Last week while cleaning some gear on the gym floor I made a point to speak with three separate women who were working out. I wont mention any names or the club location to protect their privacy. While chatting with the first, a regular at the club, she shared how her one year old daughter had been born with ‘hip displacea’. As a consequence, the little girl was in a cast. We talked briefly about the ‘challenges’ surrounding this. She admitted it was tough and that this magnified her need for the precious ‘time-out’ and mental calm that she enjoyed by attending the club. I did my best to support and encourage her.
The next young women I spoke to told me that she was focused on maintaining her strength and fitness. She is an athlete in a New Zealand representative team and would have been representing our country in the latter part of this year. But she summed to the injury. She finds her visits to the gym restorative, physically and mentally. I listened to and agreed with her plan.
The third, another good looking mature age women I spoke to had also been a regular at the club. Yet this time, she appeared a little different as she paused on the shoulder press between exercises. When I asked how she was doing she admitted that she was ‘struggling with motivation’. Upon digging deeper I discovered that she have relied on the coaching of a Personal Trainer who had moved on. Fortunately, I realized that we had a wonderful Trainer now available and of a similar age. And this week I was glad to see a total change of attitude and motivation as a result of their appointment together.
Now my point is that each one of these awesome women has learned to be RESILIENT. They have each accepted their challenges and are instead using the club to improve, strengthen and preserve both body and mind. And when you think of it, the chances are that either YOU or the person beside you also has a story to tell. This is not-withstanding the fact that we are ALL living in a time of both real and perceived ‘challenge’.
We ALL need support and encouragement. YOU are not alone. So next time you workout, think about this – Reach out and encourage a ‘friend’.
