Lance Arm-who?? THIS man inspires me.Encouragement is powerful. To be perfectly honest, I’m a people pleaser and have been willing to do pretty much anything to get praise since the second I slid out of the womb. (Doctor: “Baby Girl Hilton, APGAR at one minute – 10” Me: *squeeee*) However, I became acquainted with this fact in a gym setting about five years ago. My first foray into real adult fitness was right after the birth of my 3rd child and I was about as beginner as they come. I knew I liked yoga. I knew I didn’t fit into my pants. And that was pretty much it.
Then Nasca took me under her wing. A yoga and kickboxing instructor, not to mention a veteran bodybuilder and fitness competitor, she had a personality part Earth Mama and part Warrior Woman. Contrary to how most bodybuilders operate, there was never any talk of fat or thin with Nasca. She simply thought everyone was gorgeous. Including me. But she did think I should be stronger. Not from a looks standpoint but rather a functional one. I remember going on a joint expedition to Costco – with Costco it’s never just a shopping trip; even if you’re just getting milk it feels like the modern equivalent of slaying a buffalo and tying it to the back of your pony – and watching her heft 50-pound pallets of flour.
“Come on, use those triceps!” she joked as I struggled to help her.
“What’s a tricep?” I asked lamely. “I don’t think I have one.”
“Everyone has one,” she giggled. “Two actually. It’s this cool little cut on the back of your arm.” She lifted her sleeve to show me a beautiful mark of muscular definition etched into her caramel skin. Then she lifted my sleeve. “See? Yours is right here.”
“Where?” I could only see white mushiness.
“Hold your arm like this.” She flexed. I imitated her. Still nothing. Concerned, she felt the back of my arm up and down as I tried flexing in several different directions. “Wow,” she finally said. “You really don’t have one!” And then with no judgement whatsoever she said, “We’ve got to start you lifting weights.”
As anyone who has ever explained something they are very good at to someone who is very bad at it knows, educating newbies is not fun. But to watch Nasca teach me basic weight lifting skills you would have thought I was the most exciting thing to hit the gym floor since thong leotards. Nasca gave me a lot of good information over the next few months but the real thing that kept me coming back was her friendship. She was always encouraging, always positive and always cared about me. If I didn’t show up to class one day, she missed me. It sounds like a small thing but it meant a lot to me.
Since then I’ve tried to be that person for others. I try to notice when there are new people in class or on the weight floor. I try to reach out to them – say hi, offer a friendly smile and a little encouragement. And most of the time I think it works. I’ve made some great friends that way and people usually at least smile back. Some even sit on my lap! But now that I’ve been ’round the proverbial track more than a few times, I find it is easy to forget how intimidating gyms can be to newcomers. There are all those crazy machines to figure out and gym etiquette to learn, not to mention all the spandex – if there was ever an intimidating fabric, that would be it!
We’re coming up on the New Year, otherwise known as “Tourist Season” in the gym due to all the newly resolute folks who show up to crowd the classes and monopolize all the equipment only to disappear three or four weeks later. But instead of getting annoyed this year I’m making an early resolution to do my best to convince the “tourists” to stay a bit longer and soak up the local culture. Maybe they’ll even teach me a few new gestures!
Who is your health hero? How did they inspire you to get fit? What do you do to reach out to the new people?
PS> Sorry for anyone who got the earlier, unedited, much more negative version of this post.
Thanks for the post, Charlotte! That first part about your teacher/coach was very inspiring. The second part about the angry chick seemed familiar, but nevertheless, a very good lesson.
LOVE that picture!!!!!
I don't think I have one specific person as my fitness role model. There are lots of people who inspire me. Especially my older clients. When I see folks in their 70's show up for class week after week, that's pretty cool. And there are these 2 middle-aged guys who take the hip-hop class that's right before my mat class; they're not great dancers, but they're there, and they're doing it, and it's awesome!
oooh MAN. you can so not leave us hanging with the "earlier neg.version" remark 🙂
Did I ever tell you about the time I posted a not so nice post about…sitting in a steaming pile of my own creation, yanked it and didnt realize how many people had read it and that it was still out there somehow?
good times 🙂
I have to say mine was my now deceased grandma who lived till 102.
She was the first person I knew who lifted weights (soup cans in her tiny apt) and exercised every day without fail (water aerobics. she had untreated scoliosis).
It still took me till about 23 to follow in her footsteps but I eventually did.
I go to the free military gym on base and I love seeing all the retired guys in their 70s working out everyday!
That being said, I'm not looking forward to New Years at all. One of the drawbacks to the free military gym is that it's small. There are 6 treadmills and 3 weight benches type of small. I've strategically planned my workout time so I'm there when it's least busy, but I really don't want to wait an hour to use a machine even if it means that other people are doing something good for themselves.
one way to inspire someone to get fit is to show them someone who is dying due to they size. Plus buying some home fitness equipment for yourself and allowing them to use and workout with you to give them more motivation.
There are several people that I admire at the gym – one woman that is crazy strong but she does wear bikini tops to BodyPump (with a tank over but still odd). Another is a little older lady that always comes in late and uses baby weights (but hey, she is there which is cool). My personal trainer inspires me because I love her muscles but my biggest inspiration is my husband. At 44 he is in the best shape of his life and believe me, he has always been fit. Our goal is play tennis together when we are 100 so I need to keep up my end of the deal.
I hope we get some new blood in the gym come January that doesn't leave (although I don't want BodyPump to get any more crowded). Mine is pretty cliquey and I don't fit into any of them so am pretty much a loaner.
I love this post, and I love that you deleted the negative part just because you felt the need, not because of a comment.
I'm very recently (as in, this month) getting into being fit. I started reading your blog for the good writing, but it's been a motivator for me to start taking better care of myself!
