Yesterday at the pool I overheard a bit of a conversation that included the following, "well, if I could afford to work out with a trainer every day too I could..."
It would be easy to assume one could "buy" fitness through trainers and products. There may even be folks who point a finger at me since I do work out with my trainer several times per week. But what they may not see are all the other hours that go into it and the choices that I and others make that they might not be prepared to make. They don't see the 6 am runs, the 8 pm cycling, the lunchtime swim, the nights I am icing and stretching sore muscles when I'd rather fall directly into bed. I forgo adult "beverages" (with rare exceptions), sacrifice sleep (usually up by 5 am), and work doubly hard at my job and managing the family so I can carve out time to workout without impacting others. I eat for performance which necessitates planning and preparation and implies very little dining out.
The gym time with my trainer is used to touch base on mental and physical readiness, to fine tune his nutrition and endurance training program, and to strength train. I do not lose sight of the fact that I am blessed and privileged to be in a position to work with a personal trainer (not to mention how amazing this particular one is). And I could not have gotten where I am without his help and encouragement. But did I "buy" my way to fitness? If you count among the payments sweat, pain, self-discipline, and occasional deprivation, then, yes! But they are relatively small investments that pay big dividends.
