A few weeks ago, I found out I had been chosen to be the Featured Fitness Professional in American Fitness Magazine's Member Spotlight. There are only six people chosen each year. I was, and still am, thrilled and honored they chose me.
When they interviewed me, they asked me a very open and difficult question to answer, "Tell me about yourself?" Don't you hate that question? It is so vague and you never know just how to answer it. Do you want to know about my career, my interests, my life story...what???
I figured since they were interested in me as a professional, and asked other questions regarding my entry into the Fitness Industry, I would tell my story of how I became who I am.
If you could have met me 20 years ago, you would never think I would grow up to be an exercise coach or a nutritionist. I watched a lot of TV and I really didn't like to physically exert myself. I thought it was painful (OK, it was work!). I didn't like work. I was always looking for short cuts and the easy way to do things (which is why I never accomplished anything as a kid, either). And I didn't like sports, wasn't any good at them, and I really hated PE class. I also ate a lot of candy and drank a lot of Slurpees from 7-Eleven.
Fast forward a couple of years, and I turned into your typical, no self-esteem teenage girl who realized I had gained weight and I couldn't get a date to save my life. So I finally started exercising and dieting in order to lose some weight, but I wasn't focused on my health, unfortunately.
By the time I hit 17 years old, I had started smoking and the proceeding few years of my life weren't exactly spent in good health.
By age 21, I started realizing that much of my life, up to that point, had been a failure. I was struggling in school (too tired from the three jobs I was working while in school), I still smoked, I didn't exercise, and wasn't sure I was ever going to make anything of myself. That's when I met my husband. He was all the things I wanted to be; smart, a good student, strong, and healthy (both physically and mentally). I really admired him (still do). But knowing him made me realize that if I wanted to succeed in life, I needed a good role model. And if I wanted to keep him around, I needed to quit smoking.
I tried to quit, maybe 4 or 5 times, but with no luck. It made me feel like I had no control over myself or my life. It also made me think about my exercise habits, or lack there of, and how I always thought exercise was too hard, especially running. But for some odd reason, when I would run in PE class, I would experience a moment of exhilaration and it made me wish I could run.
I decided that it was time for me to accomplish something in my life. It was time for me to see my potential. I made a deal with myself. I would quit smoking and if I caved and had a cigarette, I would make myself go outside and run. I stuck to my word and when I would have a cigarette, I ran right afterward. I huffed and puffed, my lungs ached, and I was exhausted. As I would run, I would think about the physical sensations that were running through my body, primarily my lungs hurting, and it was the mind/body connection that I needed to realize what I was doing to my body. I was smoke-free within two weeks. That was 13 years ago.
Not only did I kick the habit, but I started a new one. I started to become a runner. I put together a plan for myself, always setting goals, and in no time I was amazed at how much I was accomplishing. I started out being able to run only 90 seconds at a time, but within a few months, I could run non-stop for 20 minutes.
My running wasn't the only thing that got better. That semester in school was my first ever of earning a 4.0 G.P.A. I became the "A" student I always wanted to be, and for the most part, maintained it throughout the rest of my college years. I have running to thank for that. Running taught me to believe in myself, work hard, and never quit. It taught me to focus on what I was doing. It taught me to set goals for myself and focus on those goals, using them to measure my progress. It made me realize that if I stopped fearing work, and started to take action, I could accomplish great things. Invaluable life lessons.
I'll leave out "my story" of how I became a Fitness Professional for another day. I will just say that I do not merely run for the exercise, I run because it has been the foundation of my character.
So if you are feeling like you need some motivation to exercise, think of my story and let it motivate you. If I can do it, anyone can.
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