July 6, 2024 “How many opportunities are you missing out on?”
This week I had conversations with a client I’m going to call “Negative Nancy” (NN) by the end of the week she stated I will become a more Positive Paulina.
Have you ever met a person that is already predisposed to think badly about a situation or circumstance, before they even try it? Someone who will not try something again because when they were “12 years old” they fell playing? Someone who expects others to treat them amazing when they don’t treat themselves that way? Someone who won’t question fast food/junk food ingredients but will look at a healthy product over 20 times with a mean mug before trying it?
NN had never taken yoga before, which made it a process to get her to try it. During class, the instructor was guiding her through some poses. She was doing great and although the instructor didn’t use the word “plank” when she was walking her through some of the poses, she had been planking throughout the practice. However, when the instructor stated, “now let’s go back into our plank” NN immediately collapsed and stated I can’t do planks, with a blank stare the instructor stated you just did two planks and a push up.
See, we often do things without recognizing it in everyday life, but until someone brings it to our attention suddenly it’s something you don’t like doing or have been struggling with your mind shuts down, and you state “I can’t do that!” When NN came out of yoga I saw a big smile on her face. I asked her when was the last time she did yoga and she stated “never, this was my first time and I loved it.” She went on to say how she couldn’t do a plank and she did 4 of them and during her initial PT test she couldn’t do a push up and did one in yoga class. You should have seen how proud she was. What if NN never tried yoga, she would have missed out on a new experience and a non-scale victory.
As I was talking with NN and a few other clients this morning about the TFC Passport found in the meal plan, where one can win a free bootcamp by completing activities at TFC that are easy to accomplish, NN upon reviewing some of the check off items immediately said nope I am not doing that. What she refused to do was get a vitamin B12 injection or an IV therapy. NN immediately stated well I guess I can’t ever win a free bootcamp because, “I can’t” get shots. Now I’m looking at her with a blank stare. She stated when my kids would get shots I would freak out and cry harder than them. She went on to tell me her fear of shots or past blood draws and demonstrated that even if something was beneficial for her, she wasn’t going to utilize it because it’s going to or might hurt.
Many of us block so many amazing things in our life because we fear feeling anything. Newsflash, being healthy (especially if you have been unhealthy for years), is going to be difficult and painful at times. As your body is building muscle your muscles will and can be extremely sore. When increasing your endurance, you will feel very exhausted, uncomfortable, and out of breath. When trying to get flat abdominal muscles (that you all ask for), you will experience some cramping or pain while growing those abs.
You can’t have it both ways. Meaning you can’t expect an amazing healthy body without putting in the work, sacrificing on your diet, working out regularly and consistently. You have to make sacrifices and experience discomfort or do things that you may be afraid to do or have never done. As Olympic trials progress this week with athletes’ efforts to make it to the Paris Summer Olympics, I want to you to imagine what toll it took on those athletes' bodies to get to that type of platform. When you see the bodybuilder and fitness expert’s bodies that you follow on social media do you think they don’t experience discomfort? What makes you any different?
I was at a 4th July cookout with the majority of people my age. One couple asked my best guy friend’s son why he didn’t introduce his girlfriend to them. They were referring to me. We both laughed and I stated this could be my son. Once I revealed my age and they realized I was just 2 years under them they couldn’t believe it. When I asked them about their fitness regime, they immediately went into Negative Nancy mode. “I got bad knees, that’s for them young folks, my body won’t do all that, blah blah blah, even though they had me right in front of them a living breathing example of a healthy individual close to their age.
I question how many things are you missing out on? I know most people make bucket lists of things they have been dreaming of doing. Now I ask you to make a bucket list of your fears or things you’ve been negative about and start checking them off. Get out of your own way and watch Positive Paulina evolve, No Mess!
