Fit For Life: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes…

Sunday, June 04, 2017

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

Matt Espeut

Why is it so important to do, but stings so much? Why can't we grow without it? Why is such a necessary part of life so hard to do and so painful to deal with when it is thrown our way. The word of the week folks is - change.

We all need to do it and we all need to adapt to it over and over again throughout our lives.

Some changes are done by choice, others aren’t, but regardless of the situation, change is extremely difficult whether we choose it or not.

Even when we change for the better it still hurts.

Quit smoking is a tough change. Starting a new career, moving to a new house, break ups, all these things are tough to deal with, but adapting to change isn’t as painful as settling for a life of misery. I would rather adapt to changing something for the better than being comfortably miserable. Because the reason to make a change would be to move forward in life, rather than staying in the same predicament you are in now. Staying in a bad relationship is far more painful than moving on. You don’t realize it at first, but when the initial sting is gone, we usually ask ourselves, "why didn’t I do that sooner”? Quitting a job or changing careers is scary, but I would rather be scared for a few months than work 8 hours a day somewhere I hate being. Leaving a comfortable house for something new is scary at first, but we usually move to better places, so the fear goes away rather quickly.

You won't change unless you are in enough pain with your current state. You need to hate your situation more than you hate making a change for it to happen. This is the reason that people stay stuck in undesirable situations. The pain isn’t bad enough to make a change, or the situation you are in isn’t bothering you enough to make the change. Usually, someone won’t quit smoking until they are either sick, or get so de-conditioned they have no choice. It takes a lot of discipline to make a change yourself.

The same goes for fitness and health. People won’t join my facility until being fit becomes a priority in their life and they are ready to make the big decision to change their lives. You need to want to be in the best shape of your life more than you want that giant soda, fried meal, or piece of cake. You need to want improvement more than you fear change, or it will never happen. When you are ready, Providence Fit Body Boot Camp will be here.

I had to deal with a couple of situations involving some major changes last week. Both instances brought bittersweet emotions, and both changes were for the better, but the point is that change hurts, regardless of the positive outcome.

Last week my dad and I cleaned out and walked away from my grandparents’ house for the last time. We spent hours reminiscing about “back in the day”, and all the fun, love, and joy this house brought to the family. Although it was a tiny cape, this house has been part of my life since birth, and it really hurt to break it down, and move all the stuff I grew up with, out, but it was a necessary change that had to be made. My grandmother is now 93, and although she is still sharp as a tack, she is unstable on her feet, and needs some assistance. When she fell in January, we had to move her in an assisted living facility. The sadness of her leaving her house, and us having to clear it out to be sold, is heavily overshadowed by the fact that she is in a much safer place now. She has her own apartment, is surrounded by people all day, and she looks healthier than she has in years, because she’s eating 3 nice meals a day, and not stale pizza, or cheerios for dinner. So, although the change is hard for all of us, it was a definite change for the better.

Another situation I faced was losing two great employees this past week. They both brought different qualities to my facility, and both were well liked by all my clientele. One worked full time, so there are a lot of time slots to fill, and one helped with other tasks around the gym as well as coach sessions. Yes, the suck factor is high on this one, both emotionally and physically. I have been working from 5am-8pm nightly, but I realize that’s part of being a business owner, and you need to step up and rally around every situation. The good thing is that I love what I do, and I know that I will overcome all adversity that comes my way. The bright side is that both employees are moving on to bigger things in their career. Shai is going to intern at a big athletic complex in Boston, and Tabatha is going to pursue her passion with teen challenge, by helping others straighten out their lives.

Whenever you make a change keep telling yourself why you did it and why things will be better.

Never look back and wish. Always remember that by repeating the same action, you will always net the same result, so if you don’t feel that whatever it is that you are doing is producing a positive result, it’s time for a different approach. In most instances, change comes to us, and we need to be ready to embrace it, otherwise, it will eat you up inside.

Don’t look back.

The last 3 articles I wrote talked about adversity, the negative energy in our lives, and today’s article on change. All three are related because we are all going to encounter these situations in our lives. It’s inevitable, so we must be prepared. We all have choices. We can either let life beat us up, or we can keep getting up off the canvas to fight another day. It’s all how you program your mind. If you keep a positive mindset, focus on the good, ignore the trivial stuff, and the things we can’t control, and attack life every day like it was your last, you will succeed. Let things get to you, bring you down and focus on the negative, you will be living a life under a dark cloud, and you will stay there until you make that change.

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one

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MapMyRun

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MyFitnessPal

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JeFit

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Strava

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YogaStudio

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SimplyBeing

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Fooducate

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Made for iPhone and Android