Joy in the Now
- michaelarichard6
- May 2
- 2 min read
As a trainer, I’ve sat through countless fitness consultations.
Most begin the same way.
The potential client will state their goals centered around weight loss,
muscle gain, confidence, or simply feeling better.
All of those are valid.
All of those matter.
But this one… this client was different.
When I asked her about her goals, she didn’t hesitate.
She didn’t talk about pounds or inches.
She stated in tears, “I’m just fighting for my life!”
And in that moment, everything shifted.
There was no perfect program that I could write.
No aesthetic goal to chase.
Just a decision to show up and fight.
I agreed to walk that journey with her, not knowing it would only be three months.
Three months that would change how I see fitness… and life… forever.
We frequently associate strength to lifting heavier weights and putting in more effort.
She showed me that strength can sometimes be as simple as just being present.
There were days she was tired.
Bone tired.
The kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix.
Still, she came.
Still, she tried.
Some days, she would look at me and say,“Let’s just walk today.”
That's what we did.
No pressure.
No pushing beyond what her body could give.
Just movement. Just presence. Just life… in that moment.
And I abided.
Because I realized that that was the workout.
That was the victory of the day.
Losing her hurt. It still does.
I don’t think I will ever train/coach the same again.
She showed me that joy isn’t something we wait for when life is easier… or better… or perfect.
Joy is something we choose, even in the middle of the fight.
Even in the unknown.
Even in the pain.
Joy, even in the now.
Recently, while training another client, we ended up laughing about something as simple as the common question "What's for dinner?"
If we're honest, that thought crosses our minds very early… sometimes as early as 8:00am.
What are we cooking? What sounds good? What’s easy?
She said something that stuck with me:
“It might just be breakfast for dinner… and that’s okay!”
We complicate life so much.
We chase perfection in our meals, our bodies, our routines, our timelines… when sometimes, joy is found in the simplest things.
A plate of pancakes at night.
A walk instead of a workout.
A moment to just breathe and be.
Joy is available right now.
Not later.
Not when everything lines up.
Right now.
Move your body not because you have to, but because you can.
Eat the meal even if it’s simple and, even if it’s just breakfast at dinner.
Find something, anything to be grateful for in this moment.
Life isn’t promised in long stretches.
Sometimes it’s measured in moments.
If we’re paying attention there is still so much joy to be found even in the now.
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