Monday, January 28, 2013

Brace yourself for motivational speaking and Women's Health's Next Fitness Star

Today I entered myself in Women's Health's Next Fitness Star competition.  My boyfriend helped me create a video audition last night, and this morning I filled out my application. As I entered the different fields explaining why I should be the "Next Fitness Star," I did a bit of soul searching. The application asked me why I thought I should be named the Next Fitness Star. What made me think I should earn that title? It brought me back to why I started personal training, but more importantly, why I started Be Well, this blog you are currently reading and the business I now run myself.

The reason I started personal training is no real touching story. I got certified never really thinking I would use my NASM certification. It started out as a potentially safe job to fall back on so that I didn't have to waitress while I auditioned. To be totally honest, in a way, personal training is still that for me. I do enjoy being a trainer and more importantly, I love my clients, but counting reps and isn't what makes me like my job. Many of my clients have been working with me for years. They are amazing people who I am happy to know and spend a couple hours a week with every week. They are my true motivators when I'm struggling through a workout of my own as I remember how hard they push and how hard they work through every workout I take them through. My workouts aren't easy, and they really rock them out.
But I digress, like I was saying, the reason I started personal training wasn't because I really wanted to help people lose weight or help them fight through their personal struggles. A lot of the people I work with in NYC are pretty fit already. They really do take care of themselves and work with me to get that extra push or to help them keep an appointment for a workout because they live such busy lives. What matters more  is why I started Be Well because I have become that person who has wanted to help people lose weight and fight through personal struggles. Before I started, I never knew that this was part of what I was meant to do in this lifetime. Even if it's just for now.

I started writing Be Well because of some internal struggles I face and also what I noticed a lot of other people struggle with. And that struggle was not about losing weight, but truly feeling good in your own skin. I wanted to get the word out that being well is about creating a healthy lifestyle and to accept yourself as you are (something I still struggle with). It's not about constantly working to have those washboard abs with deprivation, but about the realization that being well is about being happy inside and out. To not compare and despair. To make being well a state of mind and a joy in life. I needed to write about this and get the word out, and that's what I really enjoy about being a trainer.

So to come full circle, the reason I want to be the the Next Fitness Star is to get the idea out there that being well is not just working out and dieting, but to truly make it a state of mind. I learned through this job that I pretty much fell into. I learned that I am passionate about living and loving life in a healthy and balanced way. I love this part of my life and I love sharing reasons to be healthy and tips to make it happen. I'm not perfect, and I want to get the word out there that it's okay not to be.

I surprise myself constantly with the things my body is capable of doing that I never thought it would be. I never thought I would run a 5k,10k, two half marathons, workout 6 days a week, get through the Insanity workout (as I write this, I'm almost halfway through the program!) like I'm doing now. I feel proud that I have become as strong as I am and know I can motivate others to push just as hard.

Being well is: Lacing up your sneakers because you want to feel good and live longer; making your diet about eating well and eating happy; eating good for you foods daily and to cheat too; enjoying your glass(es) of wine and chocolate without beating yourself up for it the next day; LIVING YOUR LIFE! LOVING your life! What is this life about if we don't enjoy it? What is this life about if all we are doing is worrying about what the scale reads or how many calories you have eaten? Yes, it's important to enjoy in moderation, but the key word there is to ENJOY. Not to deprive. All in all, get your workout in to make your heart work better, achieve a goal, and make your body feel great by reaping the rewards of your hard work. If you want washboard abs, there's no shame in that, but don't become a miserable person because of it. If you love food, eat it but don't go overboard! Don't fill your body with crap (processed foods like cheetos and cookies that can stay "fresh" on the shelf for years) every day.
LIVE IT, LOVE IT, AND BE WELL!

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