Each year brings resolutions that inspire us to be better versions of ourselves. One of the most common is to start working out more, or to join a gym to build muscle and work on endurance. Though this sounds positive and promising, this goal starts to diminish as the months start to go by and reality kicks in. It takes a lot of discipline and motivation to actually put in the effort of wanting to get into shape.

By Melissa Cronin

The journey first starts with the mental commitment of creating a game plan and sticking to it. Are you paying for a membership elsewhere each month and going twice a week? Maybe meeting up with a friend on the weekends to run around the neighborhood together? How about following along to an instructor on a YouTube video at home using the proper equipment?

Whatever the case may be, the physical movement is executed once the light bulb goes off; that putting yourself first is a priority.

While practicing self-care is crucial to a well-balanced lifestyle, there can also be rewarding benefits in teaching knowledge to others. This is true for Spencer Blackwood of Thousand Oaks, California. He taught surf lessons during the summer of 2021 after posting an ad to a community app called NextDoor. Not long after doing, so two women reached out to him expressing interest. This later resulted in individual sessions to get a feel for the water and to go over safety precautions since both were beginners to the sport. Eventually, this turned into group sessions, where the three of them surfed together during the months of July and August. A friendship was even formed during these encounters.

Once the women realized they lived near each other in Ventura County, CA, they began carpooling together to meet with Blackwood for the lessons. He, of course, was glad they were bonding and being supportive of one another. One of the reasons he did not want to have a typical 9-to-5 job is because they tend to lack meaningful connection. “I was tired of working for other people and trying to make it work. I wanted to do something that I loved, which is being active and helping others I get a large amount of joy from bringing happiness to other people.”

Because the surfing gigs were successful, Blackwood decided to continue his fitness services after taking some time off to pursue countertop and demolition jobs.

Earlier this year he posted an ad on Craigslist to become a personal trainer. Once again, he got responses very quickly. It was a mixture of people wanting to lose weight while others were looking for healthy meal plan options.

So far, he has been meeting up with a client at a park in Ventura. Since they're out in public, they get praise from people walking by with their dogs. Encouragement from strangers can go a long way, even more so than friends and family sometimes who could be judgmental without trying to be.

My personal expedition began last May when I joined Orangetheory (OTF) Fitness. I had been going ever since and found it incredibly uplifting. I like how each class is different than the next and that the gym is broken up into three different sections: treadmills, weights, and water-filled rowing machines. There are a variety of women coaches who are all outgoing and eager to be of assistance. If they see someone doing a stretch incorrectly, they will come over and show him or her the proper way of doing it to prevent any possible injuries.

I typically go on my days off work, but at times I do go before my work shift starts that means I attend the 5:15am class. I am surprised by the amount of energy I still have even after I leave the premises.

I exercise at OTF after work when I do not feel like waking up in the four o'clock hour which then entails going home after dark to eat a late dinner. The takeaway is that I feel proud of myself for showing up, even if some days are harder than others. The point is that I am improving my body for my future self. It is possible for anyone who wants to change their lifestyle for the better to do so.

In the famous words of Lao Tzu: “A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.”

To learn more about Orangetheory Fitness, visit: orangetheory.com.