12 Reasons to Have a Personal Training Partner

12 Reasons to Have a Personal Training Partner

“Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result.”

What if we told you there was a way to double your physical activity? What if we provided this for free? Would you do it? The secret – accountability with a personal training partner.

This technique exists free of risk, cost, and effort – dramatically increasing the likelihood of achieving your goals, jacking up your enjoyment, and keeping you safe, happy and strong– are you in?

Research out of the Michigan State University found that those who exercised with a partnered continued twice as long than those who exercised on their own. Make it a group work out – they went even longer, even with only a personal training partner!

Group exercise has been found to significantly increase our motivation to stick with an exercise program. This sense of responsibility and commitment toward another person increases our likelihood of following through on a commitment.

Besides motivation, there exists additional benefits to group exercise that you could be missing out on when exercising solo.

1. Exposure to a social and fun environment: ACSM suggests a social atmosphere for increased enjoyment, sustained interest, and a heightened sense of camaraderie and accountability among groups, participants and instructors. When you are having fun, you’re laughing and releasing various endorphins. This makes the routine enjoyable, but also creates a positive connection with exercise. Many, especially those seeking weight loss, have negative associations with exercise. Having a friend makes it more enjoyable, rewiring the brain neural connectivity for enjoyment with exercise.
2. A safe and effectively designed workout: No more worrying about what to do, poor form, muscle group knowledge, or who’s going to spot you. Personal training buddies have you covered. During our boot camp classes, our instructors are experts in biomechanics and modifications for injuries and body types. However, no one can monitor an entire group of twenty during every repetition. Having a workout partner, even in a group class, makes the exercise more safe encourages you to use correct form. Also, when you have a partner modifying your form, you and the partner will learn more about the exercise, the correct technique, and build another positive learning experience with exercise.
3. A consistent exercise schedule: Consistency is key. Not only is that provided by group scheduling, but also the energy of others gets us excited for the next class. Having a workout partner gets you to the next workout, which is essential if you are a beginner or a veteran. Recently two situations of accountability come to mind from our boot camp:
   1. This duo always works out together. They come at the same time, do the exercises together and are glued at the hip. This week, one wasn’t there for the first 30 minutes of class. However, 30 minutes into class she showed up. Some may not see this importance, but if she didn’t have her workout partner waiting for her, do you think she would have come to class? Exactly, the partner builds and enforces the workout schedule, even it is subtle.
   2. A recent couple for the boot camp is a bit more forceful. Last Friday, one dragged in the other for a workout. The resistant exerciser was exhausted from the week and didn’t want to move. However, their partner dragged them to class and got their butt moving. Their butt wasn’t moving much, but building the routine and consistent exercise schedule was essential for creating the boot camp a healthy habit. This week, the shoe was on the other foot and the one who didn’t want to workout the week before was now the motivator! Everyone hits a point where they want to rest or break the routine. A consistent exercise schedule is HUGE for building compliance and long-term gainz, now approaching Gainzville!
4. Increased pain tolerance: According to Oxford University, endorphin release is significantly greater in group exercise or group personal training than in individual training, even at constant power output….therefore doubling our pain tolerance! The significance of pain tolerance is underappreciated, as pain can lead to altered movement patterns, injury, and disability. This may seem like a morbid mindset, but it happens more than you think! Too many people let pain and injuries alter their daily life, taking away the things they love! Back pain prevents many from picking up the grandchildren or even their children, workout, or garden. Working out helps you build your pain tolerance and prevent the negative cascade of events!
