Let’s Talk About Opportunity…

I was talking with our other trainers the other day about changing our mission statement (again). At the moment we “aspire to motivate you through your health journey, by sharing our knowledge, making it fun, celebrating your achievements and working towards balance and happiness…” Pretty good if i do say so myself, but not complete…

There’s no mention of opportunity, and many people, especially the local women i interact with, miss out on stuff because of a lack of opportunity. Opportunities like:

• Attempt bucket-list adventures: We have cycled Samoa, hiked the Inca Trail, Mountain biked in NZ, and been to Nepal twice. None of these trips were completed with athletes; rather, they were completed with morbidly obese people, diabetics, grandmothers, and one person with two broken legs (6wks post surgery). In fact, if you are NOT over 60, diabetic, with broken limbs, one might say that you’re at an advantage with our groups! If we have inspired you, you can see our 2019 Gym Trip Options and vote now!
• Try new sports: We have completed two Mountain Bike Groups before, both times with a mix of accomplished riders and learners. We taught them how to ride, got their basic skills in order, then went and explored the trails! Likewise, we have had very unfit people walking right alongside our trainers in Hiking Group, and this year was the first year that we did Surfing Group! A handful of our Surfers went to Bali to get a “real” surfing experience in our 2018 Gym Trip! We also offer an After School Adventure Program and a School Holiday Adventure Program, which integrates sport and training through games: in winter we will try soccer, cricket, tennis, bootcamp, etc. In Summer we will hit the lake and the waves and learn to boogie board, surf, SUP, and kayak. All of these programs are opportunities, and all will factor in children if you need to bring them along.
• Meet inspiring people: many of the people who participate in our programs are “unlikely” candidates for adventures. One client that springs to mind is Di, who said to me (as she signed a $3000 contract to cycle Samoa in our very first trip) that she “couldn’t imagine being able to do this” (cycle around Samoa). To this day, Di lives with chronic pain, and yet she has only missed 2 out of our 6 adventures.
• Become an inspiring person: When Kass broke both legs in a skiing accident, she had to miss our 2015 gym trip in Cambodia. She worked her ass off for 12 months, before her surgeon decided that she needed more surgery… 6 weeks before we were due to leave for Nepal in 2016. She had the surgery, and walked Annapurna like the tin man from Wizard of Oz! If you’re 70 years old, or you’re coping with chronic disease, that means NOTHING to us! We simply put one foot in front of the other, and voila! Another ordinary-turned-inspiring person that springs to mind is Mags. This lady couldn’t walk up Alexander street without a panic attack, and she told me just last Friday that she’s now walking up all her old “nemesis” hills easily! What a lady!
• Opportunity to exercise: This sounds silly at first, but when you’re injured or looking after your children 24/7, exercise does become difficult to manage. For many of our mums, we have to rehab their pelvic floor, lower back, or necks before they can train. Or, sometimes we just ensure the training doesn’t make anything worse while they see a physio – this right here is creating an opportunity to exercise when you otherwise couldn’t. In the same vein, bringing the kids to the studio is an opportunity to exercise. We can supervise them, keep them safe, and train at the same time. This is something that is not possible in other modalities – if you go outside you might have a runner, or constant distraction trying to keep your kids together and safe. If you join a gym you’ll usually have to put your kids in a creche – some kids love that, others will rebel like you’re leaving them forever. Towing the children from place to place is a part of a mums life, which is why we encourage it!
• Opportunities to learn to eat well: Nutrition Coaching is different to seeing a Nutritionist, because the Coach will not tell you what to eat, YOU tell HER! This is an important difference, because we can tailor your plan to fit your habits, goals, and lifestyle, making you much more successful than if you’re trying to follow something completely foreign to you!
• Opportunity to have professional styling: This is something that has been relegated firmly to the “indulgence” quarter of life, but what if i told you that looking good (according to YOU) will make you more successful at everything else, including weight loss, marriage, and parenting? FEELING good, and being able to SEE good in yourself, are key components to confidence, and we use styling to encourage your self worth. And for the records, we didn’t make this up, there’s a whole department at Harvard University working on it!
• Opportunity for Self Care: Who doesn’t love a massage? However, massage is more than “nice”, it is extremely beneficial for your health as well. It can reduce your stress hormones, help you sleep, reduce pain, and increase movement.

How many of us have thought “i’d love to try that”, and “if i just had the chance”, etc? The idea behind our adventure programs and various clubs and groups is just this – to create an opportunity. How often can you train on a beach when you have a 2 year old runner? Where else can you hike the Inca Trail with other mums and grandmas? Where else in the world can you learn to surf then head to Bali during peak surf season to hang ten?

So don’t hold back, TELL US what your hankering is! VOTE for the 2019 Gym Trip and COME! Enrol for run club even if you have never run before! and let us know how we can integrate these ideas in to our mission statement!