Could a Gym Buddy Work For You?
Does the thought of starting an exercise program make you cringe? Has it been hard for you to maintain a workout routine? Does one day of not sticking to your routine lead to a whole month without a workout?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, it might be time to considered a gym buddy. A gym buddy can come in all shapes and sizes and may even have 4 legs.
If you are like me, you have a soft spot for animals. Facebook can be a dangerous place to spend time because of the cute and often heart-wrenching animal videos. A few days ago I stumbled up the story of Eric and Peety, the first entry to launch the Mutual Rescue project. The Humane Society has been requesting video submissions on stories about shelter animals and their owners changing each other’s lives. This one doesn’t disappoint! SPOILER you may shed a few tears, but it has a happy ending!
This video pulled all my heart strings. What brought me to tears wasn’t just the relationship between the two of them, but the similar starts Eric, and I had in our fitness transformations.
Just like Eric I had heard from other people that I was overweight, I remember how much it stung when my 3-year-old nephew called me fat. Again, just like Eric, the warnings fell on deaf ears until a plane flight changed my life too.
Quarterly I flew to the corporate office for three days of grueling meetings, followed by excruciatingly long dinners that went well into the night. By the time I was headed home, I had a pile of work that would take me a week to dig out. I treasured the uninterrupted time on the way home to start catching up, and this flight was going to be no different. Wrong, it would be life changing!
The minute the flight attendant gave the all clear for laptops mine was out an open, Wyatt Earp couldn’t have been that fast! I was just finishing the first paragraph of yet another report when the person in front of me decided it was time to sleep. She reclined her seat into my lap.
While a little intrusive for most people for me, a size 20 at the time, it pushed the screen down and the computer into my big belly. I quickly looked to my right, and the thanked God the guy in the window seat was fast asleep and didn’t see the embarrassment on my face. It took some doing, but I finally managed to free the wedged laptop.
The center seat was empty, and in an effort to continue to work I tried to position the laptop next to me. No matter how I tried to finagle the laptop, there wasn’t enough room between my belly and the seat to have a place to work. Infuriated that I was losing precious time, I reluctantly shut the laptop down. As I turned off the light and sat in the darkness of the plane I felt the tears welling up in my eyes. What happened to that fit athlete I used to be? Was I FAT?
I wasn’t the victim of a rude comment from fellow passenger like Eric but felt the same stinging feeling. The next day I took steps to start my fitness transformation.
My first gym buddy wasn’t a dog it was my husband. He agreed to walk with me three nights a week to the end of the driveway and back, about a mile. He’s 6’2”, and a “walk” with him felt like a run. I pleaded with him to slow down, and he would frustratingly respond that he couldn’t walk any slower. Despite the rocky start the feelings from my last plane ride had made their impression, and I stuck with it.
Losing weight in a month encouraged me to add a 4th night of exercise. I started to look forward to the walks, not only was I changing physically but this was a time for us to connect without the distractions of life.
It wasn’t long until I was ready for a more challenging workout. My next gym buddy was a personal trainer. Leaving work and sticking to a set schedule was a challenge. Making that appointment with the trainer got me to the next phase in my fitness transformation.
A gym buddy can go a long way to helping you start or maintain your fitness routine. Ask a spouse or partner, how about a friend who has talked about getting in better shape. Can’t think of anyone? Does your gym have a service to pair people up? What about a local meetup? Hmmm…. better yet, how about your local shelter? Like Eric, you might both experience a fitness transformation and save two lives!
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CJ Johnson’s Fitness Transformation Blog
Train Smart · Live Bold · Age Well
Email: CJ@agewellwithcj.com
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