Recently, a friend of my mother’s asked me what gym I go to. Then she asked if I liked it. After I told her that I LOVED it I was then asked what I love about it. My response to that was “Where do I start?”
We’re in the throes of the Intramural Open at 13 Stripes. There’s weekly competitions and challenges, there’s opportunity to better your score, there’s the ability to be a ‘judge’ for a someone who needs to do the workout on a different day but most of all.. there’s FUN. There is cheering and pushing and motivating and high fives and fist bumps everywhere. There’s talk of “My goal was 6 rounds and I hit that!” or “I want to try again to hit my goal.” followed up with people who are cheering those folks on. Wishing them the best. Helping them count down the time. Telling them to keep moving, keep pushing.
When people ask me what I love about MY gym (because I totally take ownership in making it a place people want to come to) I tell them everything I said above.. and more. I tell them that I can do things I never thought I could. I tell them that it’s a stress reliever. I tell them that it’s comforting to walk into a place where everybody knows your name. I explain to them how the coaching staff is exemplary and that they bring their knowledge and passion for fitness to the mat to teach us. I tell them about the community. The people. How you make friends that you never thought you’d make. How they help you through the workouts and hold you accountable for doing them or showing up. I tell them that sometimes it baffles me why people will still continue to go to those ‘other’ gyms when they would get better results at 13 Stripes. (Ok, fitness in general gives GREAT results but I’m a little biased, obviously!)
When I joined fitness back in September I couldn’t get up off the floor without assistance. I’ve never been involved in sports – unless you count horrible games of dodgeball at recess where I was ALWAYS the last one picked for the team and first one tagged out. I was that funny, fat girl. Now? I’m still funny (at least I think so) and I’m still overweight but not anywhere NEAR where I was in September.
Recently I realized I needed new jeans because the pairs I bought that were ‘skinny’ jeans were no longer fitting. They were saggy and I needed a belt to hold them up. I tried on a pair that was 4 sizes smaller than what I used to wear. 4 sizes. 4. FOUR. WHAT????? I know. It shocked me, too.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Thankfully, I stopped that insanity and branched out to fitness. You can, too. All you have to do is tell yourself you’re worth it.
I’m patient. I can wait. See you at the box!!
#fromcouchtofitness #mystandardsmyway #youcandothis #13stripesfitness #don’tgiveup