New start..

Wow, it's been exactly one month since I last posted - baaaad blogger!!

So much has happened in that time. For a start I'M A QUALIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER!!! Amazing right?!
Not only that but I'm a qualified Gym Instructor too with a Sports Nutrition certificate too.
I have been so stressed during this course..I small part of the old me came back. The me that stress eats..oh my god it was obscene!
I couldn't stay out of the kitchen and because I was so tired by the end of the day, I wasn't working out either (outside of the classes I had to do) Ugh, have never felt so unfit and unhealthy in a long time BUT it was only for a few weeks and it's over now, so back to my old routine :)

I am so proud of myself for getting through the course. It's a huge deal for me, I have NEVER done anything like this before and even though it was a big decision and I was terrified I knew I could do it.
Now the hard work really starts though..and all out of nowhere I've had a lot of decisions to make.

On my last day of the course I had an interview for a super posh gym (which just happens to be just down the road from my house) BUT the gym rent is so expensive and as much as I liked the gym itself...there wasn't the most welcoming of vibes coming from the staff so I decided to turn the job down.
In the meantime, my old boss from the bookshop I used to work at called and said he's opening another bookshop and did I want to come back.

Excellent! I thought, I can do part time hours at the bookshop, do personal training in the mornings and afternoons and know that i'm earning enough money to pay back the course fees. However I must admit that at the back of mind I couldn't help but feel a little sad. I thougth I'd left my days of retail behind me..this was supposed to be fresh start of my new career.

THEN..the guy who interviewed me for the super posh gym got in touch and said that a girl had left the gym and now there was only one female personal trainer there (apparently us females are in demand) and they still really want me blah blah blah and have offered to let me work at the gym for a day or two as a trial run to see how the place runs.

I am so tempted...but I can't help but think how unfriendly the people were and that I HAVE to get clients coz I'll be owing the gym rent at the end of the month. It's such a scary thought...but then, this is what I want to do and I'll get paid well for it..so long as I get the clients.

It's all about stepping out of my comfort zone isn't it..


I'll never know what I could have acheived if I don't give it a go...part of me knows I can do this on my own..I don't need to pay gym rent and I know that the sensible option is to go to the bookshop buuuuut I'm tempted by this gym. It has a good reputation and at the end of the day it's all experience isn't it?
I can always keep an eye out for other gym jobs. Infact I've applied for a few already so who knows...

I have to learn to just roll with the punches..life has a way of working out for the best.

Stresssssssssssssssss!!

Oh my...so much to catch up on!


So. First things first.
I have my offical assessment and theory exams coming this week - eeeeeek!! So, really I should be revising right now but alas..life gets in the way.
This week has been extraordinarily stressful. I've had my course to work on, roller derby business to attend to AND sort out my part time cleaning job issues. It's been a loooooooong week.

So, to update, I quit my cleaning job. I worked for them for 7 weeks & they didn't pay me once & messed me around. Even though I'm not really in a position to tell them where to go, I had to. I need that extra hour for revision and chasing them for my money every week was becoming so stressful.



Roller derby, well, let me tell you I seriously considered quitting it this week. It made me so sad to think that something I once loved SO much was now something I dreaded doing. Something that was meant to be a fun hobby had turned into something so stressful and was making me feel like crap.
I had gotten myself into this situation by not taking control. I was in charge and for whatever reason I had let someone else take the reigns ..BIG MISTAKE!

I have since decided to take the power back. I AM IN CHARGE!! This ends now. I am so proud of my girls (makes me sound like a madam when I say that! haha) and how far they've come. There is no way I am walking away and letting someone else take control.
So..I am channeling my inner Sarah Connor...and god help anyone who gets in my way on Sunday!!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again running a sports team (of any kind) is a full time job. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes and I'm amazed at times that people do it at all.
I guess if you have a strong support system that makes it a lot easier.
I've been holding the fort on my own recently which is maybe why I let things slide a bit an have found myself in somewhat of a sticky situation but you live and learn.

I'm stressed about my course too. Obviously passing my mock exams and formative assessment is a good indication of how I'm doing but I can't rely on that. So every spare minute I have I'm trying to revise and get as much knowledge in my head as I can. Thank god for you tube and they very cool videos other people make that make anatomy etc fun or at the very least understandable! Origins and insertions are messing with my mind and don't get me started on the sliding filament theory....oh boy, so much to learn in such a short space of time. It's going to fast too. I can't believe I start week 3 on Monday..where has the time gone??

Well, that's about all I can update for now.
Am waiting for my vegan sausages to cool down before I add them to my salad for lunch. Got some avacados the other day that are ready to eat (hooray!! I hate waiting for them to ripen..it's takes soooooo long!!)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!
xxxx

Part One (long story..but not!)

Have I really not blogged since the start of my course? Well, that gives you an indication of how hard I'm working.
I'm really enjoying the course (to be a Personal Trainer), can't believe it's week 2 already! Have met some really great people and some not so great but let's forget them for now.

In my first 2 weeks I've had two mock exams (passed both) and a formative assessment (passed that too) I have to have my offical assesment on Monday or Tuesday next week. Was SO stressed about it this morning, I honestly thought I was going to be sick haha drama queen!!
For our assessments we had to be put in pairs and act as a Personal Trainer to our 'client' - make sence?
We had to write out a session plan for our 'client' and our tutor would randomly select portions of the plan and we'd have to act it out.
I got some good feedback, oddly enough was told I didn't talk enough! I explained that I didn't want my tutor to think I was pissing about or not taking it seriously. Main thing is..I passed! You have to pass before you can take the offical assessment.

