Brace Yourself....New Year's is Coming

Depending on what blog you've read or who you follow on Facebook, you've likely gotten a few impressions on what the relationship between New Year's and Fitness is....

This is the camp of - marketers are coming for....YOU.  They want your almighty dollar and they want you to fall flat on your face when it comes to your New Year's fitness resolutions because then they can sell you McDonalds.  And the only answer here is to shun New Year's and be consistent.  Be consistent.  Be consistent.

OR

Isn't losing weight FUN???  Let's have some fun!!!  YAY!!!!!  And then no one loses weight because you aren't making enough effort to burn a mini Snickers off.  

OR

I WILL EAT YOU ALIVE.  You will scream, cry and possibly bleed and you will love me for it.  

(By the way, nothing against Richard or Jillian....I totally want Jillian's arms or see them before makeup/photoshop).

Why must we wholly shun New Year's and fitness resolutions in order to be successful?  So why can't we meet somewhere in the middle?  Sure marketers and retailers are going to play it up and oversell it. It's called capitalism and advertising.  It's what they do.  Being consistent in your exercise and nutrition is the way you get results but how can you do that if you are not already exercising and eating well?  

Camp #2 draws you in with the ease of their programs and gets you committed to something that won't get you results because it's.....well, easy.  

Camp #3 pushes you off the high dive and tells you to sink or swim, wussy!!  So you quit because who has the time to do an hour worth of plyo everyday (or wants to)???

There is symbolism in the New Year, just like Sunday is symbolic of a new week every 7 days.  I love Sundays.  I teach a yoga class on Sundays and it's our "reboot" day.  Just like it is at my 5:30 a.m. classes.  Reboot, restart, go forth, again and again and again.  Life is cyclic, we've known this from the dawn of time.  There is a season and a time for everything.  There is a time for me to rest my body from so much running and there is a time for me to train for a marathon. There is a time to do more yoga and a time to do more lifting (along with yoga :).  The big secret is to keep that sense of renewal with you everyday.   Don't let a little falling off the clean eating wagon turn into a 12 car pile up on the Nutrition Highway.  And even if it does, picking yourself back up and telling yourself that it's ok.  New day, start again, get back on the wagon, the treadmill, the elliptical, the whatever....and REBOOT.  

So embrace (instead of brace) the New Year!  Celebrate and relish the fact that the cycle is starting again.  And do it again in Spring when Winter slowly melts away and you can get off the treadmill and run OUTSIDE again!  And do it again in Summer when gives us abundant sunshine!  And fall brings some relief, then Winter draws us in for cozy fires, snow days and holidays with the family.  

Keep being consistent....or seize this chance to start.  Show yourself some grace when you fall off and always get back up and work your ass off!!!

Project 52

One of the reasons I quit my corporate job to become a trainer and yoga teacher was to spend more time on myself, in addition to helping others on their journey.  But I have done what I normally do, throw myself into my work and end up over scheduled, over worked and stressed out.  There's something about focusing on ones self that we inherently see as selfish.  While I believe that we should selflessly attend to the needs of others, we cannot do that without pouring into ourselves.  Starting with 2014, I am going to consciously focus on myself so  I don't end up burned out and switching careers because I never paid any attention to my needs.  

I got inspired to treat myself as a project as much as I do other people or the projects that others ask me to take charge of.  That's when I came up with Project 52.  The concept is to come up with 52 items (one for each week of the year) that you want to work on.  First, the items should not be task list items - like "lose 10 lbs" or "go to the gym 5 times a day."  This is the biggest issue in keeping New Year's resolutions is that we often make them quantifiable resolutions versus an intention - very much like setting an action without a priority.  Priorities drive actions.  Not the other way around.  These 52 items should be QUALITY items.  Items that are an intention for your life.  Not an expectation only to lead to disappointment. 

Second, the items should be varied.  Some should be difficult (ask for forgivess), some should be easy (read more).  Some should be fun (dance)!!!  They should be wholistic - mental, spiritual & physical.  

You can keep a journal of your Project 52 - highly encouraged! Each week is a new item that you'll focus on.  As you move on to the next week/item, continue to carry out previous items, just giving that week's item your main focus.  

Here are some I know are making my list:

Slow Down!!!

