Take a deep breath…

…and think about all you have to be thankful for. I start with my parents, then my health, my daughters and son, finding my profession and while there is obviously more, I’m going to stop right here because it’s my profession I want to write about. I can’t call it my work because it isn’t. It isn’t work, I mean. Every day I go to one of our private studios, meet with intelligent, successful people who have a can-do approach to life, help them do whatever they need to do to improve their overall health, enjoy their company and at the end of the day, know I’ve made a positive contribution. Our clients are addressing their challenges as positive problem solvers. They’re blaming no one; they’re just facing their task straight on and choosing to do the work to improve. No complainers. No whiners.

In addition, I work beside the best personal fitness trainers on the planet. They’re all highly qualified, compassionate and successful. They came to me with excellent credentials, and then they were given my anatomy-physiology-fitness philosophies before they were added to our team. And the results are a symbiotic relationship. Every day, working along with them, observing, I learn something. A new approach, a different way of explaining/coaching, a more effective path toward the goal of improving the health and fitness level of our clients—and sometimes of myself too.

I mentioned, “compassionate.” We’re not drill sergeants, pushing for maximum effort and achievement. These trainers have more in common with the helping professions: physical therapists (my father was one for more than 40 years), nurses, massage therapists, chiropractors, counselors—we don’t have deadlines or performances to prepare for. We’re not about going on stage oiled and tanned and in a bikini. This is about helping sincere people have a healthier lifestyle by building practical, functional lean muscle tissue. That’s the tissue that helps us feel better and to move better with less discomfort and more energy.

I don’t know what each of you does for a living, and I hope many of you enjoy what you do. Usually I don’t like superlatives because they exclude so much but this is the best profession. Period. If I sound like I’m gloating, I’m not. I’m just very thankful to have found this and to have spent the last 20 years enjoying every day of my practice. All around, especially in this political season, I hear too many people complaining, angry, whining. You won’t hear that at Personal Training Associates. You and I have spent our lives in the finest and easiest living conditions in all of human existence. Think about that. We live in a free and wonderful country. Being thankful first and then problem-solving together sure seems like a sensible approach.