Sweat and Self Determination

My longest term client hates exercise.

But she’s been training with me three times a week for 17 years. She’s now in her mid-seventies.

She’s an accomplished entrepreneur and a fiercely independent thinker who decided when she was a little girl that she had the stuff to continue a legacy and become the third generation of successful female business owners in her family. That line has since been preserved by her daughter, in whom she instilled by example and a displayed philosophical commitment, a sense of self-determination, confidence and a ferocious work ethic.

When she first contacted me she was just a few years older than I am now. But, having been sedentary for more than twenty years, and planning an ambitious trip to China and Tibet in the next 12 weeks (including walking the Great Wall and scaling a 1,000 step Taoist temple), she realized some additional preparation was in order for her to make the most of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The trip was an unqualified success and she was permanently convinced of the long-term ROI (return on investment, a fundamental value measurement in her field of personal financial management) of fitness.

But it’s still hard for her. Every workout, every repetition, every minute of cardio exertion she’d rather be, as she gleefully exclaims, “on the couch eating bon-bons”.

So what can she teach us about the connection between applied self-discipline that includes frequent physical discomfort and a fuller sense of reward in the other areas of our lives?

It’s that making a choice to regularly subject oneself to what some would label a form of suffering translates to a deeper level of enjoyment of just about everything else.

It’s the spillover effect. Just like the maturity developed through the experience of dedicated parenting, the seasoning and poise engendered by assuming higher levels of responsibility in your career and the patience, determination and commitment strengthened by earning a college degree or becoming a master of a trade, daily exercise over years of practice forges character. And character is currency in the arena of the highest quality of human experience.

In this article in NYMag.com, a convincing case is made for the transferability of traits developed through fitness training into greater achievement in the areas of work, personal development and relationships.

And why not? If you eat better, sleep better, are forced to be patient as you slowly work diligently to improve capacity and performance capability, wouldn’t you expect your life to be more enjoyable and rewarding as a result?

The most common excuse given for postponing or avoiding the start or resumption of practicing a healthful lifestyle is that “there’s not enough time”. But we all have the same 24 hours each day, so that’s really code for “it’s not worth the effort (trouble, discomfort, work, etc.)”.

If you’re still in that camp, I’ll remind you that our days on this spinning rock are numbered. So, do you want to feel better, be able to do more and enjoy more richness and purpose in virtually every other area of your life? If so, are you willing to work and be challenged to earn those rewards?

My wise and eminently practical client might respond by posing this thought for your consideration:

“From which vantage point is the better view - the couch or the Great Wall?”

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is owner and head trainer at Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They offer personal training and small group fitness solutions and an innovative, medically endorsed web-based group healthy eating coaching program.