Meditate

Dance!  :)

Spend more time with D (my son)

There are 16 more days left in December.  Write down 3-4 items each day until January 1st.  Then start with #1 the first full week of January and move down your list each week.  I've started a facebook group for those who would like to share with others or get inspired!!  Click the link and request to join the group!  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1439250926293991/

Peppermint Mocha Recipe

I love making my version of popular dishes/drinks at home!  Last post was the PSL and this post is the Peppermint Mocha!

4 oz chocolate almond milk

2 oz coconut milk

1 tsp Hershey's dark chocolate powder

1/2 tsp Watkins Pure Mint Extract

Combine (in order) the above ingredients in a Magic Bullet blender or other small blender and mix until frothy.  Pour into a cup of coffee that is about 3/4ths of the way full and fill to top with mixture.  

It is soooooo good!!!  And it has a fraction of the whopping 400 calories and 60+ grams of sugar that a Venti Peppermint Mocha (no whip) from Starbucks has.  This one serving was enough for two big cups of coffee.  MMMMMM......

Homemade PSL Recipe

I know we are officially out of the PSL season (the hip acronym for Pumpkin Spiced Latte) and into the Peppermint Mocha Season (PMS?  That acronym needs work...), but pumpkin is universal for me.  I loooooove it.  I even buy allllllll the Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale I can find (if you locate some, let me know.  Not kidding).

My husband found me the last two six packs at Walmart *sniff*  That's real love.   And 180 calories a beer.  **SNIFF**

I don't love the sugar and artificial crap that is usually heaped in anything labeled "pumpkin spiced."  (A  Venti, no whip from Starbucks packs in 400 calories and 60 grams of sugar!!!!).  So I made my own!

I used 4 oz of So Delicious Dairy Free Coconut Milk (the unsweetened kind), about 2 tablespoons of canned 100% Pumpkin (I just keep it in the fridge in a container), add some McCormick's Pumpkin Pie Spice and blend it up in my Magic Bullet blender with using the flat blade attachment (LOOOOOVE this thing).  It's enough for two regular sized cups of coffee - stir it into your coffee so it dissolves.  You can make more, store it in the fridge and give it a little whir whir before stirring it into your ocffee each morning.  

It's 32 calories per serving (this is enough for 2 cups of coffee) and only 1 gram of sugar.  Plus 80% of your vitamin A ;)  Using milk will increase the calories somewhat but will add more protein.  Using skim milk will increase the sugar content.  

Happy Caffeinating!  Next, I'll tackle that peppermint mocha issue (420 calories and 66 grams of sugar for a venti, no whip!)

The Big Fat Shame

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of traffic on social media on "shaming."  Particularly body shaming.  A very beautiful and defined mother of three young children, posing in a midriff baring sports bra type of "workout" outfit, with the caption "What's Your Excuse?" is considered a "fat shamer."  I get what she was trying to convey with the pic - likely something along the lines of "If I can do it with all these little rugrats vying for my attention, then surely YOU can do it!  Stop letting excuses like lack of time keep you from chiseled abs and long flowing hair!"  You know, the typical.  But it made people feel bad about themselves and so now she's a fat shamer.  This hip word, shame, that's now being applied to just about everything, dog shaming, fat shaming, yoga shaming even, is nothing new, right?  Neither is this post!  

Yes, I wish the media would stop portraying photoshopped models as what females look like and instead use normal people (same thing for those gorgeous six packed male models too).  Yes, I wish we would stop nitpicking and bullying each other.  Yes, I wish the retail and fashion industry would stop jacking with sizes so that we all know that a 10 is a 10 is a 10 in a pair of jeans no matter if it's at the Gap or at Walmart.  Yes, I wish people would stop hating each other for whatever body type it is that they have (including hating on skinny people or "skinny shaming").  

But what I really wish is that we'd stop expecting other people to change our beliefs about our body and start doing it ourselves.  Stop believing that you aren't an "athlete" because you were told you didn't need to be good at sports because you were so smart.  Stop believing that the scale tells you how healthy you are or how much of a failure you are.  Stop believing that you can't start over when you missed 4 days of working out.  Stop believing everyone else's definition of who you are.  Stop giving their opinion of you more weight than your own.  

