Most of us have great intentions when it comes to starting or maintaining an exercise program. We get psyched up to start a program and get our butts to the gym. But, let’s face it, life can get in the way. Perhaps you must work a little late one night so you miss your 5:30 class. Maybe you have a sick child at home that needs to be cared for and you are unable to get to Zumba. You might decide early mornings are best to get your workout game on, but you stay up too late binge watching multiple episodes of “This Is Us” and when that alarm goes off at 5 am you tiredly moan, hit the snooze button and then roll over to catch a few more zzzz’s. Sound familiar?
Recently I started attending cycling or spin classes 2 days a week at a local gym with my daughters. It’s a great class and a really good work out. The gym is conveniently located on the route I drive home from work each day. Recently, as I was driving home, I inadvertently drove right by the gym without stopping. I got about 2 miles down the road and realized OMG tonight is spin class! I was supposed to meet my youngest daughter, Marissa at the gym. For a brief moment, I considered calling Marissa and telling her I wasn’t going to make it. But then I decided NO! I agreed to meet her and she was probably there waiting for me so, I turned around and drove back to the gym.
When I told Marissa the story about driving right by the gym she laughed. She went on to tell me that she had a very busy day herself and almost called me to cancel but she did not want to let me down. She had to drive 30 minutes out of her way to get to the gym and she made it happen to keep her word with me. I have to say we were both quite proud of ourselves for showing up. But this story gets even better!
We went to our class and like the other members in the class we set up our bikes and started our warm up as we waited for the instructor. I thought it a little unusual that she wasn’t there yet. We waited and waited but still no one showed up to teach the class. I went to the front desk and learned that a new instructor was starting that night. The attendant called her and found out that she thought the class was at a different location. She was at the wrong gym and would not be able to make it.
By this time, it was 15 minutes into class time. I went back to the class to report the news that she wouldn’t be coming and class had been cancelled. But here is the great part! Instead of giving up and going home, the entire class teamed together and organized our own cycling workout. One person figured out how to hook up her iPhone playlist to the P.A. system and another woman had recorded our class the previous week on her phone! She was able to guide us through a cycling work out and we all had a blast!
As my daughter and I left the class dripping with sweat she looked at me with a smile and said, “We had several obstacles that could have got in our way from doing our workout but we overcame them all and we did it!” The smile on her face was priceless and it inspired this post. For more tips on how to stick with your fitness program go to Top 5 Reasons People Stick to an Exercise Program
Everything is figure-out-able! – Marie Forleo
