Encouragement kept her going

Motivation.

I've heard that word a lot over the last few months and as I've progressed through the Fittest Loser Challenge it has meant different things at different times.

Last fall, I tentatively mentioned to my 28-year-old daughter that I was considering possibly, maybe, if I could work up the courage, asking the owners at Push Fitness if I could train alongside the contestants in the 2011 Challenge.

“You could totally do it,” she quickly responded.

How many times over the course of her life have I told her that she could do anything she set her mind to? Too many to count. As a result, she has a resume, both personally and professionally, to attest to the value of believing in yourself and the motivation to go after what you want.

I give good advice. But, can I take it?

I tested the waters over the next several weeks, running the idea by a few close friends, then my husband, followed by my boss. Without exception, they all encouraged me to take the risk.

By January, I was motivated enough to ask Mark and Josh, Push co-owners, what they thought of the idea. They agreed. I was in!

Then it dawned on me ... being motivated to work out while sitting in a chair talking about working out, was vastly different from actually working out.

Two weeks before training began, my girlfriend gave me a T-shirt emblazoned with the breast cancer pink ribbon. I've been cancer-free for nine years and the workout shirt was a great reminder of the gratitude I feel every day for the gift of being here every day. Putting on that shirt was just the motivation I needed.

And the shirt looked really good with my new workout pants and cool shoes.

As I set my alarm for the first day, I was totally motivated. Until the alarm went off at 4:15 a.m. Then I wasn't quite so motivated ... to get out of bed. But I did, and I arrived at the gym before 5 a.m. for my first workout.

I know I've gone on and on about Tony. Mostly complaining. OK, whining. But, here's the thing ... Tony is a motivator. It's not just what he does, it's who he is. I honestly believe he doesn't know how to discourage. I admit, he has struggled on more than one occasion to keep a straight face while watching me attempt to follow his simple instructions. For example, he learned quickly it was necessary to TELL me what to do as well as SHOW me what to do, repeatedly.

For some reason, instead of being embarrassed, I often find myself laughing, too. Tony has given me lots of grace, clearly considerate of the fact that up until the challenge began I had zero experience exercising. For example, the time when he instructed me to do a simple bicycle crunch and it turned into some odd kind of flailing. Telling me to “stop, just stop!” was as much to correct me as it was to give us both a break for a good laugh and a chance to start over.

When I'm on my own at my local gym, self-motivation is not my strength. I'd just as soon cut myself some slack and head home early. Instead, I focus on what Tony would say. I have literally dozens of his motivating phrases roaming around in my head. Just as he doesn't run out of new ways to do the same-old exercises, he never runs out of encouraging words.

Lest he get a big head, I have to say he has yet to be successful in putting a motivating spin on the stairs. The stairs as an exercise have no redeeming value. Well, except that my legs are stronger as a result of all the climbing. But that's it!

The best motivation of all has come in the form of emails, phone calls and dozens of comments I've received over the last few months from friends and folks who have been reading about my fitness adventure. Words of encouragement kept me going many times when I thought I couldn't wake up early one more day, do one more push-up or eat one more asparagus spear. It was all those people, believing in me when I struggled to believe in myself, who have made all the difference.

And when my husband says, “I'm really proud of you,” it's the icing on the cake.

Preferably chocolate buttercream icing. If I were at all interested in icing, which I'm not. Well, a little.

• Gerry Alger, editor of the Daily Herald's Niche Publications, has been sitting at a desk for 25 years.