I get by with a little help from my friends

I started my journey to stage, alone. I was accountable to myself and my online coach, and somehow, found the determination to make it to the gym each day. It wasn't easy, but I thought I would be better on my own. The problem was: I was lonely. I felt uncomfortable being in the gym, even though I had been going there for years, because now I was trying to be a competitor -every beefed up man and extremely fit woman gave me an excuse to hide in the poorly equipped "Women's Area". The squat rack intimidated me. I didn't push myself very far, fearing that I would drop a weight and crush my skull/chest/foot/everything! Then, behold! A friend of mine, a stay-at-home mom, wanted to find a hobby. Without even thinking how much it may help my training, I suggested she join me at the gym and give it a shot. Turns out, this little invitation was the solution we both had been seaking. It has now been one full year of continuous workouts -albeit slightly broken up due to life events and holidays- five days a week. We, both, have lost inches. We, both, have shocked ourselves with the increase in our strength. We have definition! And we push eachother, daily, to lift a little more. We push each other to do one more rep. And when we don't know, we have the courage to ask -or look it up on YouTube. I had found the start to my "village"! Like with parenting, you find your "fitness village" to help you raise yourself up to a new you, and that's what we finally had! Since then, I have found many benefits to working out with a friend:

1. You skip less workouts! You are now accountable to someone other than yourself. If you tell your friend to meet you at the gym, you don't want to blow it off, knowing they will be there (otherwise, you're just an @$$).

2. They push you. I like to think of myself as a strong person. If she is curling 20s, you bet I'll be trying to curl 25s. If she squats 110, I'll match her 110 and push for 115. It's the friendly competition, along with the cheerleading and support that make you push harder and improve. Breaking PR's are only fun if you can celebrate them, so why not celebrate them with a friend. Also, you have a permanent "spot" (Sidenote: S - I'm pushing for 40lbs shoulder press on Friday!)

3. You try new exercises. "Did you see this on Pinterest?" "Check out this workout channel on YouTube!" You can combine your resources and research new workouts, try new moves that will help target your "weak" areas, and have some friendly backup when you see a new machine you're wanting to try out. Like I said, I was terrified of the squat rack. Thats a very basic piece of equipment in a gym, but without having some emotional support I doubt I would have gotten in there. Now, it's become one of my favourite places in the gym.

4. Having a friend helps pass the time, especially with cardio. I have read some articles regarding this subject, and heard many complaints from people like "I don't want to hear your life story on the treadmill." Well, guess what?! We both have two children under 5, and you better get some ear plugs because this may be the only adult conversation I get today and I fully intend to use every second of it retaining a little bit of my sanity.

5. You become the other's "health" rock. During my competition prep, I remember calling up my friend and telling her that all I wanted was to eat my kids' peanut butter and banana sandwich left overs. I needed her help! It was a keto day -no more than 50g of carbs for the day- and I was about to break. Guess what? She talked me off the ledge and told me to go throw the plate in the sink, turn on the tap, and walk away. I made it through that day. And the next. You both workout hard together, you don't want to see the other fail. You share recipes and tips. You cheer on all the wins, big or small. You share the guilt after cheat meals, and blame salt and sugar when the scale goes up. Honestly, who wouldn't want to work out with their best friend?

I think the greatest thing I have taken away from this past year is how proud I am of my dear friend. She is strong and has built up a muscle base that, I think, many competitors would be jealous of, despite never wanting to compete. She ran her first 5km race this past summer and can lift up her girls with ease. But, above all that, is how much I have seen her change emotionally. She has always been beautiful, but she now walks with an air of comfort in herself that only comes from gaining respect in your body. She is strong inside and out. She is a woman I am proud to know. And she pushes me, every day. It was the best decision I could have made was to extend an invite to the gym. Sometimes, all you need is a little help from a friend.