I trained with Paula on Saturday. We did walking lunges while raising a bar, ab work on the Bosu (a plastic, mounded half-ball that offers a palpable burn), pushups, stepups to the bench with free weights backing into a lunge, and plenty of work on the cables for my arms. It was all satisfying but the ab work was difficult. Using a Bosu makes crunches more challenging.

Not so long ago it was hard for me to stay focused during our hour-long sessions. I would buy time between sets when I was so exhausted I didn't think I could move another muscle. I grimaced and complained, cracked sarcastic jokes, asked Paula about her auditions, took swigs out of my water bottle, and turned to the other trainers on the floor to see if their clients were as tired as I was. The trainers--Greg, Ken, Chris, and Marla--offered much-needed comic relief and support while I stalled. They'd smile, shout out encouraging words, and cheered me on in every possible way.

When I complained about my so-called "upper assage," Ken would say, "Tobi, standing around talking about it isn't going to get the job done..." During moments of discouragement when I felt I couldn't push myself any further, Marla would quietly say, "Come on Tobi, you can do it, get back to it!" Once, when I was working out by myself in the training area, Chris offered advice on how to correct my form when he observed me doing something that wasn't quite right. Greg, the kind but tough taskmaster of the bunch, would toss affirmative comments my way and noticed my progress and improvement. He inspired me recently during the holidays when I saw him at the gym on Christmas eve and Christmas day working with clients and pursuing his own workouts.

Over time, I became a kind of mascot and received support from many of the trainers. Fellow gym-goers also offer smiles, words of couragement, and tips on how to use the machines. It's good to have a support system of people at the gym and outside of it. It's made a difference to me.