cats

1. As a Membership Counselor, I'm always looking for ways to inspire our members.
With changes to diet and by increasing exercise, goals can be achieved for optimal
health and performance. Sometimes though, I see our members hit a wall or get
into a rut and that's why I enjoy my profession because I can inspire and
encourage people. For the person I'm counseling, sometimes it's important to
remember that you have to let someone in. When we get so busy with work it can
be hard. It's not something that we suddenly elect to do – to become so
overwhelmed we can't focus on ourselves, but it happens everyday. We spend
more time dealing with work stress and putting out fires that we stop living and
our lives become so fragile. we're on edge and can burst at the seams from so
much stress. It happens everyday. I saw it recently when I went to see a friend
and the visit served as a lesson that we have to be committed to change, let go of
all the stress factors and that finding things that inspire us does indeed work…
WHEN STRESS LEVELS ARE HIGH: WIRED LIKE A CAT
One of my fondest memories of my friend was a few years ago. In my mind, it's
like it was yesterday. On holiday, I stopped by for a visit and as my car
approached, the gravel and stones made crackling sounds under my tires, alerting
a group of wild cats that I'd arrived. Tails in the air, they leaped up in fear of the
noise and they all darted off in different directions. I was quite nervous and taken
aback, but excited to see my friend and his mom.
That was a few years ago, and as time has worn on and schedules changed, I knew
I should go back for a visit, but it would be a few years. Job commitments led me
in other directions, but on occasion, I would still hear that crackling sound
followed by the scratching of claws as startled felines ran up the trees. I wondered
what became of them…
THE EFFECTS OF TIME, COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION
When I next had the opportunity to visit my friend, this past weekend to
celebrate the Fourth of July, I was elated at the excitement the holiday weekend
usually brings. Nostalgic for some, the Fourth always meant a freedom to run
through the grass with no shoes on, laughing until you collapsed in the midday
sun. I was eager with anticipation to see my friend again, to be embraced by the
warm sun and the breeze and I wondered about those stray cats, those strange
cats that ran away when I pulled up.
As I approached the driveway, I rolled the window down slightly and turned the
air off. I wanted to embrace this moment again. Time has a way of escaping us,
making us feel like we can never truly go back home and be in that hot, glowing
sun. As I heard my tires crackle a familiar sound underfoot, almost as if the
stones themselves were welcoming me in, I put my foot on the brake and I turned
off the car and waited, purposely so. I didn't want to startle the cats as one
doesn't want to wake the baby and I was tempted even, to tip-toe. I hadn't
anticipated meows and purrs but I was approached by playful cats that whispered
softly, "Pet me, pet me." I found a favorite admirer in one of the cats named Oreo,

2. as he danced about, rolling over my feet softly, pawing at me to play more. I was
in a state of shock. In my mind the conductor orchestrated a different maneuver.
I was now finding cats that were content to just be - They didn't even run from
me!
When I saw my friend and his mom, I was happy to sit with them again. As we sat
eating a barbecue they'd prepared for the holiday, they told me about the cats,
and how they had been domesticated by my friend's mother. It was very touching
to see how my friend's mom took them in, nurtured and loved them, no longer
homeless – or helpless, they fit right in. They grew because they were loved and
sometimes that's what we need. It reminded me of my own work and how I help
people with their needs, too.
GETTING YOUR BOUNCE BACK THROUGH CONSISTENCY
I've helped to educate people from CEOs to blue collar workers who want to get
back in shape and lose a little weight. Sometimes though, the cases are tougher
because people are giving up or they're so busy and their schedules are so hectic,
like those cats, they're hanging on by a string and on the edge. They stopped
really living and embracing life a long time ago. This Fourth of July reminded me,
no, it has inspired me to wake people up and help them get that vitality back
again through nurturing and consistent training.
One of the hardest things as a Membership Counselor is to keep people actively
motivated. Sometimes the hardest thing is getting people to take that one step in
the right direction – to get healthy, to take back their lives, to embrace their vigor
and youth, and get them to do it consistently with passion for living again. It's
like seeing an old friend you haven't seen in years. As a regular gym goer who has
been working in this industry for four-plus years, I want to help people get
reacquainted with someone they may haven't seen in a very long time and he/she
is in the mirror.
When you work with people who feel uninspired, they may have their spirits
broken, they might be in pain, overweight, depressed and unsure of their futures.
They're also sometimes like those cats, rejected by a world that takes one look at
them and rejects them which can contribute to weight gain and a low self-esteem.
With training, a change in diet and exercise, I can see their dispositions and
moods lift as they focus on the future and start to get fit.
Seeing the change in those cats is something I love to see in people - that amazing
light bulb moment when someone is able to get their bounce back and embrace
life again! I even commend my friend's mom for her selfless act of caring for
these strays who are now a part of their family. As a Membership Counselor,
when I ask people about their goals, sometimes they don't know what to say.
That's where I offer help because I seek to inspire change. I know that motivation,
exercise and a healthy diet are the tools and paving stones used to bring back that
stamina and vibrancy we all have within us! When I ask someone about their
goals, I can envision them wanting to get rid of the trans fats, the unhealthy

3. snacking and the lack of exercise. I now know that from my Fourth of July
experience, it reconfirms that dedicated consistency will help to bring about the
change people need in their lives. Just like those New Year's resolutions that are
forgotten by February, to get back on track, real change takes dedication and
discipline - every day, all year long.