5. Positive influence on habits: A 2011 study published in Psychology of Sport and Exercise found that the exercise habits of people you know have a positive influence on your exercise habits. Getting yourself a workout buddy will increase your chances of sticking to a program! In the world of short attention spans and instant gratification, being patient and consistent is mandatory for success. Exercise, health, and nutrition are not sexy. Despite what other gyms and the next fad, exercise, health, and nutrition take a lot of time and effort. Often times, this time and effort isn’t fair. Sometimes you’ll work your butt off and not lose a pound. Other times you’ll train harder and not improve. Exercise, fitness, and health are like life, and life isn’t fair. You could be in tip top shape, then get hit a bus. This makes a long-term outlook essential for successful, realistic, and positive improvements in health and exercise. It is sexy and easy to hop on and off the health and fitness fad, but taking the bus down the health and fitness lifestyle is grueling, so having positive influcers (like your personal training partner) around you is mandatory for picking you up when you get knocked down (cue the Chumbawamba).
6. Power Couples: Not only are you 5 times more likely to exercise if your spouse is – but the empathy, praise, and connection has a huge emotional benefit that spills over into your relationship. Our boot camp classes have a growing number of couples who are working out together. Now, we don’t suggest critiquing each other and do suggest having a different workout partner, but working out with each other has tons of benefits:
   1. One person isn’t at home eating ding-dongs while the other is working out.
   2. One person isn’t thinking the other is at home eating ding-dongs while the other is working out.
   3. You will begin eating healthier at home.
   4. You are aware of each other’s physical goals and can help keep each other on track.
   5. You are both in better shape and potentially more attracted to one another…
   6. You set a positive example for your children (if you have any).
   7. You can enjoy the COR Couple’s Discount.
   8. You have an excuse to massage each other for recovery.
   9.  And so on…
7. Increased Force Production: Having a workout partner who motivates and challenges you will increase your force production. No matter the quality of a group exercise class, one person keeping an eye on you can increase force production. We often try and push ourselves, but certainly can feel tired or down on certain days. This makes having a partner call you out on a tired day or feed into your energy when you are making hard pushes great for increasing force production.
8. Greater Social Involvement Outside of the Workout: A lot of exercise programs (like our group exercise boot camp) expand beyond the gym. Social activities can increase social and community engagement. If you workout with a partner, you’re more likely to attend these social outings. This completes the triangle of balance, building up the social side to balance the work and health. In the Bay Area, whether you are in Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Santa Clara, or San Jose, you are becoming more isolated. You sit in front of computers and in your cars for long periods of time, decreasing our social (not work) interactions. Group exercise classes can increase your social and fitness aspect. At COR, we have quarterly parties, monthly dinner outings, hiking, coffee…a lot of social engagements!
9. Increased Goal Attainment: Goals are easy to make, but hard to attain. How many times have you written or thought of a goal, only to have it fall to the side after a week. The greater accountability the more likely you’ll reach your goal. Too often goals are kept within, but if you share your goal with your trainer, personal training partner, or exercise community, the greater the likelihood you’ll reach this goal. Our goal wall is a great way to increase goal attainment, forcing you to look your goal in the eye for every workout and day.
10. More Likely to Try Something New: If you are hesitant to try something new, a personal training partner can help you conquer this fear. Seeing someone you know and trust do an exercise or movement increases your likelihood to try something. You shouldn’t always practice this jump off the bridge idea, but it can help if you are hesitant to exercise and trying new things.
11. You Could Afford a Personal Trainer: A workout partner can make a personal trainer more affordable. Often, a partner workout is half the price as a regular one-on-one session, saving you a lot of money. Some are concerned a trainer can’t keep an eye on more than one person at once, but this isn’t true. A trainer should (not all do) be able to monitor multiple people at once and teach skills systematically for safe workouts.
12. You’ll Be more Fit: If you workout with a friend, you two will become more fit. Having more fit friends will help you stay more fit, as habits are contagious. The more time you spend with someone who is fit, healthy, and/or happy the more likely these feelings will rub off on you. Why not increase your chances of a successful fitness and healthier life? Stack the odds in your favor and bring a buddy to get fit and surround yourself with fit people!

How to Find a Workout or Personal Training Partner

Now, that you know the 12 benefits of having a workout partner, you need to know how to find one. This step may sound easy, but you need to find a good fit, as a bad workout partner can be a toxic as a good workout partner can be beneficial.

