Every Monday morning my alarm goes off at 5:25 a.m. and in a complete robotic state (and still half asleep) I dress, brush my teeth and drive to The Dailey Method Eastown. It’s the same routine I follow each day except for on Saturdays and Sundays, which I reserve for being that Mom who makes cinnamon rolls and watches cartoons with my kids in our pajamas. But no matter the day, the very first thought that runs through my head is that, “I don’t have to do this. You can go back to sleep if you want to.” Not exactly the most motivating of first thoughts.
But not once have I let myself down. There was that one time when we lost power and my phone died and the alarm never went off. But I figure, that doesn’t really count. And despite my desire to hit snooze and tuck back into bed every. single. morning… the reason that gets me moving is knowing that come 6:30 a.m. I am going to feel like a rockstar.
Strong.
Invigorated.
Like I can conquer everything.
On Sunday afternoon I joined 9 other strong, invigorated conquerors for a celebration of the 200 Club. Each of us took 200 or more classes in 2019. The email announcement listing my name as part of this ‘exclusive’ club immediately made me smile, but mostly because I really like public recognition; I had totally missed the point of the accomplishment. I think it’s because I wasn’t at all surprised about having taken that many classes last year - I mean, I go 5 days a week, every single week. There are 365 days in a year with 261 of those days being work days. Even when considering days off for vacations, holiday breaks and work travel (add back for those random weekend classes I do end up taking)… I would have been surprised if I hadn’t hit 200 classes.
It was not until Sunday afternoon during our celebration cycle class that it hit me. Jaime, owner of TDM, coached the class for us and let me just stop a moment here to say: she is incredible. She has a way of radiating positivity. She motivates and inspires everyone around her just by walking into the room. She IS The Daily Method Eastown.
During warm up she had us all close our eyes and explained how her job is to motivate us… took a dramatic pause… and then she revealed that it’s us who motivate her. That regardless of life… of work schedules, travel, family, weather… that we show up day in and day out surpassing more than 200 classes in one year and in turn… inspiring her. And as pathetic as it sounds, I teared up. It was a good thing everyones eyes were closed.
Running a marathon has become one of our society’s most respected fitness accomplishments. But I’m not a runner and I’m never going to run a marathon. Or a 5k for that matter. I mean, I ran a team marathon last summer (I ran one leg (of 5) of a marathon) and vowed I’d never do it again. But, I like to think of the 200 Club as my marathon. I finished it and it feels really good. And I want to do it again.
Mildly serious question: What would the TDM 200 Club version of the 26.2 bumper sticker look like?!
