It's the Climb
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb.
“The Climb”, Miley Cyrus
Though I can’t speak for my fellow trainers:
I don’t move perfectly; I have imbalances and limitations with my movements.
I don’t want to eat healthy all of the time.
I don’t work out as hard I possibly can every day of the week.
I haven’t always sat in a healthy body fat percentage range.
I don’t live in a bubble away from advertisements, grocery store temptations, and fast food restaurants.
I don’t love my body every second of every day.
If anyone says it’s easy to live a healthy lifestyle, they’re lying. It may consist of simple changes, but it’s definitely not consistently easy. Everyone struggles with something, even trainers at the gym who seem to have it all together. We’re all hiking together on the path up the mountain and learning the small lessons along the way.
I’ve dialed in my exercise form and practice daily mobility to continue improving.
I’ve learned to recognize the foods that fuel my body and how I feel after eating them.
I’ve pushed myself to make exercise and movement a habit, while still incorporating rest days.
I’ve gained, lost, regained, and re-lost body fat.
I’ve fallen victim to the “quick fixes” in the advertisements in magazines and on social media.
I’ve found… Well actually, I haven’t found the end-all-be-all solution to self-love, but I’m working on it.
More than anything, through it all, I’ve learned to love the process.
We’re often completely focused on the end goal: lose 10 pounds, set a personal record (PR), the list could go on forever. However, when we solely focus on the end result, we lose sight of the forest through the trees and look past the highlights along the way.
Find success in every workout or small daily accomplishment: You haven’t lost 10 pounds, according to the scale, but your jeans are fitting better. That’s progress! You didn’t PR with the amount of weight, but you lifted the same weight for more repetitions. That’s a “rep PR” and you should be proud!
It’s difficult to see these small milestones as equal to the large end goal. But we can’t forget that it took time, hard work, and intentional practice to get there. There were early morning alarms, forgone treats in the break room, lots of sweat, and maybe a few tears. By taking the small steps daily, finding motivation in our strengths and a sense accomplishment in conquering our weaknesses, we take just one more step toward the top of the mountain. It’s not always easy and there are struggles, regardless of how long you’ve been on the trail.
Are my struggles just like yours? No, but chances are your struggles aren’t identical to your spouse, coworkers, friends, or fellow gym members either. That doesn’t change the fact we all struggle in our own ways with this crazy journey in living a healthier lifestyle. My job, as a trainer, is to encourage you to join me on the path I’m hiking. I haven’t reached the top of the mountain; I don’t think anyone ever does in health and fitness. But, among my struggles, I have learned to enjoy the views along the way and I hope you strive do the same.
Key Word: Climb