Sunday, July 25, 2010

And just like that...

It's done.

Apparently... yesterday was my day for passing tests.

Not only did I overcome some personal and emotional challenges, but the nice folks at ISSA seem think that I know a thing or two about health and fitness.

As of 8:02 PST this morning, I'm an official ISSA certified Personal Trainer!



I've been trying to think of something really insightful to say about this accomplishment or something inspiring about pursuing your dream, continue working on your goals, yadda, yadda, yadda... but I can only come up with one thing:

SQUEE!

Now to spend some quality time meditating on what to do next. I'll try not to take as long with that as I did the first test. :)

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Today is the day...

Oh, how many times has that phrase crossed each of our lips? That verbal line in the sand - enough is enough! Today is it!

Sometimes it's uttered in frustration, but sometimes it's uttered in a calm, serene voice. One that is echoed through ever fiber of your being. Today. You know you're making the right decision for you. You feel it from the calm in your heart and the butter flies in your tummy.

It's almost like a tiny seed, full of potential, has just been handed to you that promises to grow into something big and powerful and amazing and beautiful.

But... Yet...

Alas.

Something gets in your way. The seed is forgotten about, put aside, ignored, discarded as a foolish pursuit.

"Don't dig up in fear what has been planted in faith." - Unknown

But... yet... Maybe...

I first read those words a few weeks ago, Tweeted by my wannabeBFF Carla aka MizFit (she of the arm-licking pearl of wisdom). The words were like a ClueX4 on my soul.

You see, a couple of years ago, I was handed a seed. It was a really spiffy seed, too. I turned it over and over and over in my hand. I told people about my seed, how cool it was, and how much cooler it was going to be.

I'd set it aside, then pull it out again.

Then, a little over 18 months ago, with the help of my hubby (read: I'm making this call so you stop talking and start doing.) the seed got planted. I made the plunge: My journey to getting my Personal Trainer Certification had begun. Oh it was so exciting!

But... Yet... Alas.

The journey has had a multitude of stops and starts... ok, way more stops than starts. Many molehill mountains sprung up around me that I can even count. I did the procrastination dance to perfection on many, many occasions. I blogged about it. I whined about it. I set goals and deadlines that piled up around me like the dishes I did instead of what I should be doing.

I put together a huge shovel made up of "what if's and worst case scenarios" and headed to that proverbial garden.

"Don't dig up in fear what has been planted in faith."

But... yet... maybe...

I put the shovel aside... and got out my watering can.

Oh that shovel was still there, staring at me, taunting me any time I sat down. I never finish anything. Who am I to think I can actually help other people. Oh, and my latest favorite: I'm a horrible advocate for helping people get healthy, fit, strong! But I realize that the seed had been given to me. It was a gift that someone somewhere thought I had the talents and abilities to make grow into something big and beautiful and amazing. Who was I to question that?

But... yet...

Today...

Today is the day I saw the first sprout from that seed. The test has been taken. The essays have been written. The plans have been created. The 'send' button has been pushed.

It's now in the hands of The Powers That Be at ISSA to decide if I pass and get a pretty certificate, or fail and have to do it all over again.

Either way, I have won. I've passed a test of my own design - I left the seed right where it was, planted in fertile grown, to continue grow in faith.

Ironically… this was today’s message on my page-a-day calendar, given to me by my awesome hubby at Christmas:

“You can have seeds from every kind of tree, plan, or flower tucked away in a drawer for years, and nothing will happen. Those seeds are full of tremendous potential waiting for the right environment. The same is true for the seeds inside of you. Those seeds may have been lying dormant, but you are still full of tremendous potential.. It’s time to change your internal environment so those seeds can grow and produce the harvest for which they are intended.”

How many seeds to you have hidden away, discarded, forgotten about?

How many times have you dug up something in fear?

Is today /your/ day to plant them - or just one - in faith?

Monday, July 12, 2010

I read the news today... Oh boy...

The hubby and I got a spiffy new Blue Ray DVD player that not only plays high def DVD's but also allows access to such internet marvels as NetFlix (OMG the love of not having to watch movies on my desktop computer!) and Pandora... I never really saw the use of Pandora initially, but now I have a very fond love for it and especially the Beatles Radio Station... it also comes in extra handy when trying to come up with a blog title. :)

Granted, I could also call this "The one that gets me in serious trouble"... But I digress...

I had a moment of disbelief, annoyance and sadness this morning when I looked at the paper.

There, on the front page, was a headline of the FDA reviewing 3 new weight loss drugs, and one showing promising results with the least amount of side effects.

Here's the article if you would like to read it yourself:

I also came across a similar report in today's SparkPeople Health News Update

Things like this used to hold a little interest for me - it was a matter of "oh it would be so nice if I just could take a pill to lose weight." But with the Fen-Phen scares, and side effects a mile long on all the others on the market (umm... this causes /what/ kind of leakage?!) it's a really scary road to travel down. I will be the first to not cast any stones because I have had my share of dalliances with "fat burners" that all resulted in major "FAIL" - wonky blood sugar levels, jitteriness, anxiety, and a whole slew of other issues that made me just out right avoid them.

Thing is, I was looking for salvation in a box from my dietary and inactive sins. I was looking for the easy road without really looking at what I was getting into... or what was getting into me.

Looking at these new medications coming on the market, there's a scary mix of pharma-soup that's about to be unleashed unto the general populace. One medication is a mix of the Phen part of the Fen-Phen club, which is amphetamine based, mixed with an anticonvulsant medication. The other medication takes the anticonvulsant and mixes it with an antidepressant. The final one effects serotonin levels in the brain, which is what many antidepressants do as well... oh, and by the way, that's what the "Fen" claim to fame was as well.

Reading the statistics that accompany this article, along with many other statistics on obesity in America, I can understand the motivation behind these and many other medications. This article states that 35% of Americans fall into the obese category on the BMI scale. In another article 27% of all young adults are not eligible to serve in the military due to their high weight.

These articles focus on individuals falling into the "obese" category, a category that, until a couple years ago, I was a near permanent resident. I finally decided to steel myself for the long, hard, old school road that was slow, steady, sustainable and oh. so. boring: exercise, good nutrition, rest, and a whooole lot of self discovery. Basically, learning to listen to my body again... or maybe for the first time since I was a kid

Yes the ads for this or that pill, powder and potion were really tempting. Images of sad and flabby being transformed into happy and buff from one photo to the next really pack an emotional punch when the scale hasn't moved in a month (or 6), workouts are becoming boring, and family/friends/co-workers are bemoaning the fact that I used to be so much more fun when I didn't 'care' what I ate.

But there are many times in ones life when faced with having to make the choice between what's easy and what's right.

Even though the choice can be challenging to make, I for one am grateful for articles like this that give me a reality check, and let me know that I am not alone on this journey... reminding me to take a deep breath, take things in stride and that I really do have it in me to reach my goal... it's all about moderation.

And you know what, you do to.

We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.
Vince Lombardi

It always seems impossible until its done.
Nelson Mandela

What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.
Tony Robbins