Your Imaginary Trainer

Hey everyone! This week’s [optional] #DishTheFit theme (hosted by Jill Conyers @ JillConyers.com, & Jessica Joy @ TheFitSwitch.org) is…

What would your imaginary trainer say to motivate you?

Unless you count my ex from about half a decade ago, I’ve never actually had an ~*official*~ trainer. He’s the one who started me on my fitness journey, so although things didn’t work out between us, I will always be grateful for everything he taught me, because he’s a big reason for why I wasn’t a disgrace to be Exercise Biology major. :P

I’ve never actually been sedentary, but halfway through my junior year, my dean gave me the green light to change my original major, double major, and take all the classes I wanted. He was an avid runner and also lifted weights and was super-interested in nutrition and healthy living, so I asked him to teach me, and before I knew it, he’d taught me how to lift weights and how to eat healthy (complete with grocery store runs for active learning), and was dragging me on his longass runs (yes, I really used to run back in the day :o ),

I guess I’m kinda cheating on the theme since he’s not imaginary, but there were a lot of encouraging things he used to email me for inspiration/motivation/support. (The emails are because we were both disgustingly busy pretty much all hours of the day. More on that later in this post.) One of the things he sent me that stuck with me the most was this:

A higher priority

This is a fake text graphic I made from Recite, har har. But this is probably where my I-don’t-give-a-shit-what-you-think attitude evolved from.

(He found that quote while I was battling out my future career decisions with my family and with myself, and reading that really helped.)

I’ve always responded much more favorably to kindness and positivity. My piano teacher actually used to get me to practice not by yelling at me for sucking at life and making me feel like a failure in life, but by sounding really disappointed in me after a particularly abysmal lesson. (I’m sorry! :'( )

One such lesson actually caused me to shut myself in a practice room for 4 hours straight the next day. I hate disappointing or making people I really look up to sad, and I function best when I’m making the people I care about happy, so it was incredibly effective.

Tangents aside, I also really appreciated support and encouragement, especially whilst suffering through the death runs he talked me into doing with him:

It’s really cool that your running and working out are going well though and that you’re sticking with it; you should be proud of yourself! :)

keepbeingyou

If we weren’t working out together, he’d periodically check in and ask how things were going. It kept me accountable, and the progress I made fueled my dreams of badassery. :D

But aside from kindness, positivity, support and encouragement, he was also good about helping me to find a balance of sorts in my super-hectic life. Or putttin’ me in my place, as I liked to term it. I had a real problem with trying to do everything in the world. (…I may or may not have stuffed almost 7 years’ worth of education into 4. >_>)

anythingbutnoteverything

 This is what he told me after I told him I was seriously considering tacking on a third major. lawl.

“By the way, I would totally support you if you wanted to do the ethnomusicology track after all, but it seems like you never give yourself a break!  I’ve gone through the same thing too, where I feel like I always should be doing something- always doing something to challenge yourself, or always trying to achieve something.  I think that’s really good…and well, you don’t have to agree with this, but I really think there’s a limit to it.  And we don’t really always HAVE to be doing something.  Maybe it’d be good to finally take some time and just be…just to give yourself to enjoy life for a while, instead of being controlled by a schedule all the time.  I seriously bet you’d really appreciate and enjoy- just being to do the things you want to do for yourself to relax for a while.  Just because you’d choose not to do, that doesn’t mean you’re a quitter, or that you don’t have ambition, trust me.  I mean, really, you don’t have anything to prove, so don’t let anyone else talk you into that, or tell you that you’re quitting.


dishthefit

  • What would your trainer tell you? (Real or imaginary!)
  • What’s something someone has told you that’s really stuck with you?

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36 comments

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  1. I absolutely LOVED this post!!! I was nodding my head in total agreement. I’m super guilty of trying too hard to please everyone and DO everything. Thank you so much for this kind reminder that I am enough and that chilling out once in a while is a-okay :-) happy Tuesday!!!
    Jess@Flying Feet in Faith recently posted…#MarathonMonday Week: 1 #RnRNashvilleMy Profile

    1. I’m so glad to hear that! :D I think sometimes, telling yourself that it’s okay to take a break and to have some downtime to spend as you please is the hardest part! It definitely was (and still is) in my life, haha. Tis a constant battle! :P

      Happy Tuesday to you as well! <3

  2. I had a 100 reasons why I could not run- so when I do a run and I am particularly feeling good about it my hubby loves to come behind and remind me with remember when you said you couldn’t do this??? Remember when – it has been fun to get outside my head and to prove myself wrong. Have a great week!
    Mary Beth Jackson recently posted…Training update- Just do it!My Profile

    1. That’s so sweet of him! :]! Proving myself and/or others wrong is a great motivator for me as well!

      Hope you have a great week too! :D

  3. Sounds like your friend helped you quite a bit! He has lots of great advice. Any type of encouragement or positive words helps motivate me!
    Sharon recently posted…My Favorite Motivational QuotesMy Profile

    1. Definitely! :D I adore lifting weights and am so glad he got me started on that (and just living a healthier lifestyle in general). I definitely needed it after all the terrible times I put myself through the year before, in the horrors that were my organic chemistry courses! :o

  4. What a boyfriend! Into fitness and so mature…I could use a guy like that. I hope you two are at least still friends because he sounds like such a BAE <3!

