After spending the winter cooped up in my basement my bike needed a little attention before hitting the road. I removed the front tire of the bike, put half the seats down in my car (because the other half is occupied by a carseat, and somehow packed the bike, the front tire, the bike trailer (for my son Cannon), AND Cannon into my Honda and used a bungee to keep the trunk closed (kinda). I set out to Sheetz where I checked the air pressure and filled the tires. After about an hour of work we were home, helmeted, and ready to ride. Less than one mile in my front tire was looking flat. I phoned a friend but got no answer. So I rode up the street hoping to see a neighbor outside. A neighbor who lives about two blocks away and one whom I've never met. Why? Because I know something about the fitness community that you may not.

 

The fitness industry can be an intimidating one; we're talking a 6 billion dollar industry that keeps a steady rotation of dollars by focusing on people's feelings of failure. It can look a whole lot like muscle defined, perfect eating habits people who you can't relate to at all. What you don't know about the people in the ads, the people you see running that make it look so effortless, the people in your very own community who make fitness a priority is how much you DO have in common and how much they'd love to have you join them. 

 

"Fit" people didn't start "fit", they started where they were. There was a first time that they stepped into a gym - anxious and uncomfortable. There was a first time they laced up their running shoes - only to make it to the end of the block before walking. There was a first time they walked up to a complete stranger and asked for help. And for each one of us that feels confident walking into a gym, yoga class, or going for a run ... we remember that feeling. There is no judgement when we see it in you, only compassion and pride to see you there ... taking that first step, lacing up those shoes. 

 

I know this because I've been immersed in it for nearly a decade. But I still remember walking into my first fitness class, uncomfortable, out of shape, anxious, and embarrassed. I was convinced people would be judging me thinking how did this 20 year old get to THIS point. In reality what I found was a limitless number of people patting me on the back with a knowing and understanding I'll never forget. 

 

It was this knowing that led me down the street from my house. I've seen my neighbor out regularly running and biking, he makes it look easy and effortless ... which means he is clearly way better than me at both. I just picked up biking and I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to maintenance so I sent up a little prayer hoping he'd be outside and when I rode down the street there he was! And just like that, my belief in the fitness community proved true once again. He filled up my tire, offered encouragement and advice, and just like that I was off to finish another four miles and had a new friend. 

 

Our workouts and diets may look different, our structures, our gyms, our beliefs in what works best may differ but the one thing everyone in this industry has in common is the belief in community; the compassion and understanding to never forget where we started from; the desire to meet people where they are. The next time you don't know where to start, are too intimidated to try, trust me when I say that you should reach out ... the fitness community, especially here in our beautiful town, will never let you down. 

 

Sweat & Smiles,

 

Melissa