Personal Trainer

My plan for some time has been to finish my degree and become a dietitian. Along with that I want to be a personal trainer. Pretty awesome combo if you ask me! Well an opportunity may have come up for me to become certified as a personal trainer and in group exercise. I think I better jump at it and go for it! What do you think?

I'm BAAAAACK!

Where have I been?!  BUSY!  As you may recall, my husband joined the Army.  He was gone for a little over 5 months for training.  I kept up my workout routine for the first couple months but it slowly dwindled to nothing.  We moved halfway across the country in December and we're back together again and loving life as much as ever!

I ran my SECOND marathon in July.  I also ran a few half marathons.  A few 10K's and a bunch of 5K's.  So now what?  I've been debating that question for months.  So since I couldn't decide on what SPECIFICALLY to do, I decided to just get off my butt and be CONSISTENT with my workouts again.  That way when something comes up that peaks my interest, I'll be able to jump right in!!

My weight has been ALL OVER the place!  Serious!  I lost TOO MUCH weight while my husband was gone and then just before he got back I had gone back up, plus a couple pounds.  Now?  I'm up 10 pounds from where I WANT to be, 5 from where I'm CONTENT to be Ü!!  Isn't that always the case?

So what's the PLAN?  My goal until the end of March is to workout 5 days a week.  I'm back to running 2-3 days a week.  The other days I do yoga or circuit training.  It feels SO GOOD to feel the BURN again!  I'm getting my portions back in check and I'm drinking A LOT more water! 

So since I'm back.  What do you want me to resurrect from the blog?  I'll have a poll going on the side.  You can vote on multiple things if you'd like.  Do you have other things that you'd like me to highlight every now and then?  Let me know!  And spread the word... 

I AM BACK IN THE GAME!!

My Story

All this 2010... New Year... Resolution... Goals... talk has got me thinking. I have thought a lot lately about being healthy and what holds people back from actually DOING what they NEED to do to get what they ultimately WANT. I've thought about my own health history and the journey I'm on.

WAY back in high school I was VERY active. I participated in basketball, track & drill team. I had always been small but I still struggled with my self esteem {as most/all teens do} and I experimented with anorexia & bulimia for a couple years.

I got married young, 2 weeks after my 19th birthday. A year later I was pregnant with my first child. 17 months after she was born, our first son joined our family. 22 months later, another son. 3 1/2 years later we had our fourth child, another son. Four kids in 6 1/2 years. I wanted that and I defy anyone to criticize me for it.

This brings us to December 2008. My baby was 3 months old and I decided that I was going to change my LIFESTYLE. I have ALWAYS hated diets, I even HATE the WORD {in my opinion it's a four letter word for FAILURE}. I didn't have a lot to change, mostly I just needed to get off my butt and be more active; even chasing 4 kids around isn't enough! That and I needed to learn some portion control with my eating {a complete 180 from my teens}. I started this blog one year ago {TOMORROW} at first as a fitness journal; over 3000 hits later I can't help but hope that in helping myself, I may be helping others too.

My husband made the choice too and it has been AWESOME. We helped keep each other focused & motivated. We did this together and now we're both enjoying all the benefits! I also got my parents, siblings & their spouses/girlfriends to run a 5K with me last June. It was the start of a fun racing year with at least one race every month during the summer and fall. That continues to be a great motivator for me.

I continue workout regularly and I LOVE it. I eat healthy {yes I indulge but I deserve it too} but I'm not fanatical about it; I am trying to feed a family of 6 on a tight budget {thank you very much crappy economy}. I think more positively; I surround myself with positive, encouraging, supportive and happy people {that makes ALL the difference}.

So that was it, I changed the way I live.

What's YOUR story?

Get Fit

Most people start off a new year with a lot of resolutions. One of those is typically SOMETHING about getting in shape, losing weight or others on those lines. How many of us actually stick to it though? This blog is hopefully going to help me {and whoever stumbles upon it} stay motivated to GET FIT!

It's not about being thin {in my humble opinion}. It's about being FIT! It's about being able to do things: Waterskiing/Wakeboarding, Hiking, Mountian Biking, Climbing... whatever it is that YOU want to do! It's about taking care of our bodies. It's about living a full and fun life!! I am no expert, but I am on the road to living a happier and healthier life.

Because of how I roll, I will not be throwing out numbers {how much I weigh, how much I want to weigh...} because frankly the number doesn't matter to me {at least that's what I keep telling myself}. I want to feel good and be able to be active with my family. Let me know if you'd like to join me {it's always good to get a lot of different ideas when it comes to working out}!

The biggest hurdle, in my opinion, is getting up off your butt and DOING SOMETHING!!! ANYTHING!! Find what it is that works for you and stick with it! Is it running {outside or on a treadmill}? Yoga? Aerobics Class? Going to the Gym? But do SOMETHING, EVERY day. Park farther away from the store, walk up and down your stairs a few extra times. Play Airplane with your kids!

Here's what my week looks like.

Monday: Run
Wii Fit - Arms
Tuesday: XT
Wii Fit - Core
Wednesday: Run
Wii Fit - Legs
Thursday:XT
Wii Fit - Arms
Friday:Run
Wii Fit - Core
Saturday: XT
Wii Fit - Legs
Sunday: OFF

I typically run for 30 minutes {sometimes that includes my warm up and cool down}. Right now that's on a treadmill but when the snow melts I'll be hitting the pavement. XT {Cross Training} is also for 30 minutes, non impact. I use a Gazelle or stationary bike. Or sometimes I'll use a dance workout video.

I love my Wii Fit. It takes about 30-45 minutes to do a days workout. It includes strength training and yoga. But not everyone has a Wii Fit; so I'll be posting each individual workout later!!

Lets help each other achieve our FITNESS goals! Let me know if you'd like to be a contributor! I welcome your comments. And I'm always looking for fresh and fun workout ideas!