Gahhh...have been trying to write this blog for a few days now and I have to leave.....ok...part 2 coming soon!!!

It's Happening!!

Well well well...it's really happening.

My Personal Trainer course starts tomorrow..eeeeeek!! I must admit I'm not that nervous, although ask me that tonight when I'm tucked up in bed and I might have a different answer.


I created my own Facebook page called Ultimate Moxie I'm sure some people see it as a massive ego trip but it really isn't. I realised that my personal weight loss story is interesting to some people, as they always ask me about it..how did I do it? , was it easy? etc and there are so many tips and recipes I can give to people.

I guess I just like the idea of helping people acheive their weight loss and health goals.
I post all kinds of stuff on the Ultimate Moxie page, recipes, photos motivation etc and so far I'm getting a great response from it. :)I just hope that as my own knowledge grows I'll be able to help more people.




I've been giving a lot of thought into what I want to do after the course. In terms of who I want to work with, classes I might teach and how I'm going to make a career out of health and fitness.
Once I'm qualified there will be so many paths available to me, it's really quite exciting!
I've kinda fallen in love with Dynamic Yoga recently and
the more I do it the more I think I'd like to one day teach a
Dynamic Yoga class, or maybe a Yoga with weights class...but that's all far far away in a future not yet decided.


In other news, my Roller Derby team had a Fresh Meat session this weekend and as usual it was a blast! I LOVE newbies :) They are always so enthusiastic and ready to give it their all, which is all I can ever ask for as a coach and a player (playa! haha *cough...sorry, moving on)
So we've invited the newbies to come to a proper session and see how they get on. I have no doubts that they'll  love it.


Well, that's all I can update on for the moment...catch you on the flip side mofos! ;)

xoxoxox

Dissapointing Vegans

There seems to be a trend lately of people giving up on veganism. It's really dissapointing :(

I don't give a crap what anyone else eats, it's your body not mine. However I've been following certain blogs for a while now and at least 2 of them have started not just eating dairy but meat too! Under the idea of 'listening to your body' basically saying if your body craves meat then it's ok to eat it.
I'm begining to think the people didn't really grasp what veganism is in the first place. I mean come on now..what the fuck?!

Personally I don't buy into the veganism for health idea, veganism is no more healthy than a balanced omnivore diet. For me being vegan is an ethical choice, always has been and always will be!
How these people can believe so strongly in the cause and then turn their backs to the suffering they know is happening is just so dissapointing. So it's ok for an animal to suffer and die in misery so you can enjoy some chicken wings after training..what a crock!

I read recently that Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel have turned their backs on veganism too. Was gutted to read that Natalie Portman gave up on veganism since she became pregnant, which promotes the myth that it's unhealthy and considering the campaigning Natalie has done over the years for PETA (a company for another blog post!) it's just a giant slap in the face.

I guess I just don't get it. I've only been vegan for just over a year but I can't imagine ever going back to eating dairy let alone meat. I'm not out to make everyone in the world vegan, far from it. It has to be a choice and you have to make it for yourself.

There is a lot more I could say on this subject but I'm having a hell of a long day & the headache that turned into a migrane on Sunday night is still kinda lingering so I'm going to leave that here....for now.

It's raining it's pouring...

I love the rain. Call me a goth if you will but I've never been a fan of the summer, more of autumn/winter kinda gal. I love how the rain sounds & feels. I like to have music when I go running but when it rains, that's my cue to leave my mp3 player at home. It's a totaly different experience.

So, I got soaked..

So did my dog (forgot to take a pic - but trust me, that was one soggy doggy!) Was totaly worth it though, I felt great for the rest of the day. I should really start timing my runs (oh the jokes!) but when I started going running I didn't want any pressure, think I was under the impression it would make it easier - ha!

Promised myself I'd have a go at making a Green Monster shake one day this week, I'm not really a fan of shakes or smoothies but so many people are raving about them that I have decided to be a sheep & try one out. We'll see ;)

This is a short post as aside from a bit of study & some old episodes of The Apprentice I didn't do much else. Also, as I write this my husband is asleep next to me & I don't want me hammering away on the keyboard to wake him up.

Good night internet
xxxx

Studying!!

My brain is buzzing with so much information. I've started my pre-learning study for the Personal Trainer Course. I've managed to get myself onto the August course so I only have 2 weeks to prepare!!
It's been kinda fun though, I think because I'm actually interested in what I'm studying it doesn't feel like a chore.

I have no other news really. I went to see Captain America last night and really enjoyed it. I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did. Didn't get back hom till after midnight and didn't get to bed till gone 1am so I had a cheeky lie in this morning (which I havn't done since I was made redundant, was determined to keep getting up at a resonable hour) so that was nice.

 The weather has been so hot recently it's made running hard but I'm determined to keep it up. I've already noticed an improvement in my stamina. It's funny how I hate the first 10mins or so but then I really get into the swing of it. This kind of weather makes me want to swim! When am I going to win the lottery so I can have a pool??? :)

xxx