Nor Could I

The session is over. A hard, demanding set of high-intensity intervals. Two kids, new to our program, are moping up as I approach to gauge their instant reactions. I am particularly interested in their opinions today because I took a different path to the mountain top, a tactic specifically designed to indoctrinate them into our way of doing things, and importantly, to address the myriad reasons behind the protocol’s gold-standard structure. 

Their comments are typical of newbies; 'Cool, awesome, I am so hungry.' I reassure them that the secret will be revealed to them, in their own time and at their own pace, should they make the courageous decision to commit to the program and choose consistency over convenience. They both smile gregariously and finish their janitorial chores.

I move a row back and address a regular who has been going through a series of medical procedures involved with the degeneration of bone density in her lower back. She had another cortisone shot three weeks ago and I inquire about its effect, particularly on her activity level and precisely on her ability to reach the intensity levels asked by the just finished protocol. She says it feels OK and actually uses the word ‘better’ in her brief description. After a pause she recognizes that I am sincere in my interest in her health and fitness (and by proxy happiness) and she continues, ‘As you suggested I tried to stay with the progression and actually held the 17 for the first time ever' (17 is a resistance number I asked the group to hold for 20 seconds and then default into their GZ, groove-zone, for 40 seconds and NOTE THE DIFFERENCE). As she talks I am inwardly glowing as this is precisely the take from the experiment I was looking for. She adds. ‘I told myself that I could do (almost) anything for 20 seconds so I wanted to prove it to myself - and I did.' 

I am doing rhetorical back flips as she talks. The only thing keeping us from growth, improvement and the countless positive emotions that come from our efforts, is fear. We fear the amount of work, the level of intensity and the responsibility of managing change. We feel castigated to an unsatisfying tenure of living like a pawn in the chess game of life instead of the like Kings or Queens that we truly are. 

I am feeling confident that she had actually ‘got it’, the it being the meaning behind my hour-long soliloquy on stress, rest, growth, good vibrations, laser-like relaxed focus, the groove-zone, power, the golden ratio, purpose, meaning, nirvana (seriously) and our sublime mission of persistence along the rocky road leading to the state we call optimal dynamic flow. She smiles sending me an ‘I like this because of its authenticity’ vibe. I smile reciprocally and turn to walk away to poll another team-mate. 

After a single step I dramatically trunk twist and confess,

‘I could never fake this.' 

'Nor could I.’ She is still smiling.