sweaty

the space between where you are and where you want to be is inspiring.

~ loveandlunge ~ 1 Comment

Have you guys ever seen that SNL sketch about back home ballers?  If not, I will leave you with this, come back when you’re done.  Right now Leslie Jones going “Bowls, bowls, all types of bowls” is stuck in my head except I have rearranged the lyrics to be “Goals, goals, all types of goals”.  I am aware I’m a lunatic.

I’ve been doing a heck of a lot of self-reflection lately and one of the weirdest realizations I’ve come to is that I am extremely goal oriented.  Someone at work asked me the other day, “What are the top three things on your bucket list?”.  I stopped and thought about it for awhile.  To be honest, I don’t have a bucket list.  I set a goal and then I work to get it done.  I wanted to run a half marathon, so I did it.  I wanted to become a certified personal trainer, so I did it.  I wanted to teach spin classes, so I did it.  This is what motivates me in the morning.  It’s the reason once I stop working, I start in on a long list of other projects I’ve got going on.  I’m never happy with where I am, but I know where I want to be.  In the middle of all of that madness is where I find the inspiration to keep going.

I heard this quote the other day “the space between where you are and where you want to be is inspiring”.  I have goals and dreams bigger than I can imagine at this point.  I don’t have a crystal clear picture, but I know the type of person I want to be and everyday I do something to work towards that goal.  While I’m working towards my goal, I’m crushing small goal after small goal and each one is inspiring me and fueling me even more.


I don’t crush all my goals though.  In fact, for every step I’ve taken forward I feel like I’ve taken four giant leaps back.  But it’s that tenacity and that feeling of knowing there’s more good to come that makes me work a little bit harder.

In my spin classes recently, I have regularly reminding my riders to not get complacent.  That minute that we feel comfortable and secure is the minute that you should realize you could be doing more.  It’s hit your butt on the seat and coast after a hard climb, but that’s not the type of thing that changes you.  We did a class the other day that cycled between a run, a climb, and an interval set over and over again with very minimal rest.  It was so difficult, but everyone was happy with how they had performed in class.  They had set a goal of completing the challenging workout and as they worked to get there, they realized the power of what they were doing to reach that goal.  Something we can all take away, that’s for sure.

 

-sj

get educated. why knowledge is more powerful than how much you can bench press.

~ loveandlunge ~ Leave a comment

It’s chill, guys, I’ve only had the most epic weekend ever.  Honestly, what an awesome time all around.  On Saturday, I got to teach my first Spinning® Class and it was everything.  It felt completely natural up there on the bike and I had a great time rocking out with the class.  The energy was great, the ride was challenging, I couldn’t have asked for anything better.  I got a lot of positive feedback following as well, which really was awesome to hear because being a sub ain’t easy.  I’ve got three more classes coming up in the next two weeks, so if you’re in the Central Jersey area, let me know and I’ll hook ya up!

On Sunday, after getting to spend an amazing Saturday night in Philly with some of my BBG girlfriends, it was up and at em for the BBG Philly Meet-up.  The BBG Philly Meet-up happens once a month and it’s epic.  This month was especially amazing for me because I got a chance to lead the workout alongside some of the best ladies.  The workout was difficult for sure and the 90 degree heat added a little extra struggle, but there were smiles on every single persons face through the pain and it made it fly by.  I wouldn’t have traded Sunday for the world.

Planning the workout for Sunday was a bit of a challenge.  I knew that I wanted to do something that was tough, but modify-able to suit all fitness levels.  I also knew that in meet-ups past, the workouts had been a little more haphazard and I wanted to keep it true to what I know makes for an effective workout.  I think education is extremely important in fitness and often overlooked.

These days, image is everything.  We are inundated with pictures on Facebook, Instagram and the like with some fitness-celeb-want-to-be hocking the workout they just did promising you’ll get their results too if you just follow what they’re doing.  They are spewing information left and right, but they’ve got no substance to back it up.  Just because someone looks the part does not mean you should take their word as gospel.

There’s a reason I became a NASM certified personal trainer and I went out and got my Spinning® certification before I taught a class, I never wanted to give someone an answer to a question without knowing with confidence that I was correct.  I studied hard for both of those exams and passed them easily my first time through because learning is important to me.  You can tell the difference between people who know what they’re talking about and those who don’t.  That’s why I get irritated when people teach classes or create workout plans when they don’t have the certifications to back it up.

You wouldn’t hire a doctor without an MD or a lawyer without a JD, but you’ll willingly go to someone’s class who you’ve only seen pictures of on the Internet because they have a lot of followers?  That’s silly.  Chances are, they’re just doing what they think is good and it very well might be, but they could be missing out on crucial aspects that could prevent you from maximizing your workout or could lead to injury.

Take for instance a very prominent Soul Cycle trainer that’s often touted as a semi-god on Instagram.  Well, I attended one of his classes a couple of weeks ago and was shocked to see how uneducated he was.  He had us doing extremely risky moves on the bike like one armed push-ups while standing, which is a hugeee nono if you’re a good instructor.  One false move and you’ve got a liability lawsuit on your hands.  He also went around and upped people’s resistance, another huge no.  Too much resistance at a fast pace can easily blow out your knees and you never know anyone’s limits.

Don’t get me wrong, there are Instagram famous fitness celebs that are certified and you can tell.  Kayla Itsines, Lauren Gliesberg, and others have the knowledge to create quality plans and lead workouts based on science.  You can read the NASM textbook and compare it to either one of their guides and they fit to a T.  The same cannot be said for others.  There is a lot of information on the internet that makes people think that because they’ve read a series of articles, they have the qualifications to make recommendations to others.

I don’t think everyone has to get certified to educate themselves, but if you are truly interested in leading others and giving your opinion, you should have the credentials to back it up.  If you are just someone who enjoys working out and going to classes, there’s no need to dole out the cash for a certification, just make sure you are getting reliable information from credible sources when you need questions asked.  If you in anyway want to teach a class or offer personal training services, you best believe a certification should be in your future, I don’t care how many followers you have.
-sj