1. Make Sure you Really Like Them: It is easy to bring a work friend or someone you casually know as your personal training workout partner. Unfortunately, you are going to undoubtedly hit rough patches with your workout partner. Make sure you really like your workout partner. Like any relationship, you’ll hit tough times, them skipping workouts, slacking, wanting to chat, etc. Also, you want to increase your chances of making the workout, so if you pick someone you really want to hangout with and don’t see too often, then you’ll find a way to get to the workout.
2. Pick the Perfect Skill Level: When picking a personal training workout partner, make sure you pick you pick someone with the perfect skill level. This skill level will differ based on your level and who you work well with. When finding a workout partner, here are the are common good fits:
   1. Nervous Newbie: If you are a nervous newbie, bring someone with a similar skill level. This way, you can have someone to laugh with and make mistakes, because you will certainly make mistakes.
   2. Pleasing Partner: If you are a people-pleaser, I highly suggest working out with someone slightly more skilled than you. This can keep the carrot in front of you, challenging yourself and your people-pleasing traits.
   3. Debbie Downer: If you don’t want to workout, you have a few things to address first, but finding a highly dependable person is key. If you are already down on exercising, having a dependable partner can get you to the gym. However, make sure this person doesn’t annoy you and give you another excuse to miss the gym.
   4. Skilled Samurai: Even if you have been in the gym for years can be helpful. If you have years under your belt, finding a newbie with great potential can expand your mindset, pass along what you know, and also challenge you once they progress.
3. Compatible Attitude: A compatible attitude is often a positive attitude. Finding someone with a positive attitude can rub off on you and make each workout more enjoyable. However, if you are a Debbie Downer (see above) this high positivity may hurt you. This makes a compatible attitude a must for an exercise buddy.
4. Compatible Motivational Styles: If you like to get yelled at, then finding someone who also enjoys this style can help your workouts. If you want to gossip between workouts, then find someone who isn’t at the gym yelling at you to get your rear off the ground!
5. They have the Sameish Schedule: Your workout partner has to come to workouts. If your partner needs to workout at 5 am and you are a night owl, it isn’t going to work. Finding the person with the same schedule greatly increases workout accountability.

We aren’t letting the power of accountability go underutilized. In effort to maximize your performance, goals, and self – we’re setting you up to succeed by taking advantage of the strength of group training.

We’re setting you up with a kick-butt support system, team collaboration and camaraderie, friendly competition, and quality accountability to make those goals reality.

How are you staying accountable for your goals this week?

Lift – Are You Mentally Ready?

Lift – Are You Mentally Ready?

“It does not matter how much weight it is to lift. If I’m ready mentally for it – then I’m ready” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

Sure is motivating when Arnold Schwarzenegger (bulging out of the very shirt he is trying to sell) is convincingly screaming – “YOU CAN DO IT TOO!”

That you too can be strong. That you can be fit.

Who better to follow than the swole-master himself?

However, don’t let this “movement” give you the idea that if you aren’t a body builder then you aren’t doing it right. You don’t need to be tan, defined, and aesthetically perfect to be obtaining the benefits of exercise. Certainly don’t let it be the definition of your success either.

The benefits of lifting extend far beyond increased muscle mass and an unrealistic bicep circumference – increasing mood and bone density, lowering your risk of diabetes, depression and heart disease, and overall improving your quality of life!

At COR we actively support the movement of fitness for everyone – starters, experts, big or small.

So come with us if you want to be lift. DO IT! Because, we too are trying to make the world healthy – concentrating on fitness for everyone.

Strength training also plays a key part in something new we are bringing to you. We have another little trick up our sleeve with a program we’re introducing – hiking …and we can’t wait to share with you next week.

What are your thoughts? Is lifting moving you toward motion or away from the gym?

Reach New Heights of Success – Half Dome Hiking

Reach New Heights of Success – Half Dome Hiking

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” Colin Powell

Following a daily routine is comforting, creates stability, and provides us with predicability to accomplish daily success. It also means we are missing out on an opportunity to step outside of our comfort zone – where we experience growth and meaning.

