Every week, I see social media flooded with #transformationtuesday posts. And I applaud each and every person out there who is making positive changes in their lives and working toward their goals, no matter how fast or slow that progress is. Social media is a great way to keep your self accountable, share your story with others, and potentially inspire them to make changes in their lives. But at what point is it just for show? At what point is the same post Tuesday after Tuesday just a little bit of road kill?
I was an online fitness coach for awhile - I still am now, but in a much different capacity - I mean the whole, buy these products and lose all this weight and be the best version of you type of online fitness coach. Again, I applaud the many coaches out there who are KILLING it and have thriving online businesses, who have seen these amazing changes in their bodies and their lives, who have inspired others to join their teams and earn the freedom they so crave. That wasn't for me. I have the background and the knowledge to change lives in a different way, a way that is more authentic to me. Neither option is right or wrong, but I needed to be true to myself.
I've been in the fitness industry now for almost ten years. Started out as a personal trainer, then group fitness instructor. I worked in countless different gyms. I did just about everything. In 2015 I decided to go back to school for my Masters in Nutrition. In 2016, finished my 200 RYT. Then in 2017, I went back again (worth it, but please don't let me go back to school again) for Massage Therapy. More of this will come out over time I am sure.
My passion lies in the wellness industry. This marriage of yoga, nutrition, and massage therapy for whole body healing, and getting away from Big Pharma. That's gold right there. That's where the industry is headed, or at least needs to be headed. My mind set has evolved over the past ten years. This blog will reflect some of these shifts over time, but first... this Transformation Tuesday.
For years, I was the scrawny, skinny girl. I was asked weekly in high school if I was anorexic. I did Cheerleading in middle school, and danced in highschool and college, and otherwise... I did nothing. I didn't pay attention to what I ate. I was lucky, and didn't gain a pound. It was a monumentous event when I was a senior in high school (2007) and broke 100 pounds. I joined a gym a year later to take yoga classes because I was stressed out. I started taking other classes and that spiraled me into the industry. I started working at that same gym a year later, and was teaching 4-5 classes per week in no time. That was my fitness. I still didn't really look at what I ate. I didn't really work out except for teaching and taking classes, still didn't pay too much attention to what I was eating. As I went from gym to gym, I added more variety to my repetoire. Worked my way up to fifteen plus classes a week. Over the years, I made it up to 32 classes a week - I'm not particularly proud of this, and would most definitely NOT recommend this, but it paid the bills and I was hereby deemed active. Over the years, my class schedule has gone up and down and left and right, but it's stuck in one way or another. It became my source of cardio, strength, core, and everything in between.
Today, I call myself a runner. In case you were wondering, I am a horrible runner. I'm slow, and everything hurts, and I am the WORST at sticking to a training plan, but that is beside this point. I ran my first 5k in 2010. Two of my personal training clients ran it with me. I ran 5 5k's that year. Ran the same race the next year... and then took over three years off. In that time, I maybe took a handful a runs on my own, but I stayed out of the race scene. In 2014 I started running the Susan G Komen 5k in honor of those in my family who suffered from Breast Cancer. I also said at this time, I would never do a Tough Mudder because if I got hurt, I wouldn't have a job anymore and that would just be the end. (Those that know me - insert laughter here). January 2015. The avalanche started. To be honest, it started to impress the guy I wanted to be dating. I signed up for my first half marathon, and *drumroll* my first Tough Mudder. I started running more regularly. I did a few local races here and there, AND, the day before my first half, I signed up for my first full marathon in Disney. Since then, I've run five full marathons, eight half marathons, and countless other races. Guess what, I'm still a horrible runner, and suck at following training plans, but I still run.
In 2015, I started running Obstacle Course Races. I learned through this that I am a social runner. I like to run with people, and make friends. I definitely made a number of friends while running these races. I spent the better part of 2016 running Spartan Race, finishing my season with 6 trifectas at 21 events. I loved it. Slowed down in 2017 while I spent some time working for the company. And here we are in 2018... I haven't ran one yet. We'll see what the year has in store. I did end up running that Tough Mudder that I said I never would - twice. Just goes to show that you never know what will happen.
In short. Here we are. I'm 29. I graduated top of my class from Massage Therapy school. And in that long year of school, I gained almost twenty pounds. I've gone back and forth following meal plans and diets, but they never really stick. I have my masters in Nutrition, I know what to do. I've just chosen for far too long to not pay much attention. I wouldn't say I eat horrible, I fully stand by living everything in moderation. It finally caught up to me, I guess.
So here it is. This is my transformation Tuesday. This is where I've been and where I am - at least in short. And this blog, here, is where I will share my thoughts on my journey through fitness, nutrition, and life as I know it.