Sometimes we cannot see our own potential but here is a motivation story that will make you think twice about your self limiting thoughts.

Change Your Thinking With a Motivation Story of Strength

Below is a motivation story of a client and now a dear friend whom I have had the pleasure of witnessing not only a growth of physical strength but also a growth in self belief.  We all have our ways of limiting what we think we can do and what we believe we can accomplish.  Lord knows I do it….. if I am not careful I easily place limitations on what I can do.  To me it’s amazing I was even able to build a website!!! But when we limit our thinking we limit our growth and then we miss out on opportunities simply because we think we CAN’T.

No matter what our goal….whether it be weight loss, strength gain, getting faster, finishing a 5K or 10K….if we can’t see it we will never be able to accomplish it. 

So visualize….dream….believe and surround yourself with those that see your potential…..even if you don’t.

Today has been such a great day! I reached and surpassed a goal I had made a little over a year ago.  It was May 2013 and I decided I needed help being consistent with strength training.   I’d been a runner for a good portion of my life, not a die hard, but I’d average around 20-25 miles a week.  Running always cleared my head and got me through life and difficult circumstances.  It was definitely one of my coping methods.  Over the years I’ve had bouts of strength training, but that would be the first to go when life got busy and I didn’t have time for both running and strength training.   Well if you run, and don’t strength train, problems are bound to arise.  I knew I was reaching that point in the spring of 2013.  I needed to start being consistent with my strength training or running was going to be a thing of the past. 

Fortunately for me, I moved into the house right next door to Jennifer.  On the day I moved in she was out cutting the grass and came right over and introduced herself.  It was clear to me that she was “very” fit.  I thought right away… oh maybe I’ll have someone to run with.  Very quickly I learned Jennifer was a personal trainer and she trained people out of her garage which was turned into a fitness studio. 

This was too good to be true!  I started training with Jennifer two days a week.  I figured if I could get consistent twice a week, my running issues would improve.  I needed the accountability of a trainer long enough to get the momentum going so I would be able to strength train on my own.  I told Jennifer my goals were pretty general … to get stronger and to be able to do “a” pull up.

I took the summer off from running and switched to cycling so I wouldn’t lose all my cardio endurance.  After a few months of strength training, I began to feel stronger.  My legs could make it through longer rides without becoming so fatigued.  I really wanted the strength training to improve my endurance activities.  Strength training was definitely a challenge for me.  I wondered if a push up or renegade row would ever get easier.   In time, I was able to do a chin up; I was making progress toward that goal of “a” pull up.    I remember,   on some training days, Jennifer would say use xxx weight and I would think how am I going to lift that?  My thinking was so limited on what I could actually do.  We would increase the weights and I would ask why are we going up and Jennifer’s response was why not.  I never looked at it like that.  I had always just used the same weight/same number of reps when I trained on my own.      

In January 2014 I increased my strength training days to three times a week.  I was beginning to really enjoy lifting weights and my cardio training was taking the back seat.   I also changed my diet by eliminating gluten and most sugar.  I did this because I was feeling really tired all the time.  I reached the point that I needed to try something different to make me feel better.  My mom has had celiac disease for over 20 years and I was always grateful that I didn’t have to eat like she did.  I didn’t think I could go without certain foods that I loved.  Surprisingly, the cravings for those foods disappeared once I eliminate them from my diet.  And I honestly feel so much better!!

I’m sure feeling better is a combination of a lot of things:  eating better, consistently training, focusing on what’s going right in my life and making a practice to find the positive wherever life leads me. 

Well it’s been a little over a year and today I did 5 x 5 of pull ups!  Jennifer had that on the board for me to do.  My first thought was that’s impossible. I’ll never be able to do that!  Jennifer was allowing others to jump up and slowly release down.  I thought I will have to do the same.  Again my thinking was so limited.  I was able to do the 5×5!! It makes me question, where else is my thinking limited.  If I can do these pull ups, what else in life can I do that I don’t believe I can.  I truly love being physically stronger!  I am able to be a better athlete! I can lift things much easier than before.  Life feels easier.   I can even keep up with my 8 year old granddaughter.  Being physically strong has given me more confidence.  I feel more secure in my own skin and that’s one BIG added benefit training has offered me.  I’ve decide that the momentum I was looking for to be able to train on my own isn’t at all what I need.  I love working out with other women.  We aren’t just getting fit; we are improving the well-being in our lives!  We are here to cheer each other on and support each other with whatever life throws our way… even when Jennifer gives us a workout we think is impossible!  

Beth

Beth’s back today….doing 5 sets of 5 pullups…..at the age of 54.

NEVER SAY NEVER

What’s Your Motivation Story?

I don’t care what obstacle you think you have……if you keep focusing on the obstacle you will only block yourself.  Focus on the solution and you will find a way.

Surround yourself with those who see your possibilities and you will sail…..surround yourself with those who limit you and you will stay stuck.

Keep the right message in your mind.  This is the absolute key to overcoming ANYTHING.

Beth and I both are big believers in positive affirmations, the power of positive thinking….whatever you want to call it…..but negativity has no place when you are trying to achieve a goal. 

See only the possibilities and the solutions…..and the path to success will be there.