    I react better to tough love, like Jessica, however there are other areas in life (and we'll, sometimes fitness) that I react better to a kinder approach, like you.

    Love getting to know you better with each and every post, farrah. I mean that!
    Linda @ TheFitty recently posted…Juilliard Audition Results + Christmas Week {#LIPlinkup #14}My Profile

    1. Aww, thank you, Linda! <3 We had a difference in opinions a while back, so we don't talk anymore, but I definitely wouldn't mind someone like that again either! :P

      You raise a good point! For fitness, I'd be totally fine with egging me on and telling me to step up my game if it were someone I knew well, but tough love in regards to my learning anything academic usually ends up being completely disastrous. :P

      :]! I love reading your blog and getting to know you too! <3

    • Ricardo on January 6, 2015 at 9:18 am
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    I just keep listening to You’re The Best Around from The Karate Kid for inspiration.

    In all seriousness, I have but a few voices in my head that really keep me going. The first voice is the one from my friends. When I first got back into the gym, it was their words of encouragement (ranging from “you can do it!” to “stop being a little bitch”) that stuck around when I felt like I couldn’t do anymore. The other voice is myself reminding me of who I was in my old shell. Selfish, lazy, and conforming. I know I can’t change my past, but I can learn from it and shape my future (kinda like that song I sent you on viber). I look on my mistakes and rage on so many things I could have done or prevented, and I use it a fuel to be who I am now and how that’ll help me get to a career that I can enjoy together with someone who shares similar life attributes. Maybe then I’ll forgive myself.

    Sorry if I got a little real there. I’ll tone it back some.

    1. hahaha, that’s definitely a good motivation song! :P I listened to Eye of the Tiger when I was doing my Wingate test back in undergrad. :O

      That’s awesome that you have super encouraging friends! I think surrounding yourself with good people makes a huge, huge impact in your life, so that’s always good. :] I use my past mistakes/failures as fuel to not make the same mistake again/keep improving in life too!

  5. That definitely would have stuck with me too. I read a quote once about how everyone is so busy worrying what others are judging about them that they don’t have time to judge others. I have to remind myself of that a lot. It doesn’t matter what other people think. They don’t know me.
    Jen @ Pretty Little Grub recently posted…Finding motivationMy Profile

    1. So true! I think part of that quote actually had something to do with “how little they know about you and how much time they spent thinking/worrying about themselves.” It really doesn’t matter what they think.

      At the time, I was kinda waging war with my family over my future-career decisions and it was rather stressful and upsetting. ._. I think it’s important to believe in yourself and to work towards your dreams. :]!

  6. I feel the same!!! I do my best if I am encouraged in a positive way. I think I might have had one or two teachers back at school who were harsh and it just made me so uncomfortable… I have never had a fitness trainer before so I really can’t say but I do know that I like to push myself hard when I workout. :)
    Elsie @ Sharing Healthiness recently posted…4 Surprisingly Unfamiliar Health and Fitness CareersMy Profile

    1. I feel ya. :[ One of my piano teachers made me cry once because she laid on the sarcastic “wow, you must have practiced SO HARD this week” a little too thick and I was going through a rough patch in my life at the time. I tend to tear up when I’m really frustrated/angry, but I refused to cry in front of her, har har. Mini-me rebellion!

      That’s awesome that you’re your own motivator! :D I do the same, although some days (e.g. where it’s been so cold lately), it’s been slackin’!

  7. Positive encouragement is the best. I’ve never had a trainer, nor do I want one. I am able to motivate myself and encourage myself by my own abilities. I’ve never struggled with that. I do however, love to motivate others! I want so bad to help people find the joy in fitness!
    Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine recently posted…I Understand The “Runner’s High”My Profile

    1. I’ve always been more of a self-motivator as well, and all my workouts are done alone, but I definitely do appreciate positive encouragement when it comes my way!

