Training for "Balance"

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a Les Mills freak and I love BODYFLOW more than raw almond butter, which is, by far, my favorite food. Why do I love Les Mills so much? Retention! It’s a sure thing and my members love our classes. It offers world-class instruction at its best and our instructors know how to “bring it.”

I had the honor and rare opportunity to be invited by Les Mills International to go down to New Zealand to be on the next BODYFLOW filming. Les Mills programs are pre-choreographed and every three months they deliver CDs and DVDs of all the new material to be learned by the 87,000 or so instructors that are out there throughout the world teaching these class formats.

Being filmed where all the instructors of the world are going to watch your every move and calculate what you say and look like is unnerving to say the least. So, two months out, the diet and sculpting began. I bought the dotFit Exerspy, and the latest and greatest Polar heart-rate monitor and to work I went, focusing hard on my yoga, strength and cardio. BODYFLOW is a yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates fusion program set to music and there are 10 tracks of music. Since “music is the master” this class is gorgeous and the woven fabric of the music to movement connection is second to none. Each of the 10 tracks represents a different exercise focus.

The minute I said yes to this honor I knew that the chances of me falling flat on my face during the filming of the “Balance” track was a possibility of large measure. So I resorted to standing on one foot, positioning myself in all different yoga balance poses, throughout my day — while flipping pancakes (of course for my kids, certainly not for me), talking on the phone, brushing my teeth, watching TV, etc. One would find me in all the balance positions — warrior three, eagle, tree pose, etc.

On May 1, 2012 at 112 pounds (darn, I was going for 110) I set off on my long journey to Auckland. The sightseeing options were as follows — Les Mills Auckland, the corporate office, their amazing clubs and finally my hotel room, which was waiting for me every night to perfect the delivery of my track assignments. This is not a vacation, but rather a mental brain cluster. For the next 10 days I had to follow the brilliant advise of my Les Mills Coaches — “Trust the process”. Oy vey! How could something so easy become so challenging? This process is the true epitome of coaching and scripting a class at a totally different level — a masterful level. The coaching that separates the good from the great.

Why is this so important? Stayed tuned for next week’s blog as I take you through my “Trusting the Process” mental and physical experience and my epiphany of the importance of fantastic leadership and coaching.

Lori Lowell is the President of Group Fitness Solutions, LLC, and owns 8 Fitness Facilities in Virginia and Wisconsin. Contact her at lori@groupfitnesssolutions.com.