From the beginning of Trim & Fit, we were encouraged to exercise at least four times a week. This meant two additional hours of exercise in addition to the Monday and Wednesday workout classes. Because I was not a Lifepointe member, I could not take full advantage of the exercise facilities on-site. I planned to add two exercise sessions per week by walking at our family health center, or around the nearby lake, or in the neighborhood. I could also use the recumbent bike at home. Though these planned exercise efforts did not involve the same routine as Trim & Fit, they at least provided good aerobic benefit.
Monday nights the instructor evaluated our exercise diaries, leaving comments or suggestions for the upcoming week. The comments were usually gentle reminders, but the message left during the final week of Trim & Fit was different! Written in capital letters was EXERCISE 4 TIMES A WEEK!!, and then it was signed in cursive with the instructor's full name. I admit, most weeks I did not exercise four times per week, and this message guilted me - especially for not committing to myself 100%! Though improving physically and mentally, the lack of weight-loss was enough evidence that I was commitment-challenged!
Around the same time, I ran into my friend and colleague Deb, the first person to tell me about the difference Lifepointe was making in her life. She was working with a trainer and participating in regular water aerobics classes. She offered to meet me at Lifepointe one Sunday afternoon, and show me around the facilities. Since Trim & Fit takes place primarily in the gym, I had no idea of other services, the facilities, or how they could benefit me? Deb's tour was very beneficial, especially since she has similar health concerns. As we walked through the pool areas, the family rooms, the spas, the kitchens where cooking classes are taught, and the wide open exercise areas with treadmill, elyptical, nustep and weight-training machines, Deb talked about how her doctor had told her she needed to be on a different path. In this short tour, I realized that Deb had made a different sort of exercise commitment! I was in a class that met twice a week; she had made a daily commitment, was exercising at least four times per week, and was doing this for life!
Ten weeks into Trim & Fit - toward the end of class - I began wondering how to overcome my commitment-challenge? Like Deb, how could exercise become a priority? How can my health take priority? Deb messaged me one day "Make yourself a priority." The Trim & Fit instructor made a similar comment. Deep, deep in my heart, I knew this was a personal choice that only I could make, and that a long-term commitment was the only true path to health.
It didn't take me long to move from non-member to member status by joining Lifepointe. In doing this, I was agreeing to commit to four to five workout sessions each week and most importantly....committing to myself.
Post Note: I'm a reflector. It takes a long time for things to sink in. Ten weeks into the exercise class - almost at the end - only then do I start reflecting on my commitment to exercise? My hopes are that this weekly blog helps shorten the distance between reflection and action! And as I write this post, having exercised five times a week for past four months, I HAVE made a commitment to myself, and this weekly post has indeed provided time to reflect, and contributed to my success!
Submitted on Saturday, October 18, 2010.
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