Exciting New Chapter

What an incredible year 2013 has been so far and I'm sure the rest of the year will be just as (if not more) exciting than the first four months.

Here's a praise report from the last few months (and a little back into 2012...) God has truly blessed our lives so much!

• In December 2012, Adam and I bought a home! Yay!
• A little before that, I changed jobs (which made the home purchase a little more difficult, but God always has a plan). I started working as a Sales Rep for Med Away Disposal Services and River Mill Data Management.
• Adam and I celebrated our first anniversary :)
• In February, I began facilitating our life school class - Run for God. Awesome, sweet, amazing journey.
• Just a few short weeks after the class begin, I began a new journey to pursue my passion for fitness. I met with some local fitness professionals to learn about pursuing a career or part-time position in fitness. They recommended I start with a group fitness cerfitication... so I signed up and started studying.
• I signed up for a marathon... still hasn't fully set in... training starts in a couple of weeks and the race is November 9th!
• I studied and took my group fitness certification. Feel like it went great, but still awaiting the results...
• Today, 58 Run for God Participants completed the goal race! More on today's race in a future blog but for now, here's our group photo!
  

When I finished the group fitness certification test, I wondered when I would get the opportunity to use it, how would I find someone to shadow and learn more, am I really sure this is for me?

But Got in his awesome design has opened a new door and is giving me the opportunity to use my work experience and passion for fitness in a new career!

Starting May 1st, I will begin a new position as the General Manger for AC Fitness for Women (a women's only health club). I am so thankful for this opportunity and can't wait to get started! During the month of May, I will get to shadow the current General Manager. What an awesome way to ease the transition.

Can't wait to begin and share this new chapter on some future blogs!
I am so thankful to Butch Barwick and the entire River Mill Team for the opportunity to work there. Although it may have been a short run, God allowed me to meet some really great people, learn from each of them, and grow personally and professionally.

And one extra sweet little blessing from God, we are on our way to a weekend get away at the Beach! So thankful for a little rest and relaxation. Icing on the cake...  we are heading to the same place that began the Run for God journey... Here's a few photos from our last beach trip.

At the Back Porch for dinner with Jullian. She's the one that told me about a running/bible study program going on at her church.

Visiting with our sweet Aunt Boo Boo and Uncle David. We are staying at their condo in Panama City Beach. If you ever need a condo, let us get you in contact with them!

Beach photos with my love

Pre-Race Jitters

With our Run for God goal race tomorrow, I think it's time to tackle those pre-race jitters.

I remember my very first race... January 1, 2011. Life changing and terrifying! First off, the race was in Atlanta (wasn't sure where to go), the weather was not as pleasant as I would have liked...

The red pin... that's where the race was...

And like anything new or different, sometime we just get nervous because we don't know what to expect.



Here's my very first bib number - nerves and all! (and yes... this was about 35 pounds ago)



So how do we overcome those pre-race jitters. Here's a few suggestions:

• Stick to your routine. Imagine race day as just another run on a new route with a few friends (OK maybe more than a few...) Don't try to do anything extra special on race day. Watch your diet and be sure to get rest the night before.
• Mentally prepare for the race. You can do it. Say it over and over again if you need to. Think positive.
• Relax - yes that seems hard with all the excitement around you but breathe through the nervousness and excitement. Side note - you're going to need that oxygen during the run.
• Break the race into segments. For our 5k race, break it down into 3 1 mile chunks with a .1 victory stretch :) Running the smaller segments will help you mentally overcome the race.

Hope those tips help. Here's a few more photos from my very first race for your entertainment :)

Run for God - Week 10 - "Test Run"

With Race day only 2 days away (6 days away as of our class Sunday), I can feel the excitement! Sunday we had an opportunity to "test run" the full 5k distance and our class rocked it.

I would love to tell you in words how awesome it was to see each person complete the 5k distance, but I just couldn't do it justice. See, as we "run the race" God has planned for us, we change... he transforms us... he empowers us. Christ is in us, with us, for us, before us... His love is perfect and will never change.

So as I watched each person round the corner and run toward our mock finish line Sunday, I reflected on the journey. I thanked God for each individual, for their journey, and for allowing me to be a vessel to deliver his sweet love and encouragement. There are also so many wonderful testimonies of God's perfect love, his strength, and his glory in this journey. I would love to share some of those testimonies but for now (until those individuals give me permission...) I'll just share some pictures. I would love to share every picture, but there are over 100... here's some of my favorite pictures from Sunday!