Growth is about pursuing new opportunities that stretch us beyond our comfort zone. It’s about venturing boldly into the unknown. Defaulting to what is comfortable often leads to missing out on a greater contribution and experience. Sure, there is always a risk of failure. However, unless we assume that risk there will also never be that chance of success either.

Small risks are glorious, and while unsettling at first, you leave rewarded and open to amazing new life experiences.

COR is introducing you to something a bit off the map…switchin’ up the same ol’ routine. Our newest program and ultimate challenger – the 90 day Half Dome Hike. From competitive athletes to weekend warriors – as with any physical activity, preparation is critical to avoid injury, maintain adherence and minimize safety risks. Day to day workouts, packing preparation, health recommendations, dietary needs – we got you covered.

Here’s everything you need to know to get you started…for free – 90 Day Half Dome Hiking Guide

Not yet convinced you want to hit the trail? Let us help.

1.  The cognitive benefits have been tested for years now. Between the increased  exposure to nature, combined with the decrease in technology – hiking has been shown to enhance creative problem solving and improve a variety of other psychological indices. In addition, hiking induces positive affects of concentration, facilitates memory, increases your sense of accomplishment, and evokes a calming sensation.
2. Recent research has found how group walks in nature are associated with significantly less depression, perceived stress, and greater positive mental well-being. They concluded that hiking could be a potentially important contribution to “both public health and individual well being with benefits in mental health, coping with stress, and improved emotions”.
3. Hiking facilitates interaction with nature, social interaction when with friends and family, and promotes physical activity – all which support mental, emotional, and social wellbeing as well as mitigate the effects of stressful life events.
4. Physically, hiking does it all. Aerobic activity, strength from the hills, and balance on the rough terrain.
5. It’s free. The perfect activity for a large family, the frugal college student, or those lacking a of gym membership.

It’s time to knock Half Dome hike off the bucket list.

In 90 days we will help you reach new heights Create the confidence to conquer. Provide the preparation to prevail. Give you the coaching to crush the trails.

Free 90-Day Half Dome Hiking Guide

5 Steps to Maintain Daily Energy (without coffee)

5 Steps to Maintain Daily Energy (without coffee)

“We are at our very best, and we are happiest, when we are fully engaged in work we enjoy on the journey toward the goal we’ve established for ourselves. It gives meaning to our time off and comfort to our sleep. It makes everything else in life so wonderful, so worthwhile.” – Earl Nightingale

At the age of 16, if you were told you had 12 months to live – I think you too would be rather motivated to scientifically unwrap how we can derive the most meaningful life. 23 years later, author Tom Rath explored the key elements of energizing our work through deep research, interviews, and stories from leading scientists in his book Fully Charged.

His research conclusion: “The odds of being completely engaged in your job increase by more than 250% if you spend a lot time doing meaningful work throughout the day”

Harvard Business School’s conclusion:  “After 12,000 diary entries, 64,000 workday events and 238 workers across 7 companies” – “of all the events that engage people at work, the single most important – by far- is simply making progress in meaningful work”

Here are the top 5 ways to be Fully Charged according to Rath and health research:

1. “Every day you let something keep you from following a dream, you lose an opportunity to create meaning” – Interests + Strengths = Meaning

A 2013 study of over 12,000 workers around the world found that those who derived meaning from their work were three times more likely to stay. Meaning has the highest single impact of any variable, and the strongest source of motivation is meaningful work…particularly doing things that contribute to a collective good. This can be any involvement – your job, your fitness, your family – any activity you engage in should be more than a note on your ‘to-do list’ but a have purpose.

