It's all about BALANCE

I often tease everyone I know about this fact...And anyone who has met met for even a few minutes is WELL aware that I am a libra..And in true libra form I preach balance,balance, BALANCE. But it wasn't until recently that I really began to understand what that meant, and even less time that I started incorporating it into all areas of my life....or at least attempting..When it comes to fitness balance is key...Maybe that is why I was drawn to it??When I say balance is key I mean you must find a balance between physical activity and your diet....You must find a balance between your physical activity...All components are necessary for living a healthy life and being your best YOU...That means incorporating cardio, resistance training, and some sort of stretching/flexibility routine into your regimen.I wasn't always aware of this nor did I practice it...I hate stretching..I used to think it "took too much time." And even more than hating stretching I HATED cardio..It was boring and redundant..I will admit it..I could lift weights allllllll day..I love it..I don't know if it is because for a long time I felt I could only see benefits from this activity??Whatever it was I always gravitated more towards it and would only participate in the other activities every now and then.But these days I attempt to do all three...Resistance can be broken down into the balance of training your muscles even further...To avoid muscle imbalances it is important to train opposing muscles EQUALLY..Meaning if you train your chest you must balance it out with back exercises...If you train your biceps you must balance it out with your triceps...And so on...Finally all of the pieces are coming together and things are making sense...It is an amazing feeling.............

Extreme dieting...living to eat versus eating to live..

This has been a journey and a struggle for me since the end of my teens and most of my twenties...The struggle came from a combination of high school cheer leading and the pressures that come with that, the media which is typical, which spiraled into college cheer leading, my job which is very appearance oriented,,It was an internal battle that I fought for years..I tried everything..Starving, extreme dieting, purging, fad diets, therapy....This search for an image I created in my head that I thought I wanted to obtain, but didn't know how to get there..I went from wanting to be 100 pounds (a number I came up with) to wanting to be ripped/buff and packing on pounds..All of which I learned essentially came down to me wanting to be in control of something in my life..Now at 32, I am off that roller coaster and have a better understanding of balance.The balance that is necessary in all areas of my life. But when it comes to food, eating, nutrition, balance is key...It truly is everything in moderation, no deprivation, making healthy choices most of the time and not feeling guilty..I have learned the more I relax and try not to feel pressured to eat certain ways the better results I see and the happier I am..And it is from this lesson that I know I need to be a teacher and a source of inspiration particularly to women who may have this same struggle....

Not just going through the motions....

The more I know the better I am....More specifically every day, be it from my certification readings, things I read in articles online,or just looking around the gym and something finally "clicking", I seem to gain a greater understanding for what I am working out when I workout. And I LOVE those moments..I will be the first to admit that the common theme in my life is that I seem to take the long way around with things..I may not be the quickest,but I always get there.Such is true with finding my career, my purpose...I am almost 32 and I just figured out "what I wanted to be." Some people knew their whole lives, or going into college..Not me...everything sounded great, or I wanted to be what everyone else wanted to be, not really knowing what I liked, what I should be...Until I found the gym...And even then, it started more as a way for me to talk to a boy, that eventually became my boyfriend..I was the girl that did more socializing in the gym than working out...But it eventually snowballed into a true passion one small step at a time...And here I am, educated, almost certified, full fledged gym rat that is learning and growing and loving fitness more and more every day...It feels great..

Sharing the knowledge

Today I had such an "ah ha" moment at the gym...While I was finishing up my treadmill time one of my longtime friends approached me and noticed a book on the ledge of the treadmill and inquired what was I reading to which I responded, "my training material".That's when she began to tell me about some symptoms she has been having recently during certain activities and wanted to know if i knew what it was...It was in that moment when I began giving possible options and then asked her about whether she had tried myofascial release to which she told me no but had seen people doing it but wasn't sure what it was, that I realized "wow people trust me,value my opinion,look to me for guidance and I know what I'm talking about!!!" Yes!!!!This finally feels right!!!

This was my first official day of studying and I am still overwhelmed and uncertain if I will ever grasp it all or most but I must keep going..."Eyes on the Prize"

Learning something new every day............

