If you’ve been following along with some of my updates on Facebook, you’ll know I’ve been getting my butt kicked severely by my friend Kris. After spending ten weeks eating and partying too much in Bangkok, I realized I really needed to Get In Shape Girl!
As luck (or the Universe) would have it, the second I got back down here and announced my new goal, Kris piped up with, “That’s what I went to school for, I’m a certified Personal Trainer.” My heart leapt. Part for sheer JOY of How Quickly the Universe Responds, and part ‘cause I was scared shitless.
You see, I’ve been living in a world class climbing destination. I have climbed on and off for about nine years. Two years ago I threw my back out. This led me to telling myself this story:
Climbing is like crack to me. I’m a huge addict and don’t know when to stop. I’m not competitive in sports with other people, but I’m hugely competitive with myself. If you’ve read my post, How to Slow Down and Take Smaller Steps, it became very apparent to me that I needed to change my expectations about what climbing would be like after an injury. Going slow is really hard for me, and sucking at something I used to be good at is even harder. So, before, when I would go to the climbing gym, I would push it. I would push too hard and hurt myself again. I was STUCK in this never-ending cycle of going too hard, injuring myself, taking too long to recover, and then going right back at it.
Something needed to change!! I pretty much gave up climbing and focused primarily on activities I knew I could do: hiking, biking, swimming, thai chi, and chi gung. While all of these activities are good, they aren’t climbing. I like the feeling of ascension. I crave it. I’m a little bit crazy and sometimes climbing walls is the only thing that calms me down.
So now, I’m done with my Old Story, and ready to Make Friends With Pain. With a little help from my friends, I’ve come to understand that incredible stuff happens when you work with a coach. While I’ve heard some of this stuff from my clients before, I had yet to really experience it for myself. I recommend that all of you find out where you are holding yourself back, declare a new goal, and get some help from an expert. I’m excited to share with you some big transformations that have already taken place from this process and help to answer the question: What happens when I work with a Coach??
Guidance
– Like me, you may want to achieve more than you currently have, but you don’t know how. You feel stuck, frustrated, and like you are in some kind of holding tank. You want to do more. You are tired of Doing It All By Yourself.
Technique
– Sometimes all it takes is to modify what you are already doing and make small adjustments. There were exercises that I had COMPLETELY Ruled Out because of my injuries. Kris has shown me how to do proper technique so I don’t hurt myself. He’s helping me build opposing muscles so I can handle more weight.
Personalized Program
– I used to train with a group when I did Rowing in college. I loved the comradery, but I never felt like I was learning specific individual skills. I didn’t know how to best use my strength, train my body type, or give myself rest days. Working with an individual coach speeds up progress.
Accountability
– Sometimes the best thing is that someone else is showing up. I know I have a time slot going and someone else is going to be there. My friend is working out with me. I need to be accountable.
Commitment
– I’m not going to lie, some days I just don’t want to do it. I’m tired, my body hurts, I’m exhausted. But, just the sheer fact that Someone Else Is Committed to ME keeps me going. I’ve done more just because I knew someone else believes in me.
Motivation
– We do more when we are motivated. When someone else is giving us help, a stern look, or a ‘come on, you can do it!’ we rise to the challenge. We dig down and pull from somewhere we didn’t know existed.
Changing the Idea of What You Thought Was Possible
– When someone else is encouraging us to reach new heights, they are changing our ideas of what we even thought was possible. Suddenly the Impossible seems Possible. We get stronger. The old possibilities seem small by comparison and we learn to think bigger, press onward, and challenge ourselves more.
Excuses
– All of these skills help us to overcome our Old Stories, or excuses we used to tell. When I would hear myself telling my Old Story, I hated it. Even as it came out of my mouth, it seemed like such a weak excuse. I didn’t like talking about “my injury” or identifying with something that felt weak. When we no longer need to justify our Old Story, it opens us up for a total change of thinking.
Change in Mindset
– One interesting thing that happens working with a coach is that you can eventually hear their voice in your own head. I’ll be doing curls on my own and hear “Relax your shoulders. Keep your abs in.” That voice wasn’t there before!! When you begin to hear their voice as your own, something very special has happened. You have changed your entire outlook about the topic. You have reached a level where you can begin to coach yourself!!
