Trees, Hammers And Your Health - It Must Be Spring

I was taking our family’s dog for a long walk the other day. It was the first glimpse of a new season of promise. The rays of sunlight piercing through the clouds added a warmth we hadn’t seen since last year. It was the best kind of reminder that March is here.

With March comes spring, which reminds us of new beginnings and rebirths. It also serves as a reminder that it’s time to take care of regular tasks and chores we might have put off.

At our household, it’s time for the tree guy to come out. Now, I’ve had this conversation many times with friends about doing it yourself versus having a professional do the tree work. And aside from the fact that I hate ladders, you cannot overlook the benefits of working with a professional and having it done right the first time.

It’s much like this story a friend shared with me some time ago. One day, this friend of mine could not get his car to start. Rather than take it to a professional mechanic to have it serviced, he called a few friends to get some ideas on what the problem could be.

He got some advice he was willing to try on his own: locate the car’s starter and hit it with a hammer. Then try starting it again.

Well, my friend tried this multiple times to no avail. He worked quite hard, in fact, at using this hammer with tons of effort and good intentions. His car was still a stuck immovable object.

Finally, he gave up and got it to a mechanic. Upon arriving at the shop, he opened the hood and told the mechanic that he had done exactly what should have worked but the car still would not start.

The mechanic replied, “Yeah, you definitely took that hammer and beat the crap out of your windshield washer motor. That’s why it still won’t start.”

You see, my friend had the best intentions. And he worked exceptionally hard. He was just doing the wrong thing with lots of time and energy. Unfortunately, all that time and energy was wasted with no result.

Rather than find the mechanic first and use the expert approach, he now had to replace something else on his vehicle.

Working in health and fitness is similar at times. We have folks come to us all the time, confident that they were doing the right things, certain that just doing more of this thing or working harder at this one item is all they needed.

At times, this one thing might be something that used to work for them years ago, or something a friend did that worked, or even the shiny new thing that just popped up. And that is where working with a professional - in our industry a fitness mechanic - can save you a lot of time, effort and mental anguish.

Working with a pro can also save you from decision fatigue (not knowing what to do or where to begin). It can even help you do the things you need to do when you really don’t want to do them.

Plus, it might even save you from pulverizing another entirely different area, separate from where the problem is.

So whether your trees need trimming, your car won’t start or you need to work on your health and fitness goals, try that professional first. You’ll be happy you did.