2.  “If you want to make a difference – not just today, but for many years to come – you need to put your health and energy ahead of all else” – Eat/Move/Sleep

Personal well-being is as important as your work engagement. If you are neglecting to fuel your body with nutritious foods, lacking exercise, and are burning yourself out from work – how do you expect to have a meaningful contribution to the lives of others? Good news is that this doesn’t have to be some grand, difficult plan. Make one step in the right direction toward either your sleep, eating, or exercise and it will lead you to an upward spiral in the other two areas. These small lifestyle choices influence each other every day.

3. “People who have very high energy levels in a given day are more than 3x more likely to be completely engaged in their work that same day” – Work with purpose! 45+15!

“There is a great deal of support for the general notion of workingin intense bursts paid with a period of time to recharge”. The top 10% treat the period of working time like a sprint – a highly focused burst of ∼45 minutes –  making the most of the working time with intense purpose. This if followed by a ∼15 break to rest up, walk around, move, and have the freedom from structured work to renew. This schedule followed in the Finland education system has been found to not only be effective in school but also in business.  Rath suggest adjusting up/down from there to determine what ratio allows you to remain fully charged.

4. “Small wins generate meaningful progress” – Small wins everyday

“Chipping away at a dream in small steps is deeply motivating” and “even in the worst situations, you can find opportunities for growth”. Seek out the small things that engage you to make daily forward progress.

5. “The actions you take throughout every single day accumulate to shape your years, decades and overall life. However, when you think about a typical day, it’s easy to take these moments for granted” – Choose Positivity 

Rath’s research found that people who reported having great interactions through the day were nearly FOUR times as likely to have a very high well-being. No doubt, life throws curve balls which we can’t control…but we can always control our next interaction and choose to put a positive spin to that conversation.

What are your strongest internal motivators? What are those reminders that give meaning to why you do what you do?

The Cyclical Science of Happiness

What makes us happy? I’m talking about a passionate, unequivocal sense of zest and love of life.

It’s not something you wake up one morning saying “You know what? I think I’m happy. I made it.”

No.

Happiness comes from within. Work your butt off to get the perfect beach body, but guess what? You’ll never feel like you have the “perfect” body if you aren’t happy with yourself. As humans, we always want more, but happiness isn’t an end point kind of deal.

It comes in many forms. Almost all of which can be traced back to self-confidence. When you are confident in yourself you see success in your actions, the progress, not results. You recognize your hard work towards these changes, credit your body with love, and express self-gratitude. You emanate inner strength; a testament of your relentless efforts.

We are always making changes, buying the next greatest technology, thinking, “This is IT. This will finally be what makes me happy.”

No, it has to come from you.

By now, most of us have been conditioned that if we start eating better and we will feel better.

It’s not that easy.

Ask anyone. I would be the first to advocate healthy eating. No matter how much I ramble on the life changing benefits and fear striking facts, why would someone make the effort to go through the troubles of eating healthy if they don’t have a deep respect for themselves to provide their body with the absolute best?

This is the brutal truth and unfortunate side to the awful, perpetuating cycle of an unhealthy lifestyle.

When was the last time you saw a sad, weak, and physically unhealthy person leaving the gym?

It’s not the bodybuilder who just maxed out at the gym or the ambitious 10 year old who just beat her mile time you see double-fisting chocolate cupcakes.

No. You see the fit, perky, lively can-doer speed walking out the gym with an apple in their hand (most likely pursuing the next big feat they are motivated to accomplish and spend their very productive day doing). They are all sorts of fueled – physically and mentally. These are the ones moving a mile a minute, getting work done, and loading up at the salad bar.

Go ahead and start a diet, but you’ll never be satisfied if you aren’t first happy with yourself. Let alone, if you don’t possess the tiniest ounce of faith that you are capable of so much more, how far are you really going to get? You’ll only crave results. Let’s be real – five pounds less is never enough. You got your a six-pack? I wanted an eight-pack!

It’s never enough.

No wonder we crave a cheat day, and even worse, straight up quit – this external, result derived happiness leaves us feeling even worse from when we set out begin this ambitious lifestyle change. Now you’re left feeling even more hopeless than when you started. I’ll take that second slice of cake for my piteous efforts…healthy eating and exercise just ain’t my thang (even worse, yo-yo dieting).

