The Comeback Season

When something challenges you this deeply, that's how you know it's worth doing.

I've been telling myself this over and over as I navigate what I'm calling my comeback season. And let me tell you, it's been one of the most humbling experiences of my life.

For years, I was the one leading the fitness classes. The one calling out the counts, demonstrating the moves, pushing others to dig deeper. I loved that role. I thrived in it. But somewhere along the way, my body started speaking a different language. Entering my 40s wasn’t the smooth transition I naively expected. Things that once felt effortless (hello burpees!) now require intention. Recovery takes longer. Movement requires more mindfulness.

So I made a decision that felt both empowering and oddly vulnerable: I hired a personal trainer.

From Teacher to Student

The adjustment has been harder than I anticipated. Learning to train my body at this stage of life has meant accepting that I'm not the same person I was a decade ago. It's required me to step down from the front of the room and become the student again. To admit I don't have all the answers about my own body anymore. To acknowledge that feeling "like myself" now takes more work than it used to.

My trainer has been teaching me how to train properly for this chapter, not for the version of me who could push through anything without consequence, but for the woman I am today. The one who needs to be smarter, more strategic, more intentional. The one who has to unlearn old patterns and build new ones from scratch.

Some days, I catch myself feeling embarrassed. Shouldn't I know how to do this? Wasn't I the expert once? But then I remind myself that I am not supposed to have all the answers and there’s nothing wrong with asking for help.

Rebuilding, Not Returning

This process isn't about getting back to who I used to be or rewinding the clock. It's about creating something new for the person I am right now. A person with different priorities, different wisdom, and yes, a different body that deserves respect and care.

If you're facing your own obstacles right now, I hope you'll hear this: this doesn’t have to be the end. You can make it a fresh beginning. An opportunity to start again with more self-awareness, more grace, and more understanding of what truly serves you. When you're given a chance to rebuild, don't let it pass you by because there's something powerful in that opportunity. There's a unique kind of resilience that develops during these times. Not the kind that comes from never struggling, but the kind that comes from pushing yourself.

I'm in my comeback season. And honestly? I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.