This is how I describe my certification process thus far...I am about 600 flashcards in,two notebooks filled with notes,4 instructional DVD's, several textbooks, and one chapter remains to have flashcards made for it.Needless to say I feel overwhelmed at this point...Sometimes to the point where I am filled with anxiety..I second and third guess myself...I wonder if I should give up and worry if I will find a job...in this economy and countless other thoughts but the fact is that I am passionate about it, I love it,I enjoy it,and I know it...So I try to silence those voices of doubt and frustration as much as possible and keep going...And when I feel like it is never-ending and I will never finish this and see the light at the end of the tunnel and learn allllllllllllll there is to know I remind myself that as long as I continue to learn new information every day then I am on the right track.

Yoga!!!!!

So last week I had a conversation with my mom that left me speechless and almost resulted in tears...in a good way...She told me she had signed up for a ten week program through work to take a yoga class once a week during ehr lunch hour..WOW. And I do mean wow because I have been pushing her for years to be active and get healthy...I have tried everything....going on walks with her..showing her some at home exercises..trying to push her to go to the gym,which is not her thing..but nothing has really stuck..She always tells me the gym is just not her thing and I never really got it because it is DEF my thing..As her daughter I am just concerned with her health..She is almost 60,overweight, and has many health problems, along with poor eating habits..I have stressed that physical activity will alleviate her stress levels,drop weight,increase her energy,prevent health problems,etc...but nothing..So this call shocked me...She finally took initiative to do something FOR herself, By herself...that is a huge step in itself..She is stepping out of her comfort zone and trying new things.huge.And yoga will improve her fitness,flexibility,health,decrease stress..It is perfect....That conversation left me in an "ah ha" state...I finally understood that everyone must find what works for them when it comes to being active,find their niche..What works for one won't work for the next...And as long as you keep moving you are doing your mind,body,and spirit good:)

Your body is an inspiration...

This was the exact statement I heard from such an unlikely source..I ran into a girl I went to high school with at my gym today..She is my friend on facebook but wasn't my friend in high school...She spotted me and chatted me up first...The high school girl in me was shocked....We got to talking about life and what is going on and she mentioned my goal to train others and I told her I was planning on it and should be certified by mid summer..That is when she told me, "Well, you're body is an inspiration"..A what???I have never seen it that way...seriously...even now when decently fit (I have been slacking in my eating habits and gym intensity), but still look pretty good I struggle to really comprehend that..In fact because I know my body was way tighter,fitter,leaner,and ripped about a year ago I borderline beat myself up quite often about my slacking...But forget that...she said it was an inspiration!!!!That meant so much on a few levels...It reaffirmed what others/outsiders see....my hard work..it does show...Also it solidifies that my passion is on point..This is what I am meant to do..my purpose..I am a walking billboard for my future business and it feels so good...I love working out...feeling healthy,fit,full of energy and I can't wait to influence others...

"Find something you love to do,and you will never work a day in your life"

Overtraining

A phrase I have heard countless times but refused to be true..probably due to my slight OCD...But the more fitness magazines I REALLY read along with my certification material,the more I realize it is true...You can overtrain..and when you do,you not only risk injury but you will stop seeing results..That doesn't even make sense you train more and harder because you want results so bad that you end up undoing it or plateauing and risking injury...I am well aware that the gym is not for building muscle, it is for breaking muscle down and when you rest is actually when you build the muscle..I just never put it all together..otherwise I would have definitely been resting more!It is ideal to let the trained muscle group rest 72 hours before training it again.That thought used to bother me to no end..I thought and wanted to train total body in some way EVERY day..Not anymore..The way I now look at it is my 2-3hr workouts of total body are now 90-120 min of one group which in actuality means that group is getting more attention, which makes me happy and keeps my OCD in check from reverting back to "overtraining".

