Good little story about attitude and how it affects people around us.
Smile
when it hurts
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by
LisaDiane Mercado Etheredge
Published
on Saturday, September 1st, 2012
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Several weeks ago Billy and I
began attending Body Pump classes at Gold's Gym. A couple of our
teachers mentioned that they enjoyed having me in class because I smiled all
the time. One of the teachers even noted that I seemed to smile more
during the harder parts of the workout.
After hearing these
observations, I began thinking about why I smiled during Body Pump
classes. The most obvious reason is that I enjoy the class, which has
upbeat pop music and movements matched to the beat of the songs. There
is a large group of people participating, and an instructor shouting
instructions and motivation throughout. All of the above are things
that make my workout experience more convivial. But it occurred to me
that there is another reason I smile when my workout gets tough.
I swam competitively throughout
much of my growing up, including my first two years of high school.
During the first few weeks of school each year, we did not swim during our
workouts - we had what we called dry land training. Running, pull-ups,
bear-crawling up the stadium steps, sit-ups, push-ups, any crazy exercise you
can imagine that doesn't involve water... basically torture.
The coach who oversaw these
parent and school sanctioned torture sessions was a man named Bill
Thomas. I am smiling as I type his name. Coach Thomas loved to
have us go through an obstacle course which we alternately called the Tour de
Force, Tour de Torture, or Tour de Thomas. I actually cannot recollect
if it had any official name, or maybe those were the official names! At
any rate, Coach Thomas relished making us swing from the monkey bars, do
pull-ups, inverted push-ups, and probably a lot of other exercises that I
have blocked from my mind.
Here is the thing. We
complained at the time, and I am complaining now, but the truth is, it was
excellent training, and I am absolutely certain that it made me stronger and
ultimately a better swimmer. Frankly if Coach Thomas had continued to
be in charge of my exercise regimen beyond high school, I would not need
Weight Watchers or Body Pump now, because I would be completely fit already!
So back to the smiling.
Coach Thomas would assign additional exercises if you looked too pained while
you completed any task he had set for you. I actually trained myself to
smile when he looked my way, so he would not get the idea that I needed
anymore sit-ups with the medicine ball, or whatever. Basically, I
taught myself to smile when I had exercised to the point of hurting. It
seems that I learned the lesson so well that I am still smiling when it hurts
twenty years later.
Coach Thomas, thank you for
teaching me the value of grinning through the pain, and pushing myself to
accomplish more than I thought I could. This lesson has served me well
in the gym and in life.
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LisaDiane Mercado Etheredge is
a native of San Antonio. She swam for Alamo Area Aquatics from 1983 to
1993, and attended Taft and Clark High Schools. After
receiving a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Texas,
Mrs. Etheredge settled in Austin, where she works as a training specialist
for PPD, Inc.
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