Indomitable

Years ago, I had an inspirational spinning instructor that said, “It’s YOUR workout”.  

Those are three simple words that I have repeated in my mind more than any other phrase in they gym..  At the time, she was pushing us to up the tension on our bikes or pedal a little faster.  She pointed out that no one could really tell how hard we were trying, only us.  No one else would benefit from our workout that day, only us.  No one would really know how much we had left when we still had left when we left the class.  Only we would know.  She said, "it’s up to you, it’s YOUR workout!"

So over the years, I’ve caught myself saying that when trying to decide if I was going to up the weight, do one more rep, one more set, one more exercise.  Or like tonight, when I was in a kickboxing class,  I told myself “It’s MY workout”  and I tried to kick harder, punch harder, go deeper in my squats etc, and I pushed to the point where I was breathless, sucking wind, quads were burning and I got that feeling like I’m just about to puke.  

You cyclists know the phrase, “pedal til you puke” and some of you have been in those old school classes where you removed the seat so you had to stand the whole spinning class.  The heavy duty knuckle draggers also know what it’s like to squat until you’re nauseous and you have to run for the nearest trash can.  

I don’t read minds so I don’t know what’s going through your mind when you push yourselves to that point.  But those times when I got to that limit, in my mind, I’m reminding myself that “It’s MY workout”.  No one else can read my mind, and no one really knows if the weight I’m lifting is 100 % of what I have in me or just 80 %.  Heck, sometimes I don’t even know until I try it.  

Ok, to be honest, sometimes, I do push myself, not because “It’s my workout” but because there’s some hot chicks in the weight room or in the a spinning or kick boxing class and I don’t want them to think I’m a whimp.  Especially the kickboxing classes, because “my people” are supposed to be good at that kind of thing,  and that’s one stereotype I want to live up to in front of some hot babe.  Yah, I know, it’s my male ego.  

But then again, the significant other in my life told me not to kid myself.  She told me that it’s unlikely those chicks even notice me.  She said most of the time, women are checking out the other women, and comparing themselves to them.  Apparently, it’s some female feline competitive thing.  

So then I’m back to, “It’s MY workout”.  I don’t know if I’ll ever run into that teacher again, but that one class, she had more of an impact in my workouts than she could ever have imagined.  

So to sum it up, to be INDOMITABLE, ultimately, the battle is within me where no one else can fight it.  I and only I can refuse to be conquered by whatever it is that’s keeping me from my goals.  In the gym, It’s MY workout.  Outside the gym, same principle.  It’s MY life,  My Destiny. My Choice.  

To my friends who inspire me on this site and give me the example and strength to fight those battles, both inside and outside the gym, you have my love, respect and gratitude.  

Some time ago, I was in NYC taking a cab.  I really enjoy meeting new people fro different countries and cultures and try to learn about there native land, customs etc.  But this time I came across a different kind of learning.  This gentleman was from a village in a small country in South Africa.  I asked him what it was like where he grew up.  He said, " your peoples problems are my peoples dreams."  When I asked what he meant he elaborated, and I paraphrase -  He said, you have problems with your plumbing, people in my village dream of someday owning a home with plumbing, you have car problems, my people dream that someday, they may own a car, you have problems with your health insurance claims, my people dream of having proper healthcare, and he went on.  The list seemed endless, but I got the point.

But here he was.  He decided to come to this country and go for the dream.  He has a job, he’s saving money, some day, he will have those things that people in his village dream about because he went out of his comfort zone, came to a country, learned how to drive a car and is living in a place with plumbing.  And he’s just getting started.  He has plans for school, a better job, a family.  

A lot of us have dreams, or maybe visions of what we want to look like or be like.  Whether it’s muscle size or bodyfat, we shouldn’t give up on those dreams.  This site if full of skinny people who dreamed of getting buff, and did.  Of bigger people who wanted to get lean and are now fitness models.  What many consider insurmountable problems, these inspiring people turned into dreams of something better and achieved it.  

And then there’s some of my friends who are so dedicated, and have such high standards that they’re problems are other peoples dreams.  it doesn’t matter where we are on the spectrum.  We should dream past our problems, believe in them and go for them.  

Thanks to my inspiring friends and loved ones that never let me give up on my dreams and tell me to quit whining about my problems.