My phone beeps and a text comes through, “It's that time of the month, I’m really not feeling good”. My response, “I’m sure you’ll feel much better after your workout. see you at 5pm.” As always, my client left the gym energized and with a smile. This made me think back to 20 years ago….
“IF you live to be 35 years old, your quality of life will be very poor,”
Melanie at 300 lbs. said the doctor as he walked out of the room leaving me with a “good luck with that” feeling. At the young age of 19 years old and weighing in at 300 pounds, I was desperate for direction.
Well then. What now? I had attempted every fad diet known to man and owned every workout tape that promised buns of steel and 6-pack abs. Apparently that wasn’t working. So, a friend approached me and we decided to be workout buddies. Someone to hold me accountable and make going to the gym fun. We had aspirations of playing racquetball, attending classes, and doing cardio… every night after work.
The first week went great. The next week we skipped a few nights because of other obligations. When I would already start questioning my motivation, as the day would start to wear me down, all it took was for my accountability partner to call and say that she wasn’t feeling good or that she had to take her daughter to soccer practice, PERFECT! I could go home and crawl onto the couch. On the way home I’d stop for a hamburger and fries because...
Well then. What now? I had attempted every fad diet known to man and owned every workout tape that promised buns of steel and 6-pack abs. Apparently that wasn’t working. So, a friend approached me and we decided to be workout buddies. Someone to hold me accountable and make going to the gym fun. We had aspirations of playing racquetball, attending classes, and doing cardio… every night after work.
The first week went great. The next week we skipped a few nights because of other obligations. When I would already start questioning my motivation, as the day would start to wear me down, all it took was for my accountability partner to call and say that she wasn’t feeling good or that she had to take her daughter to soccer practice, PERFECT! I could go home and crawl onto the couch. On the way home I’d stop for a hamburger and fries because...
“I’d start fresh tomorrow”.
By the third week I’d stopped bringing my workout clothes and decided to make a fresh start when the new year hit, a new years resolution would suddenly make it easier to go to the gym after work. Problem was, it was October. Which gave me a few good months to go back to old habits so I’d be ready to “hit it hard” in January.
November. Another trip to the hospital. And now the doctor is shaking his head at me as he tells me I’m diabetic. I went home defeated and that’s when someone suggested I try Weight Watchers. I went, not knowing what else to do. I went to every meeting after that for a long period of time, because I felt accountable to them. I felt that no matter what my BS excuse was for not being able to go, they would still be there. And my absence would be noticed.
That’s when it hit me. I compare it to someone starting a program like AA. They aren’t going to set you up with a mentor, someone to hold you accountable, who is on Step 1 as well. To make me accountable I needed to find someone a little farther along in the journey. Someone who already established that pattern of behavior and wouldn’t let my excuses detour them. And in that respect, I felt like my
November. Another trip to the hospital. And now the doctor is shaking his head at me as he tells me I’m diabetic. I went home defeated and that’s when someone suggested I try Weight Watchers. I went, not knowing what else to do. I went to every meeting after that for a long period of time, because I felt accountable to them. I felt that no matter what my BS excuse was for not being able to go, they would still be there. And my absence would be noticed.
That’s when it hit me. I compare it to someone starting a program like AA. They aren’t going to set you up with a mentor, someone to hold you accountable, who is on Step 1 as well. To make me accountable I needed to find someone a little farther along in the journey. Someone who already established that pattern of behavior and wouldn’t let my excuses detour them. And in that respect, I felt like my
“But a unicorn landed on my car and aliens abducted me”
excuse (AKA I just want to go home and lay on the couch) wasn’t acceptable. That’s when I decided to hire a trainer. Which helped me keep to a schedule. I didn’t miss a session. Though it did take a few tries to find someone I meshed with, just having that someone who would hold me accountable.
Melanie finishing her triathlon! Fast forward ten years. New goal was a triathlon. I attempted to train on my own multiple times, without successfully getting to that race day. I was frustrated because being a trainer at that point, I felt like I should be able to accomplish any fitness related goal. Last year I decided to try again. But THIS TIME... I joined a team. The training was tough at times, but having a coach and a workout buddies I was accountable to, got me across the finish line. I realized that I’m never beyond finding someone or something to help me reach my goals. Whether it’s losing 170 pounds or completing a triathlon, accountability is a huge game changer!
What’s YOUR accountability plan for the health & wellness goals you want to achieve?
What’s YOUR accountability plan for the health & wellness goals you want to achieve?
 | This blog brought to you by our resident fitness goddess and trainer! Spreading the fun in fitness one squat, plank, yummy recipe, and healthy tip at a time! Thank you for reading my blog and if you find that this article has served you or if you know someone who is on their own fitness journey that might also be supported by this blog please share. - Mel |
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