I have always been skinny - go ahead and hate me for it, I don't give a flying you know what.  My mom is skinny and tall and I got the skinny gene.  Guess what?  Skinny didn't save me from being called lots of names!  As a kid, I was "hyper."  As a teenager, I was mocked for having dark circles under my eyes, a big nose, acne (genetic, genetic, puberty) - none of which I could change!  As an adult, I kept playing those tapes in my head.  I gained weight in a job where I traveled a lot.  I ballooned in pregnancy.  I emerged as a self loathing, ready to self destruct, adult.  I just wanted to love myself.  

And then I started to run.  At first, I started to run because I hated myself and seemed like appropriate punishment.  I beat myself up when I missed a run.  I ran harder when I felt like someone was belittling me or taking power away from me.  I ran and I ran and I ran.  

And then I started to race.  At first a 5k.  Then a 10k.  And then a half-marathon.  And now, 10 half marathons and more 5k races then I can count.  

And then a shift.  I don't know when it happened exactly.  Likely close to the time when I got my tummy tuck.  At first, it was so taboo, hush hush, plastic surgery is so fake kind of bull crap.  Then it shifted to a different attitude.  My body had been put back together.  I no longer had a hernia or was asked if I was still pregnant 5 years after I delivered a big, healthy baby boy.  I stopped caring what other people's opinions were of plastic surgery and that spread to what other people's opinion of who I was.  

BEFORE

I started to lift.  I started to ride my bike.  I started to practice more yoga, which had been with me since I was 20.  And I kept running, not because I hated myself anymore.  But because it felt like I could fly.  I started to think that I could help other people on this journey to shift.....so I became what I am today.*

And guess what?  The names still don't stop.  They never will.  The latest is "manly."  I know the context in which it was said and I still love the person who said it because it wasn't malicious but it was still a jab, an opinion, a woman shouldn't be muscular, a leader, assertive type of label.  It's just that now, I don't give it any space in my head.  In fact, I welcome it.  Not because I AM manly.  But because I am strong, and I value wisdom, not opinions.  

I have learned so much.  That only you can take that journey.  I can't make you.  I can't make you take care of yourself.  I can't force you to stop eating crappy food or start exercising.  Nor can I change the tapes in your head.  But I can help replace them with new ones.  You can do it.  You ARE doing it.  You WILL get back up.  I believe you can.  

It still creeps up.  That insecurity.  Those tapes.  The desperate desire for approval.  So I go for a run, I get on the mat, I lift something heavy.  And I breathe.  

*12/6/13:  point of clarification on "what I am today..."  This is a tribute to my clients and students and those who have been part of my journey to become a personal trainer and yoga instructor.  

http://smallbutfierceyogaandfitness.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-beginning.html

Homemade Larabars with Protein Powder

I love Larabars! Especially the peanut butter cookie & chocolate chip cookie dough ones! But what I don't like is the price tag for the number that comes in a box and my retailer having them in stock sporadically and eventually discontinuing them altogether. So I found this recipe for homemade ones on 100 Day of Real Food. I wasn't keen on adding a 1/2 cup of peanut butter so instead I used 1/4 cup of peanut butter and a 1/4 cup of cashews. There wasn't a chocolate chip cookie dough one listed so I came up with my own. It didn't end up tasting like chocolate chip cookie dough, but I still liked it nonetheless. It has peanut butter and chocolate in it so how could I go wrong?

1/4 cup of cashews
1/4 cup of peanut butter
9-10 medjool dates
4 squares of dark chocolate (I used Ghiradelli 100%)
1 1/2 scoops of EAS Vanilla or RAW Vegan Protein Powder
Makes about 6 servings

Grind up cashews, dates (finely) and chocolate (a bit chunky) in a blender or food processor. Combine in a bowl with protein powder and peanut butter and mix into a dough consistency. Roll flat onto a small cookie sheet lined with wax paper (I use the Pampered Chef scraper tool to create the edges) and refrigerate. You can cut into sixths before or after refrigerating.

140 calories and 6 grams of protein per serving.

I use these often for a snack before I teach or train early in the morning or before a mid-length run. They don't sit heavy on my stomach and they will hold me over for about 45-60 minutes.

Tis the Season....

Tis the season for leaves, boots, jeans, bon fires and pumpkin spiced everything. But, as you probably know back in the corner of your mind, "pumpkin spiced" items rarely have actual pumpkin in them, instead are as artificially flavored as my chocolate mint coffee I just picked up from Walmart.