Pole Dancing...Cardio Strip Fit...Sexy Shape Up meet Stripper

Recently I have been taking a pole dancing class because I am really interested in becoming as well rounded and diverse in the fitness world...I figure you can never know enough..I have a thirst for knowledge when it comes to fitness and I really want to be as informed as possible so when future clients approach me and look to me for knowledge I will be trained/educated on many subjects and will most likely be a good source of information.This class has been amazing,fun,and definitely a "different" type of fitness....Totally not your traditional step or yoga class....But I love that it is multi-tasking in the fitness world by shaping your body while building your sexual self-esteem...I also love studying the women in the class,their reactions to the exercises/routines/expectations of the class participants and seeing how they transform from the beginning of a class to the end and the changes after several classes,etc..It is interesting to see the variety of women in there....age ranges,social classes,races,varied levels of fitness,varied levels of self esteem...everything..But what I don't like and would definitely approach totally different is the "shots" that the instructor takes at strippers periodically throughout the class...I hope to one day be involved on the teaching levels of a class similar to this one..and I find it ironic that the teacher teaches these classses,the women attend these classes to emulate a dancer,which by the way these classes would not be available if there were no dancers but spend a good amount of time poking fun at them...I feel that especially in these classes "dancers" should not be frowned upon....secretly the women that attend these fitness classes aspire to secretly be a stripper...every woman wants to feel sexy...and I personally feel my sexiest when I am fit...which is why this class is a great combination of the two!

Straightening your body BEFORE strengthening it....

How much time and energy I would have saved if I had known AND understood this concept years ago.....Also how much quicker I would have progressed and minimized injury and pains...Guess it is better late than never..But basically what this means is that when training the focus and first step is to correct posture,then stabilize the body before you attempt to strengthen.It is almost like building a house....There is no way you would attempt nor is it possible to put a roof on the house before you lay the foundation,pour the concrete,etc....So why do people continuously rush to try to build muscles before they correct posture deviations and imbalances...Simple. People are in a hurry...want a quick fix..wanna see results....But by taking the most popular,common path you not only increase your risk of injury,increase chances of pain,but you are also totally being counterproductive because without proper posture,form,and deviations/imbalances corrected your body will not experience maximum strengthening potential......

Destined to Make a Difference..

I swear I will eventually make a point in this entry...and bring it back around to fitness....I just had such an "Oprah Ah-ha" moment today....Like things are really starting to "click" in my world lately,make sense,and come together after being undone for so long...And I must say it is an amazing feeling...I have spent most of my adult life in a state of panic not knowing what direction I was heading,what my purpose was,what I am meant to be/do,etc....But today it kinda hit me in a moment when I was talking to my sister about life and situations,etc...I know my purpose is to influence others and empower them on body image,self esteem through fitness.I struggled with my own body, self esteem for so long.It never made sense why I spent all of my teen years feeling uncertain and bad about my appearance...I was never "ugly"....but I HATED my body...I didn't work out and my level activity consisted of cheer leading...which is VERY active but also made me feel even more insecure because I felt I needed to be perfect (whatever that was)...Hence lead me into at least a five year battle with eating disorders....which lasted through college cheer leading...multiple personal relationships where I never felt secure,affected my sex life,and just really had me spiraling out of control....Then I found the gym...Don't get me wrong I didn't take it serious at first...I didn't know what I was doing, what I SHOULD be doing...nothing...I just went....I dated a gym rat, who got me even more involved in the gym and taught me a lot.....in years to come I have had trainers and I have learned from them...Now I know, years later, what to do,how to do it,how to achieve certain results in the gym, and I am passionate about it...As I look back all these experiences make sense...they contributed to me finding my TRUE purpose..what I am meant to do and it will be more meaningful because I have a story to go along with my journey that lead to this moment....I have always said the ultimate would be to train celebrities....When I look in magazines and I see celebs rollercoastering with their weight too (because they are people),read their tips,etc,see how media scrutinizes,kicks them when they are down,watch as they try to rebuild a career (ex.my FAV Britney Spears),I think I would LOVE to train them....and after talking with my sister tonight who is working on her music career and hearing her dreams,etc I am reminded that anything is possible and I am truly feeling that the sky is the limit.....

On a different note: Sunday is usually my off day but this week I did lift...I did 2 sets of a total body circuit and approx 200 crunches (upper,lower,and obliques) and finished in 35 min:)

My workout today

I'm not really in the mood to blog today so I thought I would keep it simple by sharing my workout of the day....so far I have done 90 minutes on the treadmill...And I am getting ready to return to the gym for about 30 minutes more of cardio and then I plan to take a bodypump class which is an hour long training each body part totalling of 120 reps per body part. And I will attempt to do approximated 300 crunches.I know this is a boring, basic blog but I am just having one of those days...............

