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......