So after you carve up that jack-o-latern and remove it's guts, don't be so quick to discard those hundreds of little seeds into the trash. They are edible and chock full of potassium, protein, iron and magnesium.

Here's my recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds (or "pepitas"):

Remove from pumpkin and rinse, taking care to remove the stringy pumpkin bits. Pat dry with a towel (they'll still feel a little slimey). Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet, spray with coconut oil (or vegetable oil of your choice) and sprinkle with seasoning of your choice (I like seasoned salt). It took me about 30 minutes to roast them, turning them half-way with a spatula, then shaking the cookie sheet out to spread them back out - but make sure to keep an eye on them since some ovens/altitudes cook differently, you definitely don't want to burn them. It's like burning popcorn in the microwave. Let them cool after they are a golden color and enjoy! Be aware that they are NOT a low calorie snack - about 721 calories for a cup. But they are quality calories. Check out nutritional info HERE.

Shrimp, Barley and Veggies with Mojito Lime Seasoning

This was a really great meal using shrimp, barley, veggies and McCormick's Mojito Lime seasoning. I cooked about a cup of barley according to directions with low sodium, low fat chicken broth. I defrosted frozen, cooked shrimp (about half a bag of "medium") and heated a tablespoon of coconut oil. Sautéed the shrimp with the mojito lime seasoning and added the barley. Veggies included radishes, red onion and corn sautéed in coconut oil and a very light sprinkling of seasoning. Roasted bell peppers to top it off (done in the oven, broiled on high and peeled after cooling). It was very good!

Observations

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I actually enjoyed last week's vegan cleanse of juices and smoothies.  I felt lighter, more hydrated and I lost four pounds.  I'm sure they are back this week :)  I added hummus in a few times when I waited too long between juices/smoothies and I went ahead and had some Chick Fil A and popcorn along with my niece, nephew and son as we celebrated end of the summer with lunch, bowling and a movie last Friday. 

I will definitely do it again.  Maybe not for a whole week, unless I prep better for it.  I ended up needing more mason jars and should have juiced a ton in one day, and then froze the juices for easier access.  It wasn't horrible trying to juice every other day, but clean up is...well clean up.

What I've been trying to emphasize through this cleanse is that there is no one magical solution to diet.  True, if you have an allergy or sensitivity, you will need to eliminate foods that cause that inflammation, but otherwise, there is no magic diet to make the pounds melt off.  It's math.  You have to expend energy to make energy.  You have to put nutritious foods in your body to allow it to refuel and recover.  Too much food + not enough energy expended = weight gain.  Not enough food + too much energy expended = weight gain or unhealthy weight loss.  Right amount and type of food + energy expended = healthy body, healthy mind. 

Next up is Tough Mudder training once this pesky injury heals! 

What is your goal???  Set one, sign up, SHOW UP. 

The Plan....

Here is a my plan for next week's juice/smoothie/vegan detox....

Breakfast - Warm (room temp) 8 oz of water as soon as you wake up, followed by Kale and Grapefruit Juice and smoothie 1 hr later

Snack - Juice 2 hrs after smoothie

Lunch - Smoothie 1-2 hours after juice

Snack - Juice 1-2 hours after smoothie

Dinner - Vegan (before 7 p.m.)  Nothing after 8 p.m.

And here's the vegan dinner menu...

Monday - Grilled Corn Polenta and Veggie Kabobs (tomatoes, red onion, mushrooms, red potatoes)

Tuesday - Veggie and Barley Soup in Veg Broth with peas, carrots, celery, yellow onion and sweet potato 

Wednesday - Quinoa Salad with cucumber, dill, zucchini, radishes, olives, spinach with Greek salad dressing

Thursday - Roasted Cauliflower, basil tomato sauce with sautéed zucchini ribbons

Friday - Spicy polenta cakes with corn and bean salsa

Let the cleanse begin!!!  Looking forward to this.  After all, a wise woman once said, your body is your labrotary.  

Confessions of a Personal Trainer and Yogi

I sometimes get sarcastic comments from friends about being healthy and how hard it is or how they just can't do it like I can, etc.  So let me share some secrets with you....I can't always do it either.

Secret #1 - I've put on 5 lbs this year....

I like to think that most of it is muscle and that may very well be true.  But I know that I have also had a running injury that's prevented me from running for 3 weeks prior to a half marathon I just completed and I haven't exactly replaced that cardio with anything.  I've also changed birth control medications and that seems to always make everything swell up.

