I’ve never been in great shape, but I’ve always done my best to eat well and keep my weight to a manageable number. Part of me always wanted to be fitter – to not get winded after climbing two flights of stairs and to be able to run through an airport if required. But I “never had enough time”. Truth is – I never made it a priority. It was one of those far away goals, without a plan in place to achieve it. There were periods in my life when I focused some effort on fitness – doing my best to take walks on weekends and exercising when I traveled – but it was never part of my routine.
Back in September this year, my company re-structured and I suddenly had plenty of time on my hands. I no longer had any excuses not to get in shape. A friend of mine runs a boot camp class three times a week. So I reached out to her to find out if she would take me in – a 47 year old, overweight, out of shape, uncoordinated woman.
After my first class, I had to sit in my car for a few minutes because my legs were shaking so badly I couldn’t drive . But I went back the next week and the week after that until I could eventually run a bit longer and do full body push-ups. The class was very welcoming and the participants encouraging, which helped a lot. It was clear that I was struggling, but I was all in, trying my best and that was enough for them. My coach was amazing also – telling me to do less reps if she saw I had enough, but also pushing me when she could tell I could go further.
My ultimate goal wasn’t to lose weight, just to feel better and have more energy to do the things I wanted to do. This article was also a motivator that this was my last chance to have a positive impact on my senior years.
I’m proud of myself for having taken the initiative and gone outside my comfort zone. I’m also proud that I’ve stuck with it for a few months now. Boot camp is in my iPhone calendar just like any commitment I’ve made to others. I do my best to schedule meetings and my new career as a strategic consultant around boot camp. This is the time I’ve committed to myself – after all who is more important? Boot camp has become my me time. After years of focusing on my career and family, allocating time for myself seems appropriate. Once I got over the first few weeks of being exhausted after my classes, exercising has also given me more energy to get even more done at home and at work.
My “secret” weapon to making this habit stick was scheduling it in my iPhone as a set, recurring event. Couple that with my Waze app telling me when I needed to start driving to get to boot camp in time was enough to get my butt out of the house. As I tackled my New Year resolutions, I committed to keep this up and keep pushing myself. Since setting big scary goals also motivates me, I’ve set the long term goal to hike Machu Picchu for my 50th birthday.
Is there something you’ve been putting off doing for a while? Getting something done for yourself will give you an immense sense of accomplishment. Go do it!
Nathalie Belanger 