Welcome to Wednesday Word, a weekly linkup for everyone, not just health and fitness bloggers.

Each Wednesday you will have a single word prompt to write about.  Let your imagination run free and share with your readers your interpretation of that word, or simply use it as inspiration for your post.

Today’s word is rewarding……  I’d love to have you link up, and if you do, please remember to follow my six simple rules.

 

WednesdayWordRewarding

 

Rewarding – providing satisfaction; gratifying.
“Running can be hugely rewarding.”

 

I have always loved a job well done…

  • A clean house that smells lemony
  • A lush green carpet of grass with each blade cut precisely to the same height
  • Sparkling clean windows that invite the outdoors inside
  • A solid run in the books
  • A workout that leaves you spent and dripping in sweat

That feeling of satisfaction after a job well done is my reward.  Internal satisfaction, or satisfaction bestowed on me from someone else.

As a teenager, I was responsible for cleaning the house and cutting the grass for two years when my mom went back to school to get her master’s degree.  Seeing my mom’s face when she got home from a long day of classes was rewarding enough for me to want to do it all again the following week.  I was hooked. I was a pleaser and I loved that rewarding feeling.

Early in my career, I missed that sense of satisfaction at work, though.  As a physical education teacher, I never quite connected with the kids.  They seemed to hate exercise, and didn’t want to participate in any of the activities – something I just couldn’t understand.

After my oldest son was born, I started working as a fitness instructor for the gym where I’d been a member for several years.  I loved the work, but more importantly, I loved that the members wanted to learn about fitness, proper exercise form, how to eat more nutritiously, and that they soaked up the information I gave them like sponges.  Work was finally rewarding.

I took some additional courses for my personal training and weight management certifications and fully embraced the opportunity to work with our members one-on-one.  For the first time in my professional career, I felt that I made a difference. Not only was my job rewarding, but it was extremely fun and I looked forward to going to the gym (even at ungodly hours like 5:30 AM) to see clients.

Today, I still love my job, and since joining forces with a doctor and nutritionist at a local wellness center, I have found a new level of rewarding moments.

Some of my most rewarding professional moments have included…

  • Crossing the finish line with a client at her first 5K
  • Coaching countless runners to complete their first marathon
  • Having a client lose over one hundred pounds
  • Seeing clients’ blood pressure, total cholesterol, etc. drop from their baseline tests
  • Learning clients no longer need to take certain medications as a result of their new exercise programs and changes in eating habits
  • Helping a client move past an injury or illness through post-rehab exercises
  • Watching clients learn to make time for themselves by scheduling workouts into their calendars so they don’t skip them

Of course, I’ve had many of my own personal rewarding moments, but it’s a wonderful feeling and very rewarding knowing that I’m having a positive impact on other people’s lives.  People that would otherwise be complete strangers if they hadn’t entrusted their health into my care.

 

What has been one of your more rewarding experiences?

 

Grab My Button!

Deb Runs

 


 

Next Wednesday’s Word:  Courage