Starting in early January, I lit a fire under my caboose to get my lovely 46 year old self into travel-tastic shape. This was not driven by some flaky New Year’s resolution, but rather the frank realization that if I wanted to make the most of my 8 weeks traveling this summer, I’d need to be able, at a bare minimum, to haul my luggage up a flight of stairs without getting winded.

Achieving that goal alone won’t be enough to be ready for hiking in Iceland, traversing Spain, bar hopping in Berlin, and safari in Kenya. I need to improve flexibility, core strength, cardio and endurance. I know from past experience, when I am strong and fit, I have more energy, I sleep better and life is just so much more enjoyable.

So, to achieve my fitness goals, I sought out and found a personal trainer. The advantages of the personal trainer are the one on one focus, having a trained professional taking me thru paces, teaching me proper form, and pushing me beyond my limits. But most importantly, having someone make sure I don’t hurt myself in the process. I relied on friends who have been more diligent in their self-care and fitness over the years for suggestions, and I found myself working with Nate of Austin’s Sport Speed fitness and we started meeting twice a week.

Nate and I have a great working relationship. As I told him, he is the sculptor and I am the clay. I was able to be very clear with him on my goals and objectives and he has been amazing in charting out workouts that have put me on a path for success. When I started on January 15 at the tender age of 46, I was weighing 164 pounds and could barely make it thru the warm up without feeing like I was going to puke. Now two months in, Nate has me doing all kinds of resistance and cardio training and it’s paying off – i am walking 4 miles daily, seeing and feeling muscle growth, experiencing improved stamina and I can do push ups again! I feel so dang GREAT after the workout, I often wonder what took me so long to get my body moving! Interestingly enough, I have not dropped any weight during this process, but THAT’S OKAY. Honestly. Feeling and seeing my body become stronger makes me feel FABULOUS! My clothes fit better, I sleep better and I am eating less.

I still have a ways to go to be able to get in 8-10 miles of walking daily without feeling over-exerted, but given the progress to date, I am confident I’ll be exactly where I need to be in to make the most of the summer travels. And, that includes handling that flight of stairs.