Pit Crew

Ok, so I passed the test and will be starting my internship next week and then will begin employment at my gym.  Wow!  It's all happening rather quickly which is a wonderful thing.  I don't want to lose my momentum.

Last week I attended a fabulous workshop on pre and post-natal fitness.  Annette Lang taught the course and I have to say that her knowledge of the subject is impressive.  She focused a lot on the pelvic floor, abdominals, core, back, breathing work and overall strength.  I learned so much and have been incorporating much of it into my own workouts this week.  More specifics at another time.

After the course, I traveled to Vermont with a friend to be her "pit crew" for a 50 mile trail race.  Wow.  This was one fit group of people.  There was a 50 mile race, a 50K and a 50 mile mountain bike race.  I felt so honored to be there with her and witness her accomplishment.  Truly inspiring.

The whole experience got me thinking about personal training and my role in an individual's fit life.  I'm a member of her pit crew.  During a session we can review the ups and downs of the week (track) and fine tune things for the upcoming week. Just as a pit crew would change tires, oil parts and give feedback I can rotate exercises, offer suggestions for stretching and give motivation for the week ahead.  A "pit stop" or training session should literally recharge her batteries and help her to stay focused for the week ahead.  But I'm only one member of her team - hopefully other professionals, friends and family will offer her guidance to stay on track.

For me, my pit crew was comprised of my trainer, my physician, my spouse, Lucy, friends and family.  When I felt that I wasn't making progress, my friends would remind me how far I had come and offer encouragement.  When exercise was the last thing on my mind, my trainer handed me a kettle-bell and made me work harder and forget whatever was bothering me.  When I wanted to quit, my brother told me about a new (and often crazy) exercise routine that recharged my batteries.

So what I'm trying to say is that we all need a pit crew.  Life is can be wonderful but it can also be quite challenging so we all need people to keep us going and offer encouragement.

Who's in your pit crew?

Be well.