coachcinziaIf you have read my journal before you know I often like to watch a good movie while doing cardio on my treadmill at home. One of the last movies I watched reminded me to always put things in perspective, and how much happiness there is in my life no matter how much struggle there might be at times.
I like to watch realistic movies when I am all by myself and my little guy is not around. Usually it coincides with my early morning cardio before I wake him up for home school. Well, a few weeks ago, I sure topped myself with the reality of the subject depicted in the movie I chose. “Attack on Darfur” is the title of the movie I picked. And what a good movie this is! The seriousness of the current drama discussed once again reminded me to put things in perspective. I seriously wanted to stop the movie about half way through because of some of the very descriptive scenes, but I did not. I couldn’t stop watching, I had to continue! The movie was made to make people aware of what the reality of life is like in The Sudan. I don’t want to explain in detail what some of the movie scenes were like, one can just Google Darfur to see some of the real images of what kind of suffering the movie portrays. This kind of suffering is unfortunately not only a movie, it is real and happening daily in Africa!
I talk about suffering with my clients, referring to some of the sacrifices one has to make in order to follow a meal plan, or a workout schedule, but is it truly suffering? Am I truly suffering when I push through the last couple of reps during a heavy set of squats? Am I truly suffering when I have to get that night cardio in so late at night when my legs are in “pain”? I can come up with a few more examples of what could be considered suffering during training and so can a few of my fellow fitness friends. Is it world history that I am interested in, while seeking these kinds of movies? I don’t think so. I know deep inside that, even through the struggles of being a mother, a spouse, a business woman, and a fitness competitor, I DO NOT REALLY HURT or SUFFER. It is not history I am searching for but a reminder of my true condition. I choose to do what I do. I choose to live the life I want. I train hard to better myself each and every day. Yes, there is struggle in what I choose to do, but it is neither true pain, nor torture. It is not peril, nor is it destruction.
Training hard is what gets me close to the real life struggle I would actually encounter if I didn’t live the modern, civilized, free life I live. I crave that feeling of exhaustion and loss of control because, when I am no longer exhausted and I gain my control back, I truly feel invincible and, above all, so lucky to have all that I have: a healthy body, a happy family, and a future. I guess the lesson I like to relearn every so often is that, whatever hard situation I am going through, there is always someone somewhere who is living through a much harder situation that me. My pain is tied to the moment, and is only temporary and voluntary. Once I live through it I can think that, for a brief moment, I might have felt a tiny bit closer to those who really suffer in life. My workouts are often a dedication to them and the strength I gain from my workouts is what fuels my actions in giving back to my family and the community I live in for a better future for us all.