Five Reasons Why My Trainer Inspires Me
Nope, it isn’t because she can deadlift 100 pounds
Marilyn Flower’s prompt is Five Women In My Life Who Inspire Me. Here are five reasons why one woman inspires me instead!
My trainer turns my “Why bother?” to “Why not?”
A personal trainer is inspiring and motivating, that’s in their job description. So why is she the no. 1 woman on my list?
Brave in grief
She lost her dad when she was fifteen. She supported her mom and younger brother, coming through stronger and happier.
She appreciates small things
A home-baked cake, a pair of arched socks, or a vitamin supplement can make her rhapsodize. Many of her sentences begin with how amazing or what a great time to be alive.
Thanks to her, I feel grateful to have been born after vitamins were discovered, because taking a vitamin D or C pill and not getting rickets or scurvy, ROCKS!
Adds a memorable frill and thrill to every occasion
She introduces delight into my jaded Why bother! life replacing it with a Why not! She once bought matching T-shirts for her husband, herself, and her 13-year-old son for her anniversary. They wore them to a celebratory restaurant meal that night.
I would have wondered what the waiters were thinking. She didn’t.
Upgrades tech knowledge and learns from trolls
She learned how to post and earn on YouTube, becoming a paid member of YouTube’s partner program in a year. She needed 4000 hours of play and she got ‘em.
She turned troll comments into learning. She purchased a ring light, a DSLR camera, a tripod, a stand light, and finally a new laptop to edit everything.
I know engineers, doctors, and teachers who could do the same but instead, videograph their foreheads as they talk into their phones for their unpaid YouTube channels.
Took her bulls — and bears — by the horns
Her husband had a stock market course available from his MBA course, which he couldn’t attend because he had to go to work at the same time slot as the course. In his place, she attended the four-month course and learned how to invest in stocks, bonds, options, futures, and currency.
I would have considered that course biting off more than I could chew. I was inspired enough by her to download a stock app myself and invest in a few stocks every week.
Bonus reasons:
Non-judgemental about food, music, and clothing choices
In food, she can defend sugar and attack vegetables. In music, she can skip to the next song during gym even as she says that the song was great for a romantic drive, but was wrong for our gym routine. Unlike many women I know who try to make other women wear what they consider modest or cool, and slut-shame them or mock them for their modesty, Archana defends sari or jeans, skirt or sleeveless tops. She says every dress has an occasion and time.
Where was this woman when I was growing up? Well, she was on the volleyball team while I was in the library!
Keeps a tidy home and kitchen
Her gym, home, and kitchen are clean and organized. She picks up these jigsaw gym mats and exercise mats to sweep under them, even shampooing them once every quarter. When I go into her kitchen to fill up my shaker, I find the kitchen smelling of healthy vegetables sautéing and all the dishes done.
In summary, I appreciate this superwoman not just for being able to deadlift a hundred pounds and eating clean, but for:
- Being brave in grief
- Appreciating small things
- Adding a memorable frill and thrill to every occasion.
- Upgrading her tech knowledge enough to make YouTube pay her every month.
- Learning from scratch about how to invest in the stock market.
- Being nonjudgmental about food and music.
- Keeping her home, her gym, and her kitchen clean and organized.
When I talk about Archana, you may learn more about me than about her! I have had a difficult history with exercise, with some of my relatives dismissing exercise as outright dangerous and even fatal. Yes! Fatal. They told me that exercising would give me a heart attack. They still do. (Don’t worry, I got myself some Howard Leight earplugs.)
To find a trainer who not only babystepped me through all my fears and held my hand as I came out the other end of the tunnel has been humbling and exhilarating.
As I reached my fitness goals, I realized that a lot of the other misconceptions I had been holding on to were also irrelevant and limiting.
To hear, “The only thing holding you back is you” is one thing, and to see it lived in real life, is another. She does not profess to be talented or gifted, she just gives anything she tries her hand at a genuine, honest shot with her full dedication and focus.
That is why she has my respect.