Body. Mind. Spirit. Are you ready?

Three weeks into my 30 day hot yoga challenge. Loving it! With one week left in the challenge I know I can't just stop after the 30 days is over. So I've decided I want to keep going ... incorporate it into my regular exercise regime. I made some other decisions too. I decided I won't be competing next year (or maybe ever ... but never say never). My body, mind, and spirit are not ready ... They're screaming for a break from that kind of training and that kind of dieting. I'm not abandoning my healthy lifestyle at all. I'm still going to exercise ... full body workouts a few times a week ... Yoga at least 3 times a week ... And probably hit a boot camp or two. I'm still going to eat healthy. My eating will be an experiment involving vegetarian meals and raw food ... not a complete change ... just an experiment.

Yes! That's my decision and I'm sticking to it!

So why am I thinking about getting on stage again next year? Sigh. It's probably because I went to a competition this weekend. Seeing all the athletes on stage got me excited. I wanted to be up there. Of course I always end up running into fellow competitors from previous shows or trainers asking me when I'll be on stage again. When I say "I don't know" ... all I hear is "See you on stage in 2012!" or "Come on! You love it! You have fun up there!" Or "Thought you'd be on stage tonight" or "You get better every year!" Comments that have the potential to sway me from my decision to NOT compete next year (or maybe ever ... but never say never). But ... it's not going to happen. My mind is made up. As much as I think I want to be on stage next year I know my body, mind, and spirit are not ready.

I've Come a Long Way

It was the winter of 2006 when I started to train for my very first physique competition. It was the fitness model category. Hahaha! Wow! I've come a long way since then. After that first show I did 6 more in the figure category. Some were not great experiences. Most were pretty awesome! Through it all, I developed my passion for all things fitness and health. I wanted more of it. I wanted to challenge myself to see how much farther I could go. I wanted to hang out with people who lived the fitness lifestyle. I wanted to live that uber healthy lifestyle too. I wanted to share with everybody how good it feels being fit! So I got certified as a group fitness instructor. I started out doing the odd class here and there. Now I'm a regular at "the largest multi-sport complex of its kind in Canada"... the Talisman Centre in Calgary. It's an awesome way to motivate a large group of people and have fun at the same time!



So why stop there ... right? Right! I've mentioned this in a previous blog entry ... I'm actually going to take a personal training course. In fact, it starts next week. I was on the fence about actually getting certified as a personal trainer. I had all kinds of excuses. "Everybody's a personal trainer." "I'm too old." "I've got way too much to learn." "There's no way I could make a decent living." Then I recognized those excuses for what they really are .... FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real.

I'm inundated with positive quotes and messages from Twitter and Facebook friends about living my best life and following my passion ... and that the only thing holding me back is myself. So I'm doing my best to get out of my way and I'm going for it!



So even though if feels like my journey has just begun, I know I've come a long way and I'm stoked about the journey ahead!

There's no whining at Hour of Honour!

I learned very early on with my trainer Nathan that complaining about anything in his workouts will cost you in sweat and muscle pain. There's no whining at Hour of Honour. In fact, for the first few weeks I attended, I barely spoke or made eye contact with him. I just did what I was told. Well today I was trying to play Superwoman but I couldn't handle it any longer. I had a sharp pain in my left knee that I've been feeling when I run on the treadmill for the last few weeks. I had a run right before going to Hour of Honour and had to cut it short by about 5 minutes because of the sharp pain every time my left foot hit the tread. I was not impressed. But like a true athlete I thought I could "play through". So off I went with my Superwoman cape blowing in the wind from my gym to the Athlete Factory where Nate puts us through our paces. We started with our regular warm-up laps ... and bang ... sharp pain in the knee hit me at the end of lap 2. I had to walk the last little bit. I resisted saying anything for a few seconds then I thought I have to. So all I did was yell "Pain in the knee" and I pointed to it. Nathan said "Pain in my ear!" But then he eventually modified a few exercises for me. I felt like wimp. I wanted to do backwards leap frogs. I wanted to do one-legged squats and go all the way down like everyone else. I wanted to do full out sprints. (Wow. I can't believe I just said that.) But I couldn't do those things tonight. I felt like a total whiner and I felt like Nathan was annoyed. I need to get over that.

So what did I learn from all of this? That sometimes EGO gets in the way. For such a small word, it can have such a BIG impact on so many things. Have you checked your EGO lately? You may be surprised at what you find.