When I was seventeen-years-old, I was in a life-changing car accident.
(insert sob story here)
It wasn’t the kind where the car dramatically bursts into flames or flips over and crushes the people inside. Nobody died.
This was the kind of car accident where you think “Wow. Lucky nobody got hurt.” Except we did, we just didn’t know right away.
My mom and I were in shock after getting rear-ended by a massive SUV whose driver accidentally stepped on the gas rather than the brakes.
We were on our way to a movie. I seemed fine, but my mom was in rough shape mentally, so the friends we were meeting drove her home.
When I woke up, I couldn’t move.
My first thought was that I was somehow paralyzed, so I wiggled my fingers and toes. It turns out that the damage had been done to my spine and the surrounding muscles, as well as my neck and head.
Cue pain.
I screamed, and my floor mates came rushing in. I was immediately given medication, rather than taken to the hospital. The medication didn’t work, so they gave me more. I was told I could see the doctor once I was able to stand.
I didn’t see the doctor for a month.
When I was recovered slightly, enough to be able to walk from my dorm to the health centre, the doctor looked at me, asked about my symptoms, and sent me on my way with a prescription for stronger medication.
“You’ll be fine.” He said, with no scans or assessments to back up his diagnosis.
I returned to school as a different person.
No longer the happy-go-lucky straight-A student, I was a shell of a kid, no longer able to play sports, much less participate in them competitively. I couldn’t focus on anything but the chronic pain, forget about studying.
I could no longer sleep, function, study, play, or do any of the things that were important to me, at least not properly.
Required to do an activity in lieu of a sport, I was sent to “sports rehab”; a place where you can use the gym, supervised, yet entirely unstructured. I learned to juggle three tennis balls to improve my hand-eye coordination. I still laugh thinking about the joke that was that program.
Fast forward to that summer, I joined the rest of the freshman in University orientation, yet all I could think about or focus on was the length of the walk to and from my dorm, the walk up and down the four flights of stairs to my room.
No surprise to anyone who knows what I was dealing with that I withdrew from school.
I retreated to the couch in my mom’s house for about four years until I decided that enough was enough. Nobody was going to help me but myself.
I had a friend who enjoyed weightlifting and allowed me to tag along to the gym, teaching me how to move my body in ways I never had before, as I was a former athlete and spent my time in a different kind of gym.
She taught me what she knew, and I’ll always be grateful for her encouragement.
I switched gyms, making a bigger commitment than before, and agreed to attend the free personal training session included with my membership.
Thank god I did.
I met my personal trainer, who helped me overcome my chronic pain, gain confidence, build a solid physique, double my strength, and who inspired me to do the same for others.
Now, here's where you'll want to tune in.
Overcoming setbacks. Easier said than done.
Staying motivated: You can't. Not 100%
To overcome setbacks, you must first learn that nobody can do it for you. I can book you an appointment and drive you there, but I can't make you walk in. I can put a weight in your hand but I can't make you pick it up.
You have to...
1. Make a list of priorities. (pick 3-5 and be specific)
2. Figure out why they matter to you.
3. Make a list of actionable tasks you can do to get there.
4. Set a timeline. Make it reasonable, but be strict about it.
5. Follow through.
Here's an example. It's mine from 2 years ago.
Priorities:
1. Improve chronic pain
2. Lose body fat
3. Get "toned"
Not specific enough. "Get toned" doesn't mean anything.
1. Improve chronic pain to the point of not needing painkillers.
2. Lose 5% body fat
3. Gain 1lb of muscle and lose 6lbs of fat
Why?
1. I want to live a happier life.
2. I have gained weight in fat while being sedentary and I'm not satisfied with my physique.
3. I want to have a body that makes me feel confident and strong.
Actionable Tasks
1. Talk to a health or fitness professional to get a second opinion, consultation, or to enlist help.
2. Get on a body fat scale to see where I'm at and where I want to be, and develop a training/nutrition plan with help from a professional to get me there.
3. Start strength training rather than hours of cardio. Lifting weights is the better path to losing fat, cardio is necessary for heart health and living a longer life.
Timeline
1. 3 months. In this time I could realistically gain 3lbs of muscle, become more confident in my technique, and gain enough strength to hold myself up better. I could also learn new strategies to deal with pain such as breathing techniques and how to brace my core properly.
2. 7 months (at a beginner level, and as a woman, in a healthy and safe way)
3. 1 month (if I am consistent, efficient, and have a plan)
Follow Through
Do NOT rely on motivation or perfect timing.
Do the thing when you don't want to.
Do it when it's raining and cold outside.
Do it when your schedule is busy.
Do it before that big thing coming up, don't wait until after.
There is never a perfect time to do something, so do it when it's not perfect.
You'll develop resiliency and discipline, and you CAN rely on these things to stay consistent and make progress.
Motivation is fleeting.
Time is a concept.
Keep Going, Keep Growing 
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