Personal Training Will Cure What Ails You
By: TV Host & Naturalist David Mizejewski
When I went in for my latest workout with my personal trainer Susie, I was in a bit of a funk. I’ve got a ton of things on my plate at work right now, and it seems every time I get something done, three more things get added to my to-do list. I been traveling like crazy for public appearances and have spent seemingly endless cramped hours on planes. I’ve barely been home for the last month and the chores and projects are piling up. I’ve been dealing with some drama in my social circles. I’m just getting over a bad cold and haven’t slept well in weeks. Basically, I was stressed out and feeling physically worn down.
Despite all that, I still made it to my session with Susie. Sticking to that commitment (even though honestly I would have rather been home wrapped in a blanket on my sofa) was a huge step in getting out of my funk.
Susie and I usually start our training sessions with some stretching. While I’m doing that we chit-chat about what’s gone on in our lives since our last session. This time I started by telling Susie about the workouts I was able to get in while on the road for the last week. Then the next thing I knew I was venting about all the travel and work and drama and getting sick and how stressed and low I was feeling.
After 10 minutes of this stretching and venting, I realized I was going on and on. Feeling foolish, I apologized but Susie just said with a big smile, “Hey when you train with me, you get a workout plus a free therapy session!” She’s really the best. And by letting me get that stuff off my chest, she helped give me a boost of energy and motivation just by listening. After thanking her I said, “Let’s go lift some heavy things.”
That we did. I went into the training session feeling stressed, sluggish and rundown and ended up adding an additional 20 lbs. to my bench press and 50 lbs. to my leg press over our last workout. By the end, I was exhausted but the funk had totally disappeared. I went home and knocked out a bunch of things on my to-do list. A day later as I’m writing this, I’m sore as hell from our workout—which feels great–and the funk hasn’t returned.
My takeaway is this: working with a personal trainer adds accountability and when you keep that commitment, your workout is going to do more than just improve your fitness. It’ll help you deal with life’s stresses, improve your mood and help you take on all the challenges in your life. And who knows, if you have a trainer like Susie you just might get a free therapy session.
