As I write this, we are planning the last minute details of our 8th anniversary party this weekend! We just love any excuse to be silly and dress in costumes, so our anniversary party has a theme each year. What can I say, Caleb and I both grew up as theatre kids!
This year’s theme is Back to the Future, and of course we re-watched all three movies to get inspired. Who hasn’t fantasized about going back in time to correct mistakes, to relive a great moment, or to change something from the past to make the future better. But we all know the disruptions that would cause in the space-time continuum, so thank goodness it’s not possible - haha!
Anniversary time also gets me thinking about how we got to where we are now. We got curious about strength training with kettlebells, and hired a coach to teach us in 2008. We were hooked right away and looked forward to our training sessions each week, especially because Caleb, Coach RT, my sister Theresa and I got to do them together.
We loved our training so much, we decided to take a course to become Certified Kettlebell Instructors in 2009, initially just for our own personal benefit. I remember coming over to my parents’ house to share with great excitement some of what I learned after passing the course. I noticed a twinkle in my Mom’s eye that she was intrigued and wanted to try it too. At that point, my Mom was in constant pain from fibromyalgia, and was starting to exclude herself more and more from family activities like hiking. My grandmother had also recently moved in with my parents, and seeing her lack of mobility and strength was a reminder to take action.
My mom became my first client, and her results caused other friends and family to take interest. Both Caleb and I started taking on a few clients here and there, and over time our group just kept growing. We were too excited not to keep sharing how fun and empowering it is to be strong, so we converted our garage into a training studio. We kept hearing from people that they had never really considered themselves “gym people”, or that the traditional gym environment didn’t meet their needs in some way.
While we didn’t set out to become gym owners or even full-time coaches when we started this journey, Caleb and I knew there must be lots of people who felt the way we felt, and our clients felt. Our conversations would frequently turn to musings about opening our own gym. In fact, transitioning from our garage to a bigger space where we could help more people and create more of a community was something we talked about for a couple of years before we actually took the leap. So, how did we know when it was the right time?
In 2014, Caleb and I were brought face to face with the reality that your life can change overnight. I had begun to notice a few minor things health-wise, like occasional blurry vision and extreme fatigue, so I scheduled a check up with my doctor. After many tests over the next several months, it was confirmed that my immune-system had attacked my pancreas and I was now a Type 1 Diabetic.
I feel lucky that Type 1 Diabetes is very manageable as far a chronic medical conditions go. Still, it was a major adjustment to go through, as well as a wake up call that you never know what life will throw your way. The trouble is, we think we have time, but we never really know how much. So, once we had a few months of living with this new diagnosis under our belts, Caleb and I started making our plans to open Breakthrough before the next year had passed us by.
In working with hundreds of people over the years, I know I’m not the only person who’s thought, “I’ve got time”. The irony is we often feel lack of time is one of the reasons we don’t do something! One of the biggest reasons people put off their health and fitness goals is that they feel too busy to find the time. When I do interviews with our members about how they are feeling after training for a while, one of the most common things they say is they wish they would have started sooner.
Of course waiting for the "right time" doesn’t just happen with taking care of our physical fitness. Have you been thinking of transitioning to a new job? Or planting a small garden? Trying a new hobby? From big things like opening your own business, to small things like catching up with an old friend, there are probably things calling to you to take action. You don’t have to wait for an illness to hit and shake you up. You can listen to your intuition, and start taking baby steps.
We can’t travel back to the past, and we never really know what the future will bring. So, here’s to making the most of the present, trusting your gut, taking action, and living life to the fullest!
Strength & Love,
Kati