This is one of my heroes, my cousin Packey. He’s a cancer survivor for seven years, or maybe I should say a cancer thriver. He used that battle to completely overhaul his life, and hasn’t stopped climbing since.

Open to change?  You bet he is. 

While all the gyms were closed last year, Packey,61, used this makeshift StairMaster at Michigan’s Warren Dunes, for his training, arriving before dawn and putting in 18-20 laps before heading home to a full day of remote work. When the doors to Planet Fitness finally opened, he noticed climbing dunes upped his game and he’s now breaking through 400 flights an hour and wants to keep pushing his personal record.

I was happy to make it up once!

With the one-year anniversary of COVID-19, it’s a good time to check in, see how you’ve been dealing with change – and challenges. I don’t think there’s a single one of us who hasn’t been maxed in one way or another. Fortunately, there’s a lot of good news on the horizon, including booster vaccines. 

With spring around the corner, it’s a good time to take a breather and assess how far we’ve come. Let’s prepare the ground so we’re more than up for the challenges ahead.

Remember, if it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you. 

Walk another mile, pick the heavier weights, drop some extra helpings and dig in to change. Your mat is one of the best tools to build true strength and resiliency. Your mat is your ideal training ground. Your mat is one of the best tools to create lasting change.