      You’ll find a way! <3 I think you actually already motivate a whole lot of people with your blog! :]

  8. Thank you! I needed some inspiration this week!
    Cari recently posted…Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hand Milled (Rebatched) Soap RecipeMy Profile

    1. Glad it helped! :D

  9. Great post! That last paragraph blew me away. It was VERY thoughtful and sympathetic. I think it’s awesome that you still have some of those words he wrote, with you. Although it didn’t work out, it seems like it was such a healthy relationship, full of encouragement and support. I am usually the one motivating Chad to workout, but lately, he’s been so motivated. And, it ends up motivating me. Love your perspective, Farrah! I love your work ethic. You amaze. I hope you have been able to find a balance with challenges. I am still finding the line, but enjoying the journey all the same. Take care!
    Jessica Joy @The Fit Switch recently posted…What Would Your Trainer Say To Motivate You? The Fit Dish 16.My Profile

    1. Aww, thank you! I cut out a good chunk of that last paragraph because it was more personal, but what he said really helped since he used to do the same exact thing I did, so he really understood where I was coming from. I am a sentimental packrat, so I tend to keep everything! :P

      That’s awesome that he’s been so motivated lately! :D Honestly, since aforementioned ex and I were always so busy back in the day, what convinced me to run was the fact that we’d get to spend time together (even if I was a total grump by the latter half of it). I think the company we keep makes a big difference on our levels of motivation. :P I’m forever trying to find a balance, but I think I’m getting closer! All the best to you as well! <3

  10. This was such a great post, and I really needed it! I’ve never had a trainer, but I do struggle with holding myself accountable and motivated. And you included such great quotes here, too, so thank you for sharing!
    Jessica Ballou recently posted…My Top Ten Posts of 2014My Profile

    1. I’m glad you liked the quotes! :] I’ve been having issues with keeping myself accountable and motivated lately too, because I keep letting the weather convince me to hole up inside and study. ;_; I need to moderate that, haha.

  11. What a great mentor you found at such an important time in your life! I love how people come into our lives just when we need them. I’m glad you took that info to heart and went for what your dreams were :).
    Lori Musselman recently posted…What Would YOUR Trainer Say to Motivate You?My Profile

    1. Agreed! I’m definitely super thankful and lucky that he was such a positive motivator in my life when it came to fitness and healthy living. I’d be in for some terrible times if I associated both of those with bad memories! ._.

  12. This was a super meaningful post! It was very personal and I love that. The last pat really hit a chord. We have to stop worrying so much. its ok to just sit back and say i have enough on my plate. we do not need to be busy or productive every minute of the DAY!! Great read!
    Jenn recently posted…What would your trainer say??? – #Dishthefit linkupMy Profile

    1. I’d actually forgotten about that and had full-on re-adopted the whole “DO EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD” mentality once more, so this theme was super helpful in that it made me go dig it up! :]

  13. I took the same spin, talking about my Imaginary Trainer! It really does help to think of it that way too! Like you aren’t Battling with yourself, but rather have an imaginary personal trainer encouraging you!
    Brittany Suell recently posted…You Might Have an Imaginary Personal Trainer If….! #DishtheFitMy Profile

    1. Definitely! My imaginary one sometimes makes snide remarks when I’m being a slacker, but for the most part, it usually stays pretty positive! :P

  14. I, too, respond much better to positivity and encouragement and I’d want my trainer to be proud of me
    diane@runninrocker recently posted…How Does Your Fitness Instructor Motivate You?My Profile

    1. Yay for positivity! I’d definitely want mine to be proud of me too! :]

  15. It’s so amazing how much of a difference one person can make in our lives. I believe we meet people for a reason. That reason might not always be clear at the time but there is a reason certain people come into our lives.

    Wonderful read!
    jill conyers recently posted…If I Was Your Personal TrainerMy Profile

    1. Thank you! I’m a big believer of that too, and I like to think that everything happens for a reason too, even if that doesn’t always become clear until much, much later!

  16. Yes! I love this post! I recently started working with a trainer, Suzlyfe, and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. I love that I have someone to push me and hold my butt accountable. Ha!
    Earl-Leigh recently posted…2015 Goals {Health/Fitness & Blogging}My Profile

    1. You definitely made an awesome choice! I <3 Susie and reading her blog! :D You're gonna do great things with her working with ya! :]!

  17. Great post. I totally agree with the ‘you can’t do everything’ mindset. This is something that I still struggle with on occasion but I’m getting there. Thanks for sharing!
    GiselleR @ Diary of an ExSloth recently posted…Almond-Chocolate Breakfast CookiesMy Profile

    1. Thank you! I unknowingly re-adopted that a couple years back, and am constantly working to find a good balance, haha. :] Slowly but surely!

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