Clearly because we are mentally unstable, my husband and I have chosen the P90X as our workout of choice. Our friend, Gerry, is a bit off a fitness buff and is about halfway through the 90 days. I grew very discouraged after my first experience with their "ab ripper" program, and he called me (at midnight, no less!) to encourage me and paint a realistic picture. It changed my entire outlook.
See, you can't do that. Now I want to see the original.
-Joshua
Huh. I didn't think the other one was so bad. Actually, I thought it was a re-post from a while back. No?
As for my health hero – I never thought about it before, but I don't think I have a real-life one. Not someone I see in person on a regular basis, anyway. Hm. That might explain some things. 😉
Health hero? Not sure.
I'm admiring of anyone who gets out there and works hard at staying fit.
My bellydance teacher is sinpiring though. She teaches with so much enthusiasm and she makes you feel good about what you're doing, even if you suck at it…it makes you want to try harder, just for more praise 🙂
I am my own health hero 😉
I've got a pile of them- each one is distinct in their own way with providing the right kind of motivation and encouragement depending on my mood. It's nice to have so many people out there to work on things like this with.
Hi Char!
One name comes to mind: Turbo Jennie!! She told me I would be good at Hip Hop Hustle and got certified from that comment. She will always push you that much harder to bring that energy out of you. As an instructor, I am always trying to inspire my students to work that much hard for the results they want. As long as they step foot into my class, that is how I will inspire. 🙂
Your Costco line deserves some sort of humor writing award.
I think you know who my inspiration is – Morty, my grandpa (who just yesterday delighted me by saying, in response to the Tiger Woods news story: "I tell ya, 92 percent of men are led around by their putz.")
Here's an entry I recently write for a "Whos' Your Health Hero?" contest:
I was 16 the first time I exercised for enjoyment, on a gym date with my grandpa Morty to his health club, where he swam three days a week – a habit he continues today, at age 85. Mort has forever represented the epitome of physical and mental health, not just to me, but our entire community. We’ve always joked he invented jogging, a reference to the fact that he truly did help popularize the movement (see http://files.totalhealth.ivillage.com/ivth/files/ivth/StaticFile_nonimages/Road%20Runner%20%20Shoe%20Info%20(2).pdf , p9, for a 1968 newspaper article/photo of him jogging with the Chicago Board of Health president.) He was president of Road Runners, promoting jogging nationwide and recruiting Jesse Owens to the Advisory Board; judged the 1968 Boston Marathon; designed a jogging shoe for Hush Puppies in 1967; rescued a family friend suffering horrible clinical depression decades ago, before therapy and Prozac, by helping her get out of bed and exercise regularly. In recognition of these and his countless other accomplishments and community gifts, Mort was invited to carry the torch in the 1996 Summer Olympics as an official Community Hero. His passionate, lifelong commitment to exercise has motivated me to workout regularly, eat nutritiously, value rest, love freely, and never give up.
I agree with Miz – what was this mysterious "negative" version?!?!
I want the mystery version too!!!
I love your attitude about helping others in the new year! Since my workout time is weird, not a lot of newbies at my time but sometimes & if they ask me questions, I will try to help. I even had a young 25 year old gal ask me some stuff a while back & makes a person feel good that at double her age, she wanted to ask me something!
I did not have 1 person to inspire me BUT I did have a guy that pushed me to do my bodybuilding back in my 30's & I learned sooooo much from him!
I deleted my original comment because it related more to the first post.
My fitness hero is an older lady at my gym. One day she was walking (very fast) on the treadmill next to my elliptical and I overheard her tell her friend how she is mad because her doctor said she can't run anymore after her second hip replacement. WOW!
I honestly can't say that I have a 'hero' but I did get ushered into loving fitness through a patient-cum-friend who was a trainer. We hung out she taught me how to mountain bike and also showed me the roped in the gym. Once I said to her that I was scared if I took any time off exercise, that I'd revert back to laziness and become obese again. She just said "No, you're already "IN" ." That made such a huge difference in my psyche.
Funny about the lack of tricep at Costco.
Do you still see her?
PS. I also love that picture. It's sooooo something that I would do. That or do a cannonball into the pool next to a sleeping sunbather.
Charlotte, I just wanted to say that I did read your original post, and I didn't honestly find it that negative – it came across as honest. It must have hurt to try so hard to be helpful and friendly and receive that response, and I imagine it made it hard to decide whether to say anything to people in the future. It reminded me of a family guy rerun I saw earlier today, where one of the characters kept trying to impress his (different race) date but kept tripping himself up, afraid that everything he said would be taken as racist.
Anyway, my point is that sometimes it's hard to give support to people. I don't know what to tell you – I'm usually trying to hide or laugh so people can't make fun of me – but the fact that you even tried is awesome. Don't worry too much about how she took it.
this is my resolutions also. i want to get cell phone # of the newbies that come to my classes(especially the 5:15am Pump and txt them the night before to say i look forward to seeing them! they just need the extra encouragement!
There was a lady a few months ago who started coming to the early morning classes. she was telling us that she would do good for 2 weeks and then stop coming. well….i know you can become what you say if you hear it long enough(kinda like when i would tell everyone my son was cranky and he kept hearing me….so of course that is what he was!) if you say that enough then it will become true. i thought i should get her number so i could encourage her not to repeat this cycle…and we all were encouraging her…but sure enough she came for 2 weeks and now we don't see her. I hate that for her. i hope i can prevent this from happening to some of the tourist in my gym come January!
My co-worker is – she keeps sharing her before pictures with us – seeing what exercising has done for her insires me 🙂
January beckons… as you say, it's when all the guilt trips show up – again… sigh…
BB
I'm a little confused.
Hugs and kisses,
Nasca
I'm a little confused.
Love and hugs,
Nasca