Secret #2 - I workout about 4 times a week, but sometimes it feels like I phone it in.

I like to be sore after a workout.  A day after, I want to gingerly squat to go potty because my quads and hamstrings are screaming at me.  That hasn't happened a whole lot lately (the screaming, not the potty part).  I also know that when it comes to workouts, I am by far a whole lot better at planning out my client's workouts than my own.  I get an attitude of "well, I know tons of exercises to do, I'm sure something will come to me."  And then end up doing something that doesn't push me enough or I don't move fast enough between workouts like I make my clients.

Secret #3 - I don't practice yoga everyday and I don't meditate.

I've tried.  I really have.  Meditation takes discipline and I always seem to pick the wrong time to do it - like 6 p.m. at night right when husband gets home and I need to "center" before a yoga class and the 5 year old is hungry and whining.  I get to a yoga class (that I don't teach) about once a week.  I get distracted in my own personal practice (which is a reason why people go to class) or I don't find time to do it because the best times to do it, I'm teaching or training.

Secret #4 - I don't always eat healthy.

I do eat healthy a lot, but I don't do it 100% of the time.  I really wish I did.  Not because I am "supposed to" but because I truly feel better when I do.  And I say this after a week of eating nothing but (or it seems like) potatoes, cream and alcohol in Ireland.  And scones.  MMMMMMM....scones.
Sure fatttening food tastes good.  It's supposed to.  It has fat in it.  But fat is supposed to be uesd sparingly as flavor, not as the main ingredient.

So, I am going to start fresh when I arrive back in the states.  It's fun to start fresh.  Even when you start fresh every week.  Or everyday.  I don't look at the above secrets as failures but as areas that I look forward to tackling.  To experimenting with.  I love variety in my workouts and researching new things (new to me or new to a client.  For instance, totally in love with kettlebells right now and TRX).  I'm starting it off with a juice and smoothie cleanse and planning all my workouts out during my week.  Putting the time ON THE CALENDER.  Adding yoga in 3x a week and a daily meditation.  And a daily practice of forgiveness for IF and WHEN....  

McCormick's Mojito Lime Tilapia with Zucchini and Red Quinoa

Here is the recipe for the Mojito Lime Tilapia we had for dinner last night!  I am not real great with quantities, so forgive me for being a little vague.

I used 3 frozen tilapia filets from Treasures of the Sea by Oddessy (from my local Sam's Club - shout out to #4969!).  The quinoa is Inca Red from Ancient Harvest (from Walmart) and I used the World Cuisine Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiral slicer by Paderno to spiral cut a huge zucchini I got fresh from the famer's market.  I cooked everything in Spectrum Organic Coconut Oil (my new oil of choice) as coconut oil is made for medium to high heat, unlike olive oil. 

Defrost the tilapia in warm water in the plastic sealed bags they come in if you are using frozen and heat a tablespoon or so of the coconut oil in a pan.  Heat about 2 tbsp. of the coconut oil in another pan on high (7-8 on a stove using 10 as a measure) for the zucchini.  You want high heat for the zucchini or it will just get soft and watery.  Once the oil is hot, put the zucchini in and turn often so it is light brown when it's done cooking.  Season with McCormick's Grill Mates Mojito Lime seasoning (also from Sam's), lightly.  When the tilapia is defrosted (cold but not frozen), place it in the first pan with the oil that is heated to medium.  Season with Mojito Lime seasoning on one side.  Let it cook until done and flip it carefully and lightly season the second side.  Cook until slightly brown.

Cook quinoa according to instructions and serve layered with zucchini (you'll need to cut the spirals so they aren't one long string of zucchini) and tilapia on top.  Or if you are like my husband, everything neatly in its own pile, not touching.  :)  Love you babe!

More recipes to come!

