As a personal trainer and gym in Maynooth, there are people who come into your life and without knowing it provide inspiration to everyone they meet.
Ger Gallagher came to Sphere and since then has provided just that.
For the previous 9 months I had been training a couple of times a week with a wonderful trainer in Dublin. I was keen to keep my exercise regime on track as before, exercise and fitness was something I saw as a chore. I have mild mobility issues, so exercise was always something that I associated with condition management and maintaining mobility rather than an enjoyable and rewarding part of my day, which it has now become
You see Ger has cerebral palsy which can create in his own words ‘mild mobility issues’.
Sticks, chairs and frames are all part of his life but from the outset it was an agreement that we work away from them giving him the goal of even more independence, mobility and strength.
When I joined Sphere, I felt at home right away, the personalised service allowed me to get used to a new gym and build on my previous gym work. Initially when I joined I was a steady gym goer attending a very easy twice a week. At the time this was what I could fit into my schedule as I got used to my new surroundings and found my feet.
Like any athlete walking in it is important to have something to train for.
For Ger mini targets were set:
A couple of months in, I realised, although I had done well to date, I was really only maintaining the status quo at that time. It was time to take things a little more seriously and get into a more structure programme and have a new target of 3 or 4 days a week.
And even through this, as a by-product, new life skills have been learnt and refined: –
I’ve learned that two of the most important things for success are consistency and forward planning. A break in your routine early in the week can make it very difficult to pull things back on track that week. I try to plan out my schedule on a Sunday evening so that I know I will fit training in with the other commitments that are part of a regular week. For me, being in the gym at 6:30 on a Monday morning is a great way to set the week up”
(Editors Note: Ger will be coy about his business that he runs, full time job with the University, editing a published manual on disability issues that he is currently undertaking whilst travelling overseas for good measure)
We have worked using unconventional tools that give Ger confidence to walk without his sticks, try Athletics and do things that instill inspiration in folks around him. Modified apparatus have allowed us to train as close to an able bodied athlete as possible.
And the results are there: –
I think when it comes to measuring success, it can look different for everyone, it’s not as simple as numbers game, and it’s sometimes about feeling good looking healthy and noticing simple improvements. Although looking at the numbers can sometimes be fun too!
What is remarkable about Ger is that he finds a reason TO train. And makes it. No excuses, grumbling or reasons to avoid it. It can be easy to forget that whilst a weight loss goal is a good goal it is only scratching the service. The short of it is – it is improving your life.
It just goes to show too – you can either have a result or an excuse. Never both.
John Lark is owner and founder of Sphere Fitness and a personal trainer in maynooth.