So then, where to begin?

First, find your place to derive motivation and confidence.  

For me – EXERCISE. WE ARE MADE TO MOVE – the benefits are endless and it’s something we should all be doing. I’m not saying that because I’m some fit, bias, endorphin addict athlete – these are the facts of human nature and any research can back me up. Being active works in our favor in more ways than one – increasing our sense of well being and pushing our body to its physical and mental limits.

The second we start being active, we start to care. We start to see changes – we don’t want to lose that hard work.

We respect ourselves.

Think about a person you really respect – you would do anything for them. They radiate strength and kindness. They’ve work hard to never let you down. They serve as a foundation, source of relentless dependency…c’mon, how could you ever do them wrong?

That’s the relationship you start to have with your body.

Exercise is an evolving process that brings enjoyment as we grow and continually strive for more. Not because we aren’t satisfied with what we’ve accomplished, but because we start to believe that we truly are capable of so much more. Along the way, maybe even discovered we posses a slight purpose beyond the daily rout of life?

Never mind all those happy hormones, social benefits, and physiological changes that come along for the ride – that’s a nice little bonus.

With that being said – when you feel good about yourself you eat better.

Why? It makes perfect sense. People who invest energy and time into their health and personal well-being care enough to not screw it up.

Not until we value ourselves do we care enough to treat our body with love. The funny thing is, when we start eating better we feel good about ourselves.

We don’t always make sense, but this is the way we function as ridiculous as it may seem.

Exercise is a way to push us to limits that before were unfathomable. We begin respecting ourselves a tad bit more – I mean hey, you did make the effort to get off the couch anyways – that’s at least worth something.

The person who is still in bed at 1pm, stayed out drinking all night, and just kicked off the day watching Netflix, cracking open a Coke for breakfast, doesn’t care because they are already unhealthy – why not just go all the way?

Yea, yea…we’ve all done this at one point or another *cough cough vacation season*

Society doesn’t help with the abundance of environmental triggers, media, lazy outlets, eating temptations – making it easier than ever to just go down the path of fast food, living vicariously through a digital screen, and never needing to walk a step again. Our expectations of “healthy” are often skewed – we assume it must be painful and require unnecessary disciple that we don’t have. Our day is ruined by a disgusted hour of suffering and we are deprived of any palatable foods.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Finding an activity you enjoy changes everything.

Exercise is no-doubt, always the highlight of my day. Except for when I encourage others to experience that too – that tops it off. No one can be controlled, whether it’s your spouse, kids, or a client. But if you work to be the the best you can possibly be – striving toward optimal health, expanding your knowledge, opening your perspective, learning from others– you can provide the best of yourself in a way that inspires changes in others.

Stay active, eat whole foods, drink water, get some shut-eye, and have a balanced lifestyle…I can promise you for the most part you will be just fine. If we care enough to treat ourselves the absolute best, (and if you want to take it this far – thus the world around us) we actually start acting on it.

I’m not saying the key is to start working out first and then eating better, or vice versa – I’m saying if you first and foremost do something that motivates you to be better and brings you joy then you will treat your body with respect, nourishment, and want to be healthy. You simply can’t have one without the other.

What comes first – exercise/dieting or self-confidence? People change their eating to lose weight so they feel better about themselves. But people who feel better about themselves usually are more active and eat better.

So where do you begin? I think that’s a question only you can answer.

The answer doesn’t reside in these outcomes but in yourself, which you find through the process of being better – whether it is by eating or exercising. It’s a cycle, not straight line with beginning to end. See your improvements in whatever it may be, build your confidence by recognizing your gains. Embrace that feeling. Let your body be inspired and driven toward improvements.

We want to be motivated! We want to be better!

Think about it, if you don’t respect your body and possess a sense of worthiness, why the hell would you take the effort to fuel it.

