A Weekend of Gratitude

Canfitpro, Les Mills Live, LMI Day(s) etc. For Les Mills Fitness Instructors, it has many names and we attend for many reasons. For those that don’t know what its all about, check this blog post by friend and colleague Sara Sidders. Getting back to the “why” we go, well more so why I go as other people go for reasons I may not be aware of. At first, I went just for the experience, an environment that has a bunch of people that enjoy this stuff as much if not more than I? Sure sign me up! Its like a tsunami of fitness professionals, and for that I always say, you need to go twice as the first time is overwhelming.
After that I spent a couple of years focused on education. Not just learning about what’s happening over the next couple of months in terms of RPM or BODYPUMP, but how can I can I take care of myself better (nutrition) find new ways to challenge my fitness and to understand the motivations of members to help better serve them. After a while, some of that info became repetitive, and some of the education on the Les Mills front became more enticing. I ended up just focusing on that as well as experiencing new programs especially the ones that I dreamed of being part of (something I will look to touch on in the future). I have gone for 7 years in a row and my reasons keep evolving. Now above all else it has become a reunion of friends and getting to meet some fantastic people from across the country and the world.
This year in particular was especially meaningful. After deciding to tell my chapter to the world via a blog, a number of things changed. The response was overwhelming from people I knew through fitness, to people I met in elementary school. Once one person reached out to tell me what was going on in their life, I knew my post was more successful than I imagined. And then another person reached out, and another and another. This year, the weekend would be an opportunity to give some of that love that I received back and in person whether via a hug, a note a “hey nice to meet you in real life”. Show them that yes, I’m okay and I’m continuing to get stronger. I also got to see my limits and set goals for the next year. The competitor in me wanted to try all kinds of moves etc but I knew better. Heck it takes multiple sittings for me just to type 700 words, why make it harder buy trying to do a burpee with a tuck jump? For now just focus on what I can do and control, and try to set myself up so that when I do get good news about my healing (next appointment in 3 months) I can be in a position to jump to the next level on my recovery.

Getting to do something you love and being around people that just get it and have had their own paths to get to that is a wonderful experience. And admittedly it’s the longest running tradition that I have. Seeing current instructors excel and get to new heights coming into new roles, new disciplines or new accomplishments. Seeing someone I admire that helped to bring these life impacting programs to Canada decide after 20 years to focus on a different challenge and do it her way. And then seeing new instructors that you just know within 5 minutes that they are going to do something grand within this field if they simply want to make the investment time wise. Much like how my reasons evolve, watching everyone around me and seeing them evolve or as we sometimes say “shift” is refreshing and in turn gives me an additional push to do the same. And this year a bonus, Les Mills live won’t only happen just once.
If you made it to this point, thanks for reading.