I have tried to put this “What Does Coaching Mean to Me” post together for quite some time but I just end up verbally vomiting and/or crying so I’ll keep it short and spare you the excess!
Coming out of the most stressful and exhausting year of my life I can honestly say I have NO idea where I’d be without my workouts, my team and my challengers - Coaching has changed and SAVED my life.
Let me elaborate.
Mentally - On the days I wanted to curl into the fetal position and scream WHY ME louder than Nancy Kerrigan I checked into my groups. Truth - I wasn’t even running my own, I was participating as a challenger for the first time in a LONG time and I’ll tell you why. These groups are hands down FAVORITE part of my journey and I put SO MUCH of myself into them. New recipes, fitness and nutrition tips etc. If I can’t give 100% I won’t do it. So when I was having a woe is me moment I would see other ladies and gents with their own full plates putting in the work and taking a second from their own lives to remind me I COULD do this and I am worth it. Basically I got this opportunity see what it was like as a challenger and took a very humbling moment/reminder that these things are SO very special.
Physically - Now if you haven’t figured it out by now I am #FitObsessed. Now that is VERY different than seeking PERFECTION from my routine. It’s my therapy. My sounding board. It’s the one thing in this crazy world I control. I decide who shows up everytime I step onto my matte or into the studio. The world may dictate who, what, when, where and why BUT I’m the HBIC when it comes to my workouts. So this is where it gets interesting. One of my biggest symptoms of Hashimotos is fatigue and the way my body reacts to high impact workouts HOWEVER with the stress I craved it. Normally I’m a lot impact girl #PilatesForLife but I found myself craving the type of workout where I pushed myself to the limits. I’m talking sweat dripping down my face, thinking I’m going to die type of workouts. It was a reminder to myself and my brain that I am capable of ANYTHING I put my mind to. And most importantly I control me.
Financially - I have said it again and again - when I come back it’s as a civil service advocate. The people who keep us safe who run into burning buildings for us make NOTHING. So as a #FireFamily the majority of our income came from Brian’s OTs and his side Gutter biz. Well with the injury we had to close the biz and OTs weren’t happening. That means a significant portion of our income wasn’t happening. Know what did though? Coaching. Now I want to preface this with this Coaching is the love of my life. It allows me to genuinely connect with other fit minded peeps and it makes me wake up in the morning HOWEVER - it is a business. And when I treat it like a business it PAYS like a business. So for the past few years when we were stretched so very thin - doing the end of month shuffle “I can be late on the car payment but not the credit card and that leaves me 1 day before the mortgage” etc. etc. - Coaching gave us some breathing room. I wont get into too many specifics because I know money talk turns people off but let’s be honest bills don’t pay themselves. So when I started I wanted free Shakeology. Now my little side hustle pays my mortgage and a few other bills.
On top of all of this is the underlying factor that it was my consistent. Whether we were having a good day, bad day, etc it was there and there were people putting in the work. I have learned small habits (positive or negative) snowball into a routine so if I had a choice I would choose positive EVERY time.
It’s not always easy but its not impossible. So to wrap this up Coaching has brought the exact people into my life when I needed it the most. The type of people that cheer me on, pick me up and remind me how freaking strong I am and that I am capable of ANYTHING. It has kept me healthy and happy through a pregnancy and 2 post partum journeys where I gained 60+lbs each time! And probably the biggest thing is it game me the FREEDOM of time with my family while still bringing in the type of money that allowed us to sustain our lifestyle.
So whatever it is you’re looking for; whether it be a #fitminded community, a new challenging workout program, a travel/college/shoe fund or just some spending money and the pride that comes with creating something of your very own - I got YOU! And from the very bottom of my heart I WANT to do this with you. I have found my passion and in this time of year I am so very grateful for every day and every person on this journey.
Let’s chat!