Tennis legend, Arthur Ashe quoted, "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." This inspirational snippet was on my dry erase board this week and I know many of you don't come to the house to train in person, so I thought I'd share it with you. And maybe this doesn't really pertain to you as you have already made exercise a daily habit, but I'm absolutely positive you know at least one person you can motivate by sharing this. Or maybe this saying inspires you to try something new and start another kind of journey. Do with it whatever you feel you need to.
It hits me hard because sometimes I am timid to try new things, especially things that I have very limited experience with or knowledge about. If it's something you really want or need to do, though, just put one foot in front of the other and you will eventually get there. My son throws my motivational talks back at me on a fairly regular basis. Last weekend he reminded me that you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. It's so true! And even though he probably imagined he was now schooling me, I was so excited to know that some of my parental lessons have sunk in.
You are each at different parts of your journey and you all have different goals. Knowing where you want to be and what you want to do are just the beginning, but you have to start somewhere. It will take time, but it's important to invest in yourself. Use movement "snacks" instead of hour-long sessions and start with the equipment you have on hand. You might just use your own bodyweight, and as some of you saw during the pandemic, cans, bottles, jugs, and playground balls work just fine, too.
I recall using elastic from the sewing kit as a youngster in lieu of resistance bands, and remember my grandfather telling me that pushing an old school lawn mower, using a scythe, turning compost in gigantic bins, and unloading hay was going to give me muscles like Raquel Welch. I rolled my eyes at the time, but I now realize how smart he was (and that he must have had a thing for the beautiful brunette). Side note: he did calisthenics and stretching every morning before his backyard run and eschewed sugar and processed food back when it was first becoming a fairly normal staple in most homes. My hero!
Enough about me. What do you want? That's all that matters. Start right now, in the general direction of where you want to end up, and accept no excuses from yourself. Use your body or anything else you can find lying around the house. Move for just a few minutes every hour you are awake, even if it's just some light stretching. You all have the innate ability to move your body. It does not have to be overly complicated.
Planning on joining me for small group sessions this week? Kindly use the button below to register or visit my website and book your classes there. Please let me know if you need guidance or help making a plan to get to "future you". Of course, I am also always here if you need an accountability partner to check in with or if you need someone to bounce ideas off of. You've got this!