. I admired Jane Fonda, Cathe Friedrich, and every other fit woman on Exercise TV. I volunteered at my high school to condition the girl's soccer team and that's the first time I knew I finally found what I wanted to do with my life. So when I became a fitness specialist at Pure - though still trying to find my way and settle down from the restaurant business - I knew I was in the exact place I needed to be to make a difference in this world, to rest my head on my pillow each night proud of the work I was doing. ( I rarely felt like that as a waitress. I always knew I was capable of more.)

As I slowly found my way, I knew that the work I was doing was impacting the clients whom I had the pleasure to work with. I have never drawn a firm line between trainer and client, nor did I do this as a waitress. The joke in the business was that each table would leave knowing my middle name and the name of my mother. Yes, I love to talk, but I am also not afraid to open up and allow clients to know about me. The truth is: I wanted to encourage my clients to do the same. It can be a scary endeavor to jump on the weight loss band wagon and because of this it has always been my goal to create a comfortable environment where one can admit their fears, frustrations, and big audacious, dear to dream big goals. As a result of this, I am close to all of my clients. At my 32nd birthday, all but one girl was a client of mine and there were 13 attendees.

This closeness though can leave a trainer vulnerable for I personally absorb each client's struggles with their fitness and their lives. The two go hand in hand: when life is out of control most likely their fitness is spinning in circles as well.
And this is why the other week was so difficult.

Right now I am in the middle of my big, audacious dear to dream big goal! I want a six pack. I gave up desserts for 1 year. I am running and training for a marathon. I just moved in with my special someone. Life is busy, but I feel for the most part in control! However, it's a different story with most of my clients. Life is only getting more difficult: the state of the economy has truly impacted most of us and unfortunately when the bank account is stressed extracurricular expenses are discussed with the spouse and may have to be cut back. I get so frustrated with health care and the overwhelming expenses of life that can make one decide between gas for their car or allocated funds to recruit a trainer to help one get their health back. It should not be this difficult to put yourself first!

Last week's difficulty? Witnessing personal struggle with several clients can be hard to bare for a sensitive and opened person like myself. I want to help and fix and console and change their circumstances. (When I was a little girl I asked my father why the man on the streets did not have a home. I then asked what could I do?)
I want my clients to achieve what they have set out to do. I get so angry that work and finances can keep one from getting a workout in or eating a healthy meal. The other day one of my clients said, "It's a shame that it's cheaper to eat like crap." It is an absolute shame. Though I may be sensitive and opened, I am also a fighter. I rarely take no for an answer when it comes to my fitness and when I am on a mission like the "6 pack" I will fight hard to not give in to my cravings. When I commit, I dedicate. When I know what I am working for, I work for it. When I dream, I give it everything I have to make it a reality.

My frustration? Why are we all not like this? Please don't get mad at me for saying this.....I contemplated writing this but I am truly wondering why we are all not built to fight; however I have been there a few times in life, especially in my 20's, when I told my parents I don't have the fight in me anymore.

This is my hope for each of you in life and in fitness:

Fight for what you dream! Do not settle for excuses. If you cannot afford a trainer, turn on your DVR, go to On Demand, click on Exercise TV and workout. Commit to taking a Group X class 4-5xs a week. Make a pack with your friends that you will all run together before work. Get a group together and train for almost $30 cheaper than the individual rate. Be a rock star! Do not settle for anything shy of excellence! I am not judging you! Please know that. There are times when you cannot control what has happened with your finances and the outside forces that keep you from the gym. However if you do not have your health you will feel the effects of inactivity and poor nutrition, and this will impact your life greatly.

Make a choice! Value yourself! Put yourself first. Be who you have always wanted to be. Know that what you will gain from being fit and healthy is more than staying late at the office to make a deadline........

Tough love is not easy for me but sometimes I just have to do it.

It's because I care!