I love the movie The Notebook, the story of two young lovers, Allie and Noah
who are crazy about each other, but duty and differences threaten to keep them apart. My favourite scene is when Noah and Allie are standing outside her car, as she readies to leave him forever for her wealthy husband-to-be, whom her parents highly approve of over Noah.

There they are, standing at the car, and Noah continues to ask her, “What do YOU want?” To which she replies, “It’s not that simple, I have responsibilities, people depend on me….”. Noah repeats his question over and over again, trying to show her that it is indeed her life, and she is free to choose.

Simple, yes. Easy, not always.

Why do I bring this up, being a fitness gal? Because it speaks to all women, everywhere, who struggle with voicing their needs, even in the area of their own health and wellness. For many women, the ‘right’ to take the time to go to the gym, to change to a healthier way of eating, to want to look and feel good is still, sadly, often met with resistance, and it’s almost always coming from family and close friends.

“I had to cancel out because I had to make my hubby happy,” said one client recently. Another client felt so guilty for going to the gym, she resorted to sneaking her gym clothes out the door in a big duffel bag every day to stay under the family’s radar. And still another woman was being so ridiculed for being ‘obsessive compulsive’ about her new health regime, she quit just to keep the peace.

Don’t rock the boat. Focus on others first. Don’t be selfish. Don’t be vain.  Blah, blah, blah….

Ladies, know this: you DO deserve it. You do.

I always say to all my women that training and eating well is one of the greatest acts of self-love you can do. It is not sel-fish, it’s self-less. You are taking time out of your very-busy day and paying your good money to do so. You are reaching and striving to be more, to be strong, able, healthy and vibrant. And you are teaching your children to aspire to the same.

Congrats to the 26 lovely, brave women from the 10-Week Best shape of YOUR Life Challenge who knew what they wanted, and went for it. Now they are onto our Warrior Woman monthly Healthy Living Program to continue our important work together. You know that this healthy lifestyle of ours takes courage, commitment and support from other like-minded women, all striving, reaching, and changing their lives for the better.

And ladies, know that you are, without a doubt, changing the lives of those around you for the better, even if they don’t think so. In time they will. They will.

– karen