Cheryl

This is Cheryl.

She is my friend and personal trainer.  I have been exercising with her for almost five years and training with her for about a year. 

She is kind, honest, and sweet.  She is also an incredibly gifted trainer who can make you hurt like no ones business.  Her daily demeanor is pretty tough, but once you get to know her you understand that she has the biggest heart in the world.  She has seen me through weight loss and weight gain. 

She is an ovarian cancer survivor. 

She completed a 1/2 Ironman for her 50th birthday in 2011.  She is STRONG.

As of today she told me that it is absolutely her mission to make me fit, thin and strong.  I can't let her down this time.  I made so many strides over a year ago, only to eat my way back to being overweight. 

I know that I have to do this for me and I want to, but I think if she puts the pressure on it will help.  It definitely will.  She's so funny.  She knows me so well.  I knew a lecture was coming.  Her lectures bring me to tears really.  She reminds me that I work so very hard, why do I waste it on food.  Last week I preempted a lecture by telling her I got my butt back in WW.  I told her I knew a lecture was coming.

She reminds me often that exercise, suffering and pain is all mental.  The mind will quit before the body quits.  It's true.  We can push ourselves to limits we didn't think we had.  Today she had me climbing at a 15% incline on the treadmill, at a speed that I thought would literally kill me.  She gave me a small break at 4 minutes in then we repeated this 4 times, every 15 min.  The rest of the workout included tons of high reps.  50 squats with medicine x 3.  Abs for 3 min x 3.  Arms and Shoulders x 3.  I was trashed as I usually am.  I need to remind myself when I want to go eat that cookie that she is always watching.  She notices everything ! 

Even today she asked me if I was sore from Boot camp last Saturday.  Truthfully I was sore from our previous meeting last Thursday and I was taking it a little easy on Saturday.  Asking me if I was sore was her way of letting me know she knew I was taking it easy.  So there's no getting away with anything less than max-effort with Cheryl. 

So I will be sore, and tired, and exhausted after each meeting with her, but that's how it should be.  One thing is for sure I've never been so strong since meeting this wonder woman.