New and Old Beginnings

Anyone else at a crossroads? Back in January I quit my job of 4 years. I was the assistant manager of a small mom and pop hardware store. It was fun for a while, I even met my boyfriend working there, but the business was going under and it became an increasingly difficult place to work, so I had to get out. Before I quit I started thinking about what I might want to do next, and right away I thought: personal training. It seemed so obvious, working out was the thing I prioritized highest every day. Why wouldn't I want to help others work out and feel better for a living? It's what I love.

It sounds so crazy to some to say that you actually enjoy working out, but I really do. There's never a better way I could have spent the time I used to exercise and take care of my body. And I always ask myself "what's going to serve me better?" not just in relation to working out, but in any way that I might be about to irresponsibly spend my time. 'Cause I am a professional procrastinator. But working out is always the way I start my day. You just budget that time into your morning routine; I deliberately wake up earlier when I have somewhere I have to be, even before work and school. I feel so groggy and moody without it. I don't like who I am without exercise, I'm my best self when I am active. Even just finding 5 minutes in your day to get moving will make a world of difference in your energy and mood. 

Try it out with me, 5 minutes of:
5 burpees
10 squats
20 jumping jacks

(Ok so the sound got messed up and didn't work for this video. You can still get the gist of what's going on even without hearing me talk. Just watch my form and since I speak very expressively you can read my lips pretty easily when I speak directly to the camera anyway.) 

Now the first thing you may be thinking after watching this is "hey, her body's not perfect," and you would be correct! (In my defense I'd also like to add that I find my workout clothes to be particularly unflattering and overemphasizing of my flaws." But what you can also see is I don't give up even when the workout gets tough, because where there's a challenge, there's change. Always remember that. I may not look quite like an elite athlete, but I am strong and have great endurance and stamina. I personally am not interested in being super thin because for me, maintaining that meant nearly starving. I feel too terrible not eating enough calories. For women especially it's important not to restrict calories too low because our bodies need them plus a bit of body fat to properly regulate our hormones. I was skipping periods when I was too thin and not eating enough, and that is a very bad thing if that is not normal for you. I'll talk more about that in a later post, but the bottom line is, for the most part, I look like an average woman. Maybe a little fitter? I don't know, you be the judge, it's hard to be objective about yourself, we're all our own harshest critics. But I hope you'll follow along with me on my continuing journey to get more fit. We're gonna do this, and feel amazing, together.