COLUMN BY RICK FORGIONE — It’s funny how your entire outlook can change in a matter of minutes.

A few weeks ago, I was struggling through what I thought was a grueling training session at ChrisFit. On this day, every leg lift, every squat — every EVERYTHING — felt impossible to finish. I grimaced and whined through the final 29 minutes of the 30-minute session.

My trainer Chris Tybor tried to find out what was going on, but I had no answers.

I had walked into the gym feeling fine. Had a good night’s sleep, ate a healthy breakfast — and actually had the day off from work, so no major stress.

And yet I couldn’t summon the energy and drive to complete tasks I have dozens of times before.

I blurted out the question that everybody exercising and trying to lose weight eventually asks.

“Shouldn’t this be getting easier?”

It is a perfectly reasonable complaint.

I’m losing weight and getting stronger, so shouldn’t that rack of weights feel like a bag of feathers by now? Shouldn’t I be able to do burpees (think gym class squat thrusts) without my legs threatening to go on strike? Shouldn’t the mere mention of The Prowler not remind me that I had apple cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast?

Chris tried to explain.

First, he said flatly, some days you just don’t have it. Weights feel heavier, burpees feel like torture and The Prowler, well, is always a pain in the butt. The important thing is to stay the course and not let one bad day weigh you down.

Second, and more important, the training isn’t easier because it’s getting tougher. It may seem like the same exercise, but more weight is being lifted, more repetitions are targeted and the number of sets have increased. The bar is constantly being raised.

Or as Chris so eloquently put it:

“You are doing things today that would have given you a heart attack on your first day.”

It’s true, when I walked into ChrisFit Personal Training six months ago, climbing the 16 steps to the second floor was a workout. During my first session, squats consisted of sitting down on a bench and standing up, and I thought The Prowler was a reference to someone shady roaming Hyde Park Boulevard at night.

Things have changed and I have changed — both for the better.

Though I understood and agreed 100 percent with what Chris was saying, it still couldn’t pull me out of the funk I was feeling that day. I was spent and still had to get in my 30 minutes of post-workout cardio.

Feeling blue, I passed by my favorite Elliptical machine and opted for the slower-paced treadmill.

Turns out, it was a great decision.

A new ChrisFit member was working hard on the machine next to me. I made eye contact with her and said hello.

“You are the one who writes the column, right?” she said.

“Yeah,” I  responded and smiled sheepishly as the thoughts of my struggles flashed through my mind.

“You are the reason I’m here,” she said.

WHOOOSH!

It was like 1,000 jolts of adrenaline were infused into her every word and injected into my mind, heart and aching body. At that moment, I had the energy and willpower to knock off 100 tire flips and push The Prowler for a mile (no, I didn’t volunteer).

I wanted to tell my new best friend not only did she make my day, but she also helped motivate me to stay on the lifelong track to good health and reaffirmed why I volunteer to get my butt kicked three times a week.

But, “wow, that’s cool, thanks” was all I could muster without my voice cracking.

To be honest, it wasn’t the first time someone told me what I’ve been writing is inspiring. Everyone I’ve met at ChrisFit, including all of the trainers, are constantly complimenting me and encouraging me to keep going. It’s a great feeling, one that never gets old and really proves everyone is part of one big family there.

They are also my inspiration. I may be the one lucky enough to have a column, but trust me, there are plenty of success stories inside that gym.

Hardly a day goes by that I don’t see talk of a member’s  “new personal record” or other lofty accomplishment posted on the gym’s Facebook page. That’s always followed by dozens of positive comments and well-wishes from others in the “family.”

That type of support cannot be measured. Watching others around you working hard to reach their goals — and achieving them — makes you want to give that extra effort because you know it’s possible.

And it’s getting easier every day to believe in that.

Rick Forgione is city editor of the Niagara Gazette. Contact him at 282-2311, ext. 2257.

CHECK IT OUT ...   To learn more about ChrisFit Personal Training, 2423 Hyde Park Blvd., call 818-0078 or visit www.chrisfit.net.