Activist: noun. an especially active, vigorous advocate of a cause
As I’ve been training over the years, I have noticed a common response from my clients when I introduce a new exercise. Sometimes it brings about a positive and willing openness to try it, but more often than not, it brings about a response something like “oh, I can’t do that.” I’ll tell them to “just try it and do the best you can with it. You can always stop if you don’t feel comfortable doing it.” Then what typically happens is they find they actually can do it, or at least some variation of it. It may not be perfectly executed but most always, my clients end up doing better than they thought they would. The response then happily turns into “I didn’t think I could do that!” And that’s when the magical moment occurs. Each and every time this happens, my clients feels empowered. Each time we as humans go beyond what we think we can do, it empowers us just a little bit more to believe we have more possibility in us that is untapped. As we continue to practice and work at it, we get better and better and that opens doors to a way of thinking of “what else is possible for me”? What else can I do that I didn’t think I could? That’s how this empowered feeling of accomplishment then creates a ripple effect towards everything else we do.
What I have observed and can attest to myself is we all have our own self-limitations we place on ourselves. We box ourselves in to a limited perspective of our abilities. How many times have you stopped yourself from doing something that you didn’t think you could do? What stopped you? Had you really tried it before and found you couldn’t do it? Or was the little voice in your head telling you No? When I encourage my clients to just try and see how it feels, that’s usually all they need to attempt it. Let’s be clear, I never ask my clients to try something I don’t believe they can do. Ultimately, it’s always their choice to try or not. But the thing is, now a new possibility has been presented to them that wasn’t in the realm of possibility before. Once they start taking small steps towards doing it and then figure out they are capable of successfully performing the task, they’ve not just accomplished the task, they now have a new level of possibility they can access. This is always a happy moment for my client as well as for me. This brings me to my topic of what I feel is one of my jobs as a personal trainer.
I am an Active-ist for Your Possibility. We all need a little prompting and prodding sometimes when we feel unsure. Having someone encourage you and see your possibilities, when you don’t see them yet yourself, makes all the difference. I’m an Active-ist for trying new things, opening your boundaries, and seeing how far you can go by taking baby steps to get there. Before too long, the unfamiliar becomes familiar and the steps get bigger. The confidence grows and the mind expands which allows us to expand our capabilities.
I was sharing this with one of my clients the other day and later in the day she sent me an email with this statement: “As an Active-ist I feel compelled to be positive and grateful!”
This is a wonderful mindset and prompts me to encourage and challenge you to answer this question for yourself. What are you an Active-ist for? Maybe something like “I’m an Active-ist so that I can keep up with my grandkids.” I know for myself, I am an Active-ist for staying healthy and fit so that I can continue to hike up mountains, ski down them, and mountain bike with my kids. They used to have to keep up with me, now I challenge myself to keep up with them. And I do! And that is worth being an Active-ist for! What about “I’m an Active-ist so that I can live the longest life possible with my spouse?” “I’m an Active-ist so that I can run a marathon.”
Become your own Active-ist. What are you limiting yourself to without even knowing? Big or small, I will be alongside you to be your Active-ist for whatever possibility you dream of attaining. Whatever you choose, become active about it. Not only that become an Active-ist.
Sincerely, “active-ist” for your health,
Irene
