As a longtime sportswriter, I’ve seen athletes hang their heads to some degree when the going gets tough. It’s very easy to throw in the towel when things don’t go your way.

But if reaching our goals were easy, there wouldn’t be any hard work, now would there?

Some of my favorite cues to use in a BodyPump class – especially in the final couple of sets – are “We start together, we finish together,” “Nobody gives up or gives in,” and “A moment of pain for a lifetime of gain.”

It’s very easy to give up on your workout or group fitness class because you’re craving that bowl of ice cream or cheesburger. Or if the pain and soreness is becoming too much to absorb. Or worse, if you feel your goals are out of reach, and you feel its time to throw in the towel completely.

One of the things I’ve learned since I’ve been in the world of group fitness is that giving up or giving in are NEVER options. While I certainly tell people in BodyPump if they need to stop for a few seconds in the middle of a tough track if they need a quick break, they can do so, it’s another thing to just toss your plates away and run out of that room. That’s the easy way when adversity creeps in. But I’ll tell you, the only easy way is the hard way.

I’ve learned these valuable lessons at initial training, AIM I and AIM II. The physical and mental challenges are some of the toughest I’ve had to endure, but I’m a bigger, better and tougher instructor because of that. As athletes, we are challenged for a reason, and that reason is to become just as tough mentally as we are physically.

So, the next time you’re in BodyPump, or on the treadmill, or out on your bike, and pain sets in: Don’t give up! And remember, pain is only weakness leaving the body