You are only cheating YOURSELF

Although this phrase can apply to many areas in life I am specifically referring to eating habits and exercise habits.....This phrase was also used at one of my exercise classes recently regarding completing the exercise set with all the reps,full out and NOT tapping out or half assing it....Basically she barked that if we half stepped it, or stopped at 10 reps instead of the ordered 12, we are ultimately only cheating ourselves not her....True. And the other day I was speaking to my friend (I call my "gay husband"), trying to enocurage him to go to the gym and to stop eating poorly...and he responded," How do you know I am eating poorly??" I mean besides your multiple fb status updates which reference pancakes,taquitos,etc???!!!!Well, instead of calling him out on these status updates I simply responded with, "because I am your friend and in the end whether you are honest about going to the gym or not,eating healthy or not....you are only cheating yourself...Not going to the gym or eating fast food every day or even most days won't affect me." This is so true..You can lie to the world...because it doesn't affect the world..it only affects yourself...So go to the gym...or not..make smart eating choices...or not....Go to the gym and then follow it with a trip to the drive thru....Go to the gym but NOT be focused and skimp on your reps/sets/intensity....but know in the end you are only cheating yourself...not me:) (That was my Jillian Michaels soapbox speech of the day...)

Eating My Emotions............

This seems to be the thing I struggle with the most, as you will quickly come to figure out...I have zero problem going to the gym,I know just what it takes to get results from working out,I am open to trying new classes,etc...But food is my weakness..I can be so disciplined, but the minute I stop it is like a downward slop that quickly spirals out of control..Some people "can't eat" when they are upset...Gotta love them!!Me? I eat EVERYTHING!!I fully support the concept that you can't deprive yourself of ANYTHING or else you will want EVERYTHING!!!So my system usually consists of eating sensible for 6 days out of the week and allow myself one free day,cheat day, free-for-all.And it works...or it worked up until about Thanksgiving of this year..That is when six days sensible,turned into MOST days, turned into I don't know....Now almost two months later I am struggling to find my food discipline again..My only saving grace is that I have kept up with the gym, 6-7 days a week..I am not trying to go back to my strictest eating habits but I definitely need to cut out fast food and take it back to one free day and start making better choices...

Momentum is NOT Muscle

This was the phrase that was so perfectly worded in my bodypump class last night...And I have always said this in various ways, have commented multiple times about other gym goers and the way they lift, and am a firm believer that yes momentum is NOT muscle...Meaning you must to the work to see the results.You cant rely on "swinging" movements to lift a weight because the you will not see benefits.Trust me I have spent enough time working out the wrong way to speak on the right way!So slow down,focus on the movement and muscle that you are working out and really feel the contraction of the muscle...Do this with EVERY exercise and you will see a difference:)

New Journey....

So I created this blog to keep myself on track with my own fitness goals,career goals,maybe life goals,to inspire people,motivate people,possibly educate people....This officially begins mt new journey...This blog will be totally devoted to fitness and health....I have spent several years now not really knowing where I was going with my life. I was never the girl growing up thinking, "I wanna be a..." No way...I was more like the girl that had no idea what I wanted to be, changed my mind constantly (total Libra), wanted to be whatever my friends wanted to be,etc....I went to college got my bachelors in education and by the time I was done with it didn't want to work in that field...Took some time off...Took a few psych classes and somewhere in all of that got really into fitness...or so I thought...Meaning I had barely just scratched the surface back then..So I found a master's program in the fitness realm and got my masters in Kinesiology...Finished and still had no clue what I was doing with my life...By that time I was working out religiously but didn't know exactly what I was doing....Had tried almost every diet,most weight loss trends, struggled with an eating disorder(yes I will admit that)...Didn't know if I wanted to be skinny or buff,lean or thick...I was lost....I had body image and self esteem issues for so long...In school, with cheer leading, when I looked at the media and all the "beautiful" women sending out wrong and mixed messages I was a mess.....Now fast forward some years, I have been on a roller coaster ride when it comes to body image,self esteem,what I want to do with my life, where I am going, what my purpose is,etc...I now feel like I am in a place where things are starting to click and come together...It is now making sense....and I have a better understanding of why I went through all these things...It was to bring me here.....This year I am working on my ACE certification,continuing to reshape my body, doing a couple of runs (5mile and possibly half marathon), plan on taking a variety of fitness classes to learn more,experience more, and become even more well rounded, learn to cook more....So this blog will be an inside look at all of this...It will keep track of my progress,setbacks,my emotions,experiences and my successes..I am so happy to finally be in this place and excited about what the future has in store for me.....