Are There Excuses

Are There Excuses?

It is one of the greatest things fitness loves to say, “NO EXCUSES!!!!” I’ve always had a bit of a problem with this concept. Most notably that I haven’t walked a mile in many people’s shoes. 

I don’t have kids….

I am not a single parent…..

I have a rather flexible job and don’t have a boss….

Those are just a handful of situations that are realities for many people.

The other is that as someone who LOVES fitness, it is easy to forget not everyone shares our enthusiasm. If we flipped the action to doing my taxes, cleaning, landscaping, you would be amazed at the “excuses” I make. Instead of being critical, we should be looking at enhancing the person’s experience that does not share that love of fitness. 

However, my current journey has also taught me some valuable lessons. 

The other day was my first day of physical therapy, to be honest, it was kinda rough. Not so much physical, but mentally. As the therapist performed her evaluation, I was lying on the table and she asked me to lift my leg straight up. The left leg went up slowly, shaking all the way up. The right leg felt glued to the table, no way, couldn’t move it at all. 

Going from a competitive strength athlete to needing a chair to stand was one of the most humbling moments in my life. 

Now this was a bit surprising because I can walk and is a bit complicated (not really the point of this post right now), but all I could think about was how far I had fallen from where I was use to being. To be honest, it took me some time after coming home from surgery to get my eating right. 

I wasn’t eating pizza and candy, but I wasn’t my current positive habits. I was eating foods that weren’t that great, were highly processed, and guess what, I didn’t care. 

Why do I share either story with you? We spend so much time on the exercise part and even at times being a cheerleader, but sometimes we fail addressing the person. I was frustrated, didn’t feel well, and had a host of other emotions that made me feel completely demotivated. 

Realizing the uphill battle and how far I was use to being “me” was very depressing, but then I remembered….

So, what is an excuse? That is a tough question because there is a point where we all have to make decisions. Let’s face it, there are some things out of our control. You may have planned to train and you get a call from your kid’s school and have to go pick them up? Is that an excuse? No! It is a life reality. 

On the other hand what is an excuse, what is it really? I truly believe it is when we don’t feel like we can conquer or control an action step. We can’t find the meaning behind taking that action step we need. In many ways I am lucky. I had a unique role model in my step mother that passed away from Breast Cancer. She was unique because after being diagnosed with stage IV cancer she and given a 6 month life expectancy she battled in strongly fro 7 years. 

The strongest person I ever knew wasn’t a powerlifter or lifter at all, but someone who was a champion in life!

I am lucky to think of her any time I can’t figure out that motivation to take that action step. When I couldn’t lift my leg I wanted to quit, then I thought of her and what she went through. What I went through wasn’t a vacation, but it wasn’t anything close that she endured. I encourage you to find a role model to put things in perspective, to give you the strength to take that first action step because sometimes that is all it takes! 

DVRT Master, Annmarie, shows being a role model or finding inspiration can be those we want to inspire as well!

An excuse is really the inability to find meaning. Find meaning in betterment, whether than means relationships in your family, confidence that will grow to make your life better, or to be a role model to those little ones who watch a lot of what we do. 

So, don’t think of things as excuses, think of them as finding action steps. I’ve been recently saying at our DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training certifications that if my client doesn’t do well, that is mostly my fault because I didn’t put them in a position to succeed. That includes of really understanding the person, not just their physical strength!

Every October we try to give back to the inspiration that not only Renae gave me, but so many women have. Not only are we giving you 20% off DVRT gear and workouts, but a portion of every sale will go to the Sinlgeton Mom’s Charity. A Phoenix based group that helps single mothers with cancer. You can go HERE now to save and help give strength and inspiration to others with coupon code “strength”