You can’t be upset with the results you didn’t get from the work you didn’t do.
This is one of my favorite fitness lessons. I used to complain that I am not a fast runner, yet I refused to do speed work because it was so out of my comfort zone. Though fairly obvious, this lesson has taken it’s time to get from my head which understood to my heart which didn’t accept. I will get the results I work for, not the ones I wish for.
My goal with this Youfit Gym campaign was to do a push up. You can read the initial post here. At least one darn push up. I went to the Youfit gym on 107th in Miami once a week to work with Mark, my YouCoach. The other times, I used my Lime Pass to go to any Youfit location which here in South Florida, is abundant.
But Youfit kept it simple. There is no secret … you show up, do what you have to do and you will get the result. It’s not rocket science! I showed up, I did my training and voila …. I finally did push ups. Are they the best push ups in the world? No, I did what I could in a busy month for me. But they are push ups.
The thing is. We all know this right? We all know that results don’t happen without work. That you need to show up to buff up. And yet, so many of us don’t do it. We sign a yearly contract for a gym, only to show up the first couple of weeks twice a day. The rest of the year, well, life got in the way.
I am the same way. I am not a “gym” person. The natural me will not go to the gym unless I have to. So what was it about Youfit that kept me coming back?
The gym was the least intimidating place on Earth. Tailored to making fitness simple, easy, and accessible to everyone … the crowd at Youfit was not your typical gym crowd. I loved watching the silver class, of folks in their seventies, staying fit. I also loved watching Brendan, a guy my YouCoach also trained. He wasn’t very athletic looking but went in everyday because he is trying to get fit for the summer. The people that go to Youfit seem to be really trying to change something about themselves. I loved the vibe.
Mark, my Youcoach kept things simple. I told him to not mess with my legs, they get tired enough. So every time we’d focus on shoulders, back, biceps, triceps, core. Wouldn’t you know it? My upper body gained some strength. It was a short routine that I can replicate anywhere. In addition to doing it, I learned how to do it.
One day it was raining and I had a seven-mile run. I figured I could do it at Youfit. Not only do I run slowly, I despise the treadmill. I spoke to Mike, the Youcoach manager, and he suggested I get on the ARC machine. It feels like a mix between an elliptical and stair master. I mentioned to him it would take me a while to get through it, and he reminded me at Youfit, there is no time limit on how long you can be on a machine. Score. An hour and a half later, I was a sweaty tired mess but feeling accomplished.
And finally, the BEST thing about my Youfit experience was the people. From the General Manager, to Mike, to Mark everyone was so nice and friendly. Not only that, but generous too.
I mentioned to Mike about my Camillus House Children’s Run Team project. He told Alina the manager, and before I knew it I had a box full of stuff to hand out at tryouts. Now remember, formerly homeless children are not necessarily Youfit’s target market, but they donated bags, towels, and t-shirts to support the program. Then, I had five weeks of attending the gym but my assignment included only four sessions with Mark, my YouCoach. There was no hesitation to offer me a final session so that I could reach my goal. I was always greeted with a genuine smile, and made to feel like I belonged there.
And as far as my fitness goal goes? You can check it out for yourself….
Not amazing pushups but way more than I could ever do before. I would consider this challenge as success, but not only because I have finally been able to do a push up, but because I found a great partner in making fitness accessible to everyone.
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This post is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of Youfit.