Start respecting yourself and all your potential. Start pushing your limits. Start working out. Start eating better. Start being happy.

COR Team Stability Ball Challenge

COR Team Stability Ball Challenge

When programming exercise, just as life, everything must have a purpose. You need to go about it with deliberate intentions –

1. What is the goal/focus
2. What did we accomplish
3. What did we learn.

The focus:

Our last day of Kids Athletic Development Program was focused on three things

1. Stability/Balance

Balance is a component of fitness that is often overlooked. For a skill so critical to athletic development as well as everyday activities, it’s necessarywe educate its importance and role in proper functioning. This was the topic of Thursday’s lesson during our Kids Athletic Development Program. Many associate balance with wimpy exercises forcing you to stand on one leg and close your eyes. While yes, this is balance, it is far more extensive.

2. Teamwork

Kids need to be challenged. Actually, we all need to be challenged. Of course, I hoped to push their body to it’s limit, but more importantly I wanted to show them that the only way to do so is as a cohesive unit – as a team. This requires communication, constant feedback, and engagement at all times. The kids weren’t only challenged physically, they were also challenged mentally (#3).

3. Creativity

If we are creating a foundation of a life-long, healthy lifestyle it is necessary to be creative. We must teach kids to always challenge themselves to find a way, and then take it a step further.

We fished off our last workout at KADP with a challenge.

If we are creating a foundation of a life-long, healthy lifestyle it is necessary to be creative. We must teach kids to always challenge themselves to find a way, and then take it a step further.

There will be times when these kids can’t afford gym memberships. Five years from now school work will pile up. Put a job and social life on top of that – how are they going to find a way to still incorporate physical activity? Then there’s family and balancing a career, will they have the time to fit in a workout?

YES, they will.

In a world where we always seem to find excuses, we want them to see a way.

What we accomplished:

One piece of equipment. Two hours. Four kids.

While they discovered that a workout doesn’t have to mean running laps on a treadmill or lifting weights, they took away much more.

They were forced to maintain engagement and constant communication for two hours. However, it wasn’t myself forcing them. They saw the challenge at hand and discovered for themselves what was required to accomplish it. In order to challenge each other as a cohesive unit they were forced to use their imagination. Once instructed on the proper form and biomechanics, it was up to them to figure out how to work together to make the exercise work.

The moment I knew we accomplished the task at hand wasn’t when they started sweating, or even when they worked together. It was in the last 10 minutes of the workout.

We were running out of time and I told the kids we weren’t going to have enough time to finish. Without a second of hesitation the kids collectively grouped together and teamed up to find a way to finish the workout! Now, I gave them full permission to skip the last round…and they wanted to finish? Together they found a way to partner up on the piece of equipment for the last strength component round and combine the exercises

…this meant that they had no rest between sets.

As a unit these kids teamed together, used their imagination, and were intrinsically driven to find a way to challenge themselves. This exemplified everything that I hoped for them to gain. That is definition of accomplishment.

What we ALL can learn from this:

One of my favorite quotes comes from Mihaly Csiskzentmihalyi, he says –

“The pursuit of a goal brings order in awareness because a person must concentrate attention on the task at hand and momentarily forget everything else. These periods of struggling to overcome challenges are what people find to be the most enjoyable times of their lives” and “By stretching skills, by reaching toward higher challenges, such a person becomes an increasingly extraordinary individual.”

They knew three things going into this:

1. The task (the focus)
2. They possessed the skills and potential to accomplish this (this was emphasized!)
3. The challenge presented (…this wasn’t going to be easy!)

• I cannot emphasize more that these kids are the highlight and a perfect example of growing through conquering clear goals and tackling any challenge presented. However, I had my own goals and challenges when presented this opportunity to run the camp for the first time. There were goals I had for them and the structure, challenges in creativity and programing, and skills I had to employ. Not only were they accomplishing so much, but through them I was as well. We can all take learn something from any experience, even when we aren’t the ones directly involved.*