Here’s an article I recently asked to write for the New England pride magazine.
Imagine the possibilities: Finding your inner athlete
Picture it, Washington Heights: New York City, a scrawny little ten year old playing sick to get out of gym class. A teacher’s pet who liked to do extra work in the classroom for his teachers so he wouldn’t have to endure the humiliation of dodge ball. A little theatre brat who the closest he got to baseball was listening to the Broadway recording of Damn Yankees. I was that kid who hated gym class. Now fast forward twenty years later and here I am teaching gym class to adults. Would I have ever pictured myself being “‘Mr. Fitness” ? You know that trainer at the gym who’s known to be slightly sadistic? Never! I saw myself performing on a broadway stage for the rest of my life. However, most broadway children rarely make it as adults. They peak too early. So after college I imagined what I wanted to do, and secretly I wondered what it would be like to have a career as a trainer, but I didn’t think I fit the stereotypical trainer mold. When the opportunity presented itself, I took it. I began to imagine the impact I could have on people, especially those who were intimated by the gym like I was. My goal is to help them and you find the inner athlete.
The inner athlete I talk about is the driving force that makes us live more active and healthier life styles whether you are a triathlete, a tennis player or simply someone who wants to perform 20 pushups without failure. Everyone has it. Trust me. I know from first hand experience with my own training and watching it manifest itself in my clients.
If you’ve seen my website or heard me on Sirius radio during my fitness segments, you will know my mantra very well: “If your mind leads, your body will follow”. This is something I tell my clients and students over and over again. The connection between the brain and body is so very important when trying to reach your fitness/health goals. If you do not have that connection, I promise you will not go very far. My most successful clients are the ones who come to me ready, willing and able (most of the time able). When they have made that decision in their brain, “I need this. I need to lose this weight. I want this. I want to be healthier!”. Their body will feel it.
Start imagining the things you can do with your body (get your mind out of the gutter I’m talking about fitness). Come up with a goal for your body whether it’s shedding a few pounds or increasing your bench press and truly stick to those goals through some positive thinking. Cheesy as it may sound, it does work. Your mind will tell your body that it can achieve these goals and it will.
Take my client Mark for example. A man in his mid thirties who never stepped foot onto a training floor until he started training with me. He could barely do a pushup or squat without sweating buckets and collapsing. Two years later, he trains with me on average twice a week and takes three of my classes. He also runs anywhere from 25-45 minutes on a treadmill twice a week and rides his bike around Manhattan and the other boroughs on weekends. He is currently training to ride the century ride.
Then there’s Danielle, a young woman battling some weight issues. After a year of training and dedication she trimmed down to her ideal size losing 20 pounds and completed the New York City half marathon. She now just recently became a personal trainer herself to “pay it forward” so to speak.
And of course there is me, the scrawny little theatre boy who loved to sing and dance. I changed the way I saw myself. Each day I visualized myself becoming stronger and more athletic. Sometimes I didn’t even realize I was thinking these things. It started to become natural. I saw myself performing exercises the average person could not do. And through practice I did them. My body hurt, I won’t lie to you. It can be painful. It’s the type of pain that makes you realize you dild something good to your body and finally achieving your end goals is so rewarding.
Do not wait till your next doctors visit when he or she tells you your blood pressure is through the roof and you’re at a high risk for heart disease. Don’t wait till you’ve become so over weight that you cause knee and lower back pain.
Imagine the strength you have. Accept the body you have at that moment and know that it will change. Find your own inner athlete!
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