Friday, June 18, 2010

Yes, sweat stinks

Let me introduce myself. I am Holly Spooner and I own ALIVE personal training with my amazing husband, Ben.  When we bought ALIVE, we knew we wanted to own something special, something different from all the other gyms out there.  And now I am sure we do.  A few weeks ago we celebrated 100 lbs lost by a client.  People lose weight everyday, but what is the total weight loss?  Maybe not all people need to lose a 100lbs, but Brian needs to lose 300.  We have people at the studio that are looking to lose 5lbs or 20lbs which all seems to be average in our society.  As we crowded in the group exercise room for the party, I looked around at those that were attending.  They were all there for different reasons. Maybe they wanted to see what 100lbs lost looks like but most were there for support. 

Support is definitely under-rated.  We can carry on our daily lives and not realize  how many times in a day common gestures are made and we don't even realize it.  A smile, a wink, opening of a door, may happen everyday and we don't even realize or we misinterpret.  These little gestures are mankind supporting one another, we all co-exist in this world.  Do you experience this at your gym?  I would hope so, that is good manners!  But do you get a high five from someone walking by you mid way through a 10 K on the treadmill?  Do you Facebook your fellow gym mates to meet on the treadmill or at class?  Do ask your gym mates why their day sucks cuz they read your Facebook status?  Do you let them know that you really wanted a bag of chips or chocolate bar and your gym mates sends words of encouragement over Facebook, text or phone?  This is what my gym does.  And I am proud to be apart of it!

We go through our lives trying to be independent and it is hard to ask for help.  We have GPS instead of asking for directions, we have Google instead of asking a neighbor how to get rid of dandelions,  we join a gym because that is how we get fit.  Where do you learn what to do at the gym - do you check out YouTube videos for your workout plan or do you hire a trainer to give you a program?  Do you do that program and not ask questions like following the route on GPS that takes you through someones yard to get to your destination?  Does that trainer educate you, they should, they are the professional.  So we are able to function independently with the technology at our fingertips.  But where is the human interaction?  Does your GPS encourage you when you are driving a ridiculous route to your destination?  Does Google work beside you as you kill your dandelions?  Does the guy next to you on the treadmill ask how your day was?

Back to the party, as I watched everyone gather to celebrate the 1 year landmark in Brian and Kristy's new lifestyle,  I saw more than just a gym full of professional personal trainers and their clients.  I saw a community of people who made human connections.  There were Business Execs, Engineers, Paralegals, Healthcare Admins, Business owners, Moms, Walmart workers, Hair stylists, etc in attendance.  They all had 1 thing in common for sure - their health!  Yes they all want a healthy lifestyle and want to hang with other people who understand that it isn't easy, we don't join a gym and lose weight instantly!  It takes many sweaty hours in the gym, pushing past your limits, burning calorie after calorie and then there is the 90% of the time away from the gym - FOOD!  Portion sizes, hidden calories, eating out, cooking our own food, grocery shopping all takes alot of work to learn and make it apart of your lifestyle.  We can try on our own, research, use Google, ask your trainer but isn't it more fun doing with people?  Having someone there to hear your pain, give better restaurant choices, cheap deals on health food, planning trips with gym mates to the farmer's market is so much better!!

Sweat does stink but it stinks better when you acknowledge the person next to you has worked just as hard as you and also stinks.  Some of us stink more than others - they ask "Dude, did you eat a whole garlic clove last night?"  Or just smile and realize that they have the same goal as you - to better themselves and the last thing we should worry about in a gym is what we look/smell like.  Have you ever looked in a mirror when you are pushing our the last rep of insanely hard drill?  No and you shouldn't care!  Just smile and congratulate yourself on an amazing workout.  Guaranteed you are walking out of the gym feeling good and can hit the shower knowing you have taken care of your health.