We all do it – Overwork, Over Play, Over Eat, Over Drink, Over Train. I have clients booking in advance three sessions for the week after Memorial Weekend because they know how much “fun” they will be doing this weekend. Is this really so bad? I think not. We are a race that works hard, enjoys life and is fortunate to have the resources to take care of ourselves. What we need to do, myself included is stop the judgement and be more self forgiving. Enjoy your life, create your business, take your vacations, eat your food, drink your cocktails, train to failure – just make sure you have all your damage control resources at your fingertips.

Picture this, in the midst of sweat and breath back in the day when I taught group exercise classes. I get this one guy that is just powering through supine chest press with dumbbells. Mind you I think they were just 25lbs and honestly it is a ridiculous amount for any grown man to do. So what do I do? What does any SUPER TRAINER do? I tell him to put his weights down and keep his hands up. I lay across his hands in a strong plank, and say “Press Me”! I tell this story all the time and no one believes me but its the honest truth. When you don’t have enough- I am here to give you more!

I was in high school when I started to lift weights. I signed up for zero P.E. “Strength Conditioning” solely because it got me out of school early. I was one of five girls in a class of over 50 boys. The other girls were there because they wanted to be around the football players. The was no separation between girls and boys. I was doing squats, bench press, pull ups, etc and keeping up with the boys. It was our job to keep a journal of how much we lifted and how many repetitions. This is where I found the athlete in me. I was never a competitive team sport player. Even when I ran track or swam on the swim team, I still never got the competitive drive like other athletes. it was finally in the weight room where I found my competitive edge. I couldn’t wait to lift heavier, to do more repetitions, to beat my own “score”. I became so addictive to competing against myself. After years of being picked last on team sports, I finally had the respect and attention of other athletes. After growing up as a petite Asian American, I finally felt strong and larger than life. It was an empowering moment in my life. That experience still fuels me now and is what drives me to work out.

People are constantly doubting themselves. For instance, I have this one client who was fighting me in her workouts. She kept saying, “I can’t do this”. What she didn’t realize is that she WAS doing it. She had the motivation to find me. She had the courage to walk into my studio. She had the will to bring herself to the workout that morning. So that day I asked her to get off the bike, I moved her bike so that it faced the mirror about two feet away. I needed her to see what I saw. The mirror showed her arm muscles flexing while she braced herself on the bars. The mirror showed her leg muscles pumped while she pushed the pedals. The mirror showed that she can. Sometimes all you need is to look in the mirror.

I woke up this morning and my legs were stiff. The day before I went for a long run and the day before that I did stair training so it isn’t any surprise that my legs were sore not to mention the hours of sitting during meetings back to back. I decided to lay in bed and do a few stretches. It took a total of maybe 10 minutes. As I did these simple leg stretches I thought to myself, “Why don’t I do them on a daily basis?” Do my legs have to be sore, tired or stiff? I should be more proactive than reactive. I am an athlete of life and need my legs for as long as they can carry me through this game.

My right shoulder has been bothering me since February 2012. It’s been on and off but with the help of an acupuncturist I have been pain free. So I have been lifting heavy, pushing harder, taking it to failure in my workouts. This morning, I wake up and I feel it – ugh. I start thinking, it must be something I did. HELL RIGHT it’s something I did! I lifted heavy, pushed harder, took it to failure. It just might be the time to take pleasure in being gentle with my body and learn to push hard in some other avenue of my life because I refuse to live with pain.

Life can go smoothly and that’s okay. We sometimes get suspicious when things are easy because we are conditioned to the idea that life is hard. Recently I have experienced a space of ease and it’s so sweet. Its a time when all goes smoothly and effortlessly. Although I could not truly appreciate this easiness without all the difficulty and challenges I have endured. So for now I am marinating in what I have worked so hard for- as piece of ease.

Nothing beats the feeling you get after an exhausting weight lifting session, long run or hot yoga class. It’s an organic high. The feeling is so clean, so simple and comes from the process of breathing deeper, pushing passed limits and thinking of nothing else but your body. This is my addiction. Is it yours?

If you are always focusing on what you are losing you miss what you are gaining. Don’t get caught up on losing weight. Stop being frustrated about losing the unhealthy foods. Let go of all the things that made you lose sight of what was important. Try thinking of all that you are gaining like strength, power and will. Being a winner is so much more rewarding than feeling like a loser.