This morning I trained one of my bigger clients. She is a very inspiring lady who is well on her way to losing 50kg and in the process recreating her life, her body and her health. I am in awe of people who have the courage to face up to the reality of changing their bodies in this way. It can be very confronting, uncomfortable and courageous. My role in this is a combination of the Captain, the Conductor and the Driver steering the ship on her journey often through rough seas, turbulence and stretches of calm serenity. It is a journey that I travel often with my clients and one that never ceases to amaze and inspire me.

Our conversation this morning turned to one of discomfort when I turned up the resistance on the elliptical machine my client was using. She initially moaned and complained about how much harder the exercise had become. This is nothing unusual as I pretty much expect the grumblig speel of whinging and complaints as the exercise and effort increases. What I didn’t expect was the following flow of conversation from this woman who in her discomfort thought for a moment about what someone who might be less able bodied than she, might think of her complaining.

To hear a person who is obese and out of her comfort zone struggling to push her body through the motions of a tough workout not to mention push her mental capacity to get her there suddenly change her whinging to thought provoking and inspiring conversation about people less able than she was changed the course of not only her workout but the rest of my day. Think for a moment someone who is bound to a wheelchair who will NEVER take a step or walk again in his / her life. Someone who has to be cared for constantly, tube fed or who will NEVER feel his / her legs or even someone who has NO legs or arms for that matter….

As an obese woman, my client thought about these scenarios and said to me that perhaps most of these ‘disabled’ people would love to walk in her shoes and do what she is doing no matter the size of her body. They would be able to walk and use their bodies, feel her ‘discomfort’ and be grateful for this. She then said to me that she would vow to be grateful for the body she has and to do her best to make it as fit and healthy as she can as there are many people in this world who do not have the chance to do as she is or to live a life in a body capable of being the complete and whole vehicle to take them on a journey through life.

For me, I have a metal hip. I could complain about my metal hip and the scar it has left on my leg. My client reminded me that my ‘metal hip’ functions optimally and I can run and do everything I need to. My body is healthy and fit and my hip has inspired me to live this way and to do the work I do.

The moral of the story…..please don’t take your health, your body and your life for granted. Your body is your vehicle that takes you through life. If you feel the need to complain about your bit, I can guarantee there will always be someone much worse off than you. Do yourself a favour and take a reality check. It works.