Yoga Teacher Training Part 1

Today I write to you from exotic Iowa City, IA after week 1 of my 200 hr yoga teacher training.  I am having a lot of fun and learning a lot.  Debbie Williamson and Kellie Lin Knott of Wild Abundant Life are leading the training and they are fabulous.  Kellie is also an accomplished and moving singer (you can find her stuff on iTunes).  We are working hard, doing hours and hours of yoga a day, and learning a lot, going through anatomy, the sutras, the poses (or asanas) and gaining yogi family members.
I already have gigs teaching yoga so I was asked - "why spend all this money and time to go do a national level certification when you don't need it to teach [state of Arkansas does not require one]?  And why IOWA?"  Well sure, I'd love to be in some exotic location like Mexico or Bali but I am really glad I picked Iowa.  It fit pretty perfectly into my schedule, it's beautiful here, and I have met some really amazing people.
So why go for the certification?  First, I rarely do things halfway.  When I want something, I go for it and when I love something, I truly enjoy immersing myself in it, even if it means a million chatarangas a day.  Second, I rarely do things halfway.  Yes, I know I am repeating myself.  I don't just want to be a good yoga teacher, I want to be a great yoga teacher.  I truly believe that exercise, nutrition and overall wellness can change people's lives - we've all seen it and yet we all ignore it at some point in our lives.  We (myself included!) abuse food as a nation, we abuse our bodies and we medicate ourselves instead of seeking to be healed from the root cause.  I am not suggesting that everyone go off their meds, there are definitely conditions that need it, but I am suggesting that people stop thinking that it is better to reverse the symptoms than to dig to the roots.  Finally, I am doing this because I love people.  I really do.  Some more than others :)  And I want to impact people on an individual level and be impacted by them, for the better. Bottom line, whatever your race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, we are all sacred beings in God's eyes.  And remember how pissed off Jesus got about the whole sacred temple situation and started trashing the place?  How do you think he feels about the whole sacred body situation?
This week, I led a class through hips during a vinyasa class.  When we do core and hips in a yoga class, most of the time, everyone groans and complains and it's a very short part considering the whole.   But it's the areas that hold our being up.  We'll do a million chatarangas and hold warrior II for 5 minutes, but 30 crunches is just TOO MUCH.  The day before we had been talking about how those closest to us can hurt us the most, usually because they love and support us the most and because they are the closest to our hearts - the most sensitive area of all.  We often treat people on the periphery of our lives so much better than those closest to us, perhaps because they'll hurt us the least.  What would happen if we started treating those close to us with the importance they have - they hold us up - vs all the groaning and moaning if they offend us?  Hips, Core, Love.  It's all the same.  It's all connected.  I had this epiphany in the car one morning and shared it with the class (this is not a part of yoga that comes easily to me - the nuggets of wisdom that seem to spill out of others, genuine or not).  A lady told Kellie Lin the next day when she came to class that it was a life changing moment for her.  I cried.  It was for me too.

As far as personal training goes, I feel the same way about training as I do about yoga, but I'll save that for another blog :)   Next up is TRX training in August.  :))))

The Beginning....

I must warn you....I am not the best blogger.  My thoughts don't always come out on "paper" the way they are articulated in my head.  I am not always as consistent with posting blogs as I am with status updates.  But I wanted to start this blog because I think it's important, and it may end up being important only to me and my journey, but that's enough.  I want to share my story, share tips and articles on health, fitness, yoga and overall well being, and just generally connect with a broader audience.  So here we go...

I worked in the corporate world at Walmart headquarters for 10 years.  I liked it.  I didn't love it.  Not because I didn't like the company (I did) or my job (I did), but it wasn't my passion.  I felt restless and like I was leaving something for later that I wanted to be doing now.  What I loved, was the people.  I've always loved people.  I've found that most of us have big hearts, compelling stories, faults, mistakes, love, loss.  Most of us are to be trusted, some of us are not.  And many of us struggle, with our thoughts, our bodies, our perception and misconceptions of beauty and worth.  I know I have.  Through my own struggle, I found strength in my body and mind through running and yoga.  Then in strength training.  And in biking.  And hiking....you get the picture.  Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to impact people on a more personal level and in an area most of us struggle in.  So I left my job, my good paycheck and security to become a personal trainer and yoga instructor.  I may fail at it.  I hope not and I don't think I will but not being afraid to fail is where I will succeed.

I am fortunate to have the undying support of my husband of 10 years.  He said, I want you to be happy and I want you to pursue your dream.  Go for it.  So I did.  I poured my entire self into studying and passed my personal trainer certification in spring of this year.  I attended a 60 hr yoga teacher training.  All while working full time.  I networked, I asked questions.  Now I have the privilege of helping others as they work towards their own personal health and wellness goals.

Next up....200 hr yoga teacher training...a national level certification.