Teachable Moments

I belong to our local park district fitness center... The machines are old, but well maintained and the dumbbells and free weights are a bit worn with just a little hint of rust on them. No frills for sure, but I kinda like it - folks who work out their are just trying to get fit, stay strong, or in some cases avoid their families.

Which leads me to a lesson that translates well to health and fitness. I see a lot of people avoiding healthy activities out of fear of making mistakes. If you exercise in a gym setting then that fear is multiplied by the very public nature of the environment.

For instance, a few days back I saw a woman pick up a resistance band. After glancing around a few times, she finally stepped on it and pulled up on the handles, just like she'd seen a personal trainer do with a client.

Unfortunately she didn't have a good lock on the band and it whipped out from under her feet and smacked her across the face. I had to fake a coughing fit for a good five minutes to keep from laughing until I fell off my treadmill, it was that funny. It was certainly embarrassing.

So what did the woman do?

Dropping the handles, she stepped over the band and walked away as if nothing had happened. But her beet-red face betrayed her. I wanted to run after her and tell her that it's okay, I've totally snapped myself with the resistance band and then show her how to put it under the groove in your shoe so it can't come loose but she was gone, hopefully not to hide under a rock.

If she had stuck around long enough I would have told her how I actually put a hole in the back of my head when I snapped myself with a jump rope while trying to show off during an exercise class.

For me, making mistakes is about being teachable. It's about admitting that I don't have all the answers and that I have a lot to learn from other people. I've learned that I will never be perfect at anything the first time I try it. Chances are, I'll never be perfect at it period. I've also learned that nobody likes a perfect person anyhow. People are drawn to those who can make mistakes and learn from them. And hey, if you don't believe me, take it from...

Til next time....