Adapt To or Fear Change?

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As I've said in prior posts, I pull a lot of what I do for content creation or just life lessons from my health and fitness journey; particularly ORANGETHEORY FITNESS, where I've been working out for the last 8 years.

It's, without exaggeration; something that changed my life mentally, physically and although, I've never been a spiritual person; I've opened myself up to things, that I know I wouldn't have prior to this health and fitness journey.

Don't get me wrong, I'm nowhere near the picture of health; someone would believe a person that has been doing this for so long should be. I don't have a six pack body, I can't bench press 800 pounds, I can't run a full marathon or a lot of things that - yes, if I was younger; I believe being an OTF member would have catapulted me to, at the very least a full marathon.

I began this journey late in life and I had to adapt to a lot of things in order to do it justice. Of course, I had to stop smoking, cut back on the alcohol, disregard most fast food, completely cut-out soda and greasy chips. Doing all that in my late forty's was something I never thought I could do.

I had to get up early in the morning before the sun came up or work a full day and get my ass to the fitness studio to workout afterwards, regardless of how lazy or tired I felt. That meant recording more of my television programming and in some cases just cutting back tv time, altogether.

Just like many of us who are past our fifty's, we've seen the world around us change in a hundred ways and just like a bunch of you; adapting to the new and letting go of the old ways of doing things - is/was either treacherously scary or in some cases, I'm sure we accepted it as a welcome change and approaching it as an adventure; something exciting and a new phase in life to tackle.

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Today, was a day that I knew was coming. There had been talk about Orangetheory changing it's format a bit and of course, the old guard; such as myself - immediately become a bit defensive.

Now, here is the thing; what many of us love about OTF, is that everyday is different - BUT - it's still formatted in what we have assimilated to, especially for someone like me who has worked out in over 3000 sessions, for almost 200 OTF coaches and have gone to close to 40 Orangetheory Fitness studios in Florida, Texas, Chicago and Washington, DC.

Now, I've been with OTF 8 years; but they have been around for 12 years and it has grown into a behemoth, with fitness studios worldwide and it has gradually changed. You can't survive in business, if you stay stagnant; so we always have to be prepared for changes.

I never believed that any change they have made has been detrimental to the brand and there will always be folks that are just negative at their core and poo poo everything.

Naturally, with the news that there was going to be a change in format; the rumors start flying and folks start guessing and literally threatening to quit OTF if this and that, that and this - without actually waiting to see what happens.

I guess that is human nature or is it that we are in a age of - so much drama?

Admittedly, I freaked out a bit; but a reserved freak out:

I learned in life from all my ups and downs, that what has made me stronger is adapting to change. My time of being put in a panic, last maybe a day - if that - and try not to fear the unknown; because we have no control over that.

We can only deal with the present and just adapt accordingly.

Day one of the new format is today and Tiffany and I went to the 5am session, as usual. I give it an A. I'll do my usual @actifit post, later this afternoon and expand on today's template; which I do anyway.

At the end of the day, isn't adapting to change much healthier than fearing it or does the latter make you stronger; because it toughens you up somehow?

Unless you welcome the fear factor as motivation, then I may understand it from that point of view.

ALIVE and THRIVING