I showed up to workout today and didn’t realize class had been cancelled. I can’t tell you for sure what I would have done seven months ago in this same situation, but I can tell you what happened today.

I dug out an old workout from the whiteboards stacked in a corner. I found something with Mikey’s handwriting. I grabbed a stopwatch and I put myself to work.

I easily trained as hard as I would if I were in a class, but the confidence I gained in doing it all on my own has me soaring. I knew what the words on the board meant. I knew what form I needed to protect myself and keep my body safe. I knew I could push myself in a run around the building and nothing bad would happen to me.

I was responsible, for the first time, for my own workout. I know I did everything the class did when they pushed themselves through the same circuits. I could hear Mikey’s voice in my head, “Three, two, one, go!”

I was solely responsible for myself today- for my own fitness and my own journey back to health. Having the confidence and knowledge to do that is really empowering.

My shirt that I wore for the first time today says, “Train Like A Girl.” A gentlemen who was passing through the gym for a physical therapy appointment asked me what that meant. I told him it meant you have to work really, really hard.

It’s true. Except I didn’t train like any girl today, I trained like this girl. Me. I’m committed to making my life better for myself, my family, and my team. Now I know I have the strength and the knowledge to get there no matter what.

Give ‘Em Hell