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Accountability (n): an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for ones actions (Merriam-Webster.com)
When it comes to fitness, motivation and getting in shape,we have the tendency to rely on something (an upcoming event or season) or someone to help us reach our goals. We make someone else accountable for oursuccess and failure and it’s never pretty when that other person “makes us” notgo to the gym or “allows us” to eat something we should avoid.
I’ve been there, I know. There was a time that I would only go to the gym with my fitness buddy;if she couldn’t go I wouldn’t either. Myexcuse? I didn’t want to go alone and succeed all by my lonesome self, noway. I would stay home and be miserable. Later I would blame my fitness buddy for notbeing there when I needed her most. Doesthat make any sense? Well of course itdoes. We all want someone else to pushus, to motivate us and to tell us “don’t eat that, it will make you fat!” Well, something like that.
Short story:
Recently, my sister, Alba, who is only 48 years old, was diagnosed withType 2 Diabetes (non-insulin dependent). She also has high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and yes, you guessedit, she is considered obese. I had manyconversations via chat, phone, and text during which time I would give herideas to improve her nutrition and exercise tips at home since she did not wantto join a gym. However, she was alwaystoo busy, too tired, too many chores, the kids, the husband, the house, thepeople at the gym, etc… she had an excuse for everything.
One time my mother moved in with her for about six months. They started walking the city blocks in New Yorkat least 4 days a week, sometimes everyday and my sister lost over 20 lbs, shelooked great and she felt great. When mymother moved, she stopped. Now she’s atthe Doctors every week as they work to get her Diabetes, Cholesterol and BloodPressure under control. Now she realizeswhy I wanted her to exercise and watch her diet and now she walks again, alone,with the kids, the neighbor lady. Don’tknow if it will last; I hope it does.
Since joining the fitness industry and working with peoplein group sessions and one-on-one, I have seen my old self so many times. From the people who leave a class becausethey don’t like the instructor then blame the instructor for ruining theirworkout, to the ones who come to the gym and only work hard if the trainer iswatching their every move. Then there arethose who hire a trainer, meet them once or twice a week then choose to do nothing else in between. But if they don’t lose some unrealistic number ofpounds in one month, well it’s the trainers fault.
Don’t get me wrong. Iknow we all need that extra bit of motivation and push particularly if we are having ahard time getting going. I am more thanhappy to offer that and then some, but at some point in life, we have to take matters into our own hands and beaccountable to only ourselves and no one else. While I would love to be a life-long trainerto someone, because it would be job security for me, I prefer to provide youwith the guidance, the education, the tools and the initial motivation thatwill help you get started and get moving. I want my clients and class participants to feel the lactic acid buildup when they work hard, I want them to feel that bit of soreness you feel a dayor so later after a hard workout, most of all, I want them to see results notbecause I was hovering over them for 20 weeks but because they used the tools Igave them to get there all on their own. Somewhere along the way we have to WANT to work hard because we know itwill benefit us in the future.
Don’t wait for your doctor to tell you that you need to loseweight because your heart is struggling or you have diabetes type 2. Don’t wait to find out that your knees aresuffering and your back pain is related to your weight gain…NO, DON’T WAIT forthat. You already know that there are certain thingsyou HAVE to do to live a longer, healthier,happier life and no one person, place, or thing in the world can make thathappen for you—only you!!
Stay Well,