Race Line Up

And they're off!

This is the point where we both look at each other and say, "They're gone... now what?"

 

1st Place guy and gal

 

And here are some pictures of big smiles as they finish the "test run"

 

 

This is my Mom who completed her first 3.1 miles on Sunday. So incredibly proud of her!

New friendships made :)

Final "pep talk" as we end our Run for God class

 

 Our goal race is this Saturday. I am looking forward to sharing more then! If you are following along for the workouts, this week's workout is Run 3 miles (workout 1), Run 2 miles (workout 2), walk 20 min (workout 3).

 

I'll leave you with one of my favorite versus and the one I wear on my wrist as a daily reminder:

 

Hebrews 12: 1-3

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Run for God - Week 9 - The Next Step?

With only 10 days until our goal race, I can already feel the excitement and buzz for it. Wait... The excitement has always been here! I remember what it felt like in January as the participants started to sign up. I was excited about every single person! When I would see a new addition, I prayed about their journey and thanked God for every single individual. Now as we reach our goal race, I am still thanking God for every single person. I can't wait to see each person cross the finish line (so I better run fast...), hug their sweaty neck, and share in the joy of completing the race.

 

This past Sunday was a real treat. It seemed as though we may get another "rain cleansing", but the rain and skies calmed as we met. When we left for a run, overcast skies, and we had a great 30 minute run. We also had a really good discussion about keeping Christ in the forefront of every aspect of our lives: our family, our hobbies, our work, our everything! Think about a pancake vs a waffle. We want God's grace, love, and leadership covering every aspect of our lives like syrup covers and seeps into a pancake. We don't want to put God into "compartments" of our life like waffles.

 

This upcoming Sunday is our last class :( but I'm pretty positive that it is not the end!

 

 

 

For the last couple of weeks, many of the participants have been asking me "what's next?" Now I'm a planner, so I thought about what was next in January before the class ever started. What I have learned, however, is that God's plans are always bigger and better than my plans.

 

He is equipping and preparing each of us for our purpose in his kingdom. He is always doing that. He gives us gifts, experiences, and passions that prepare us for his service.

 

Here's my thoughts (in an email to the class) as I have prayed about the future:

 

There are quite a few people in this class that are equipped to lead another 5k Run for God program. If that interests you, please let me know and I can help you there! I could see an entire team of people coming out of this group to lead. I also could see a "next step" class coming out of this study like a 10k training program. This next step could run in conjunction with the next 5k program (and the 10k group would just run longer) It also wouldn't be far fetched to start a training program for a half marathon. Some of you could go that path. Finally, there might not be a next step for Run for God... Maybe a group run each week comes out of it or just some great new relationships. What ever happens, I pray that you continue to pursue physical and spiritual health.

 

I am encouraged that so many of you want to continue some sort of journey that has been initiated by Run for God! I know that God is and has been at work through this entire journey. I thank him daily for allowing me to be a part of this journey. I am humbled that he has allowed me to see his hand at work in each and every one of you! I'll share more about my journey in a future blog post, but I am so thankful that God has allowed me to grow through this journey as well.

 

I have also encouraged each individual to develop at least two goals: a physical goal and a spiritual goal. As we conclude the class this Sunday, we are going to share, encourage, and empower each other to pursue God's call for our lives.

 

If you are following along in the workouts, this week's workout is a 5 min warm up, 30 minute run, 5 min cool down and stretch.

Group Fitness Certifation...Done.

Update - I passed :) missed 9 questions on the written test so I made a 91. Here's my certificate!

Saturday, April 13, 2013, I took the AFAA Group Fitness Certification. I spent a good deal of time studying and preparing for the two part exams: written and practical. I've already told you about the pre-certification jitters, fears, and thoughts.

I've learned that anything really worth pursuing will sometimes be uncomfortable, scary, and hard. That's ok.

“ But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through. "
— Francis Chan

Well God is always with me. He is especially visible when I am following his path for me. I know God created and designed me just the way he wants me. He put a passion in my heart for health and fitness so that I can use it as a tool to share his love and transforming power with others.

I'm a planner... as I mentioned before I had been studying for a good month. I also like to confirm parking, location, and travel distance (since I knew I would be driving up that morning) to insure I am early. Well it's a good thing I like to confirm details because the certification had changed locations. It was originally scheduled to happen at Georgia State's Campus but was moved to Georgia Tech...

Here's how the exam day went.... (I didn't take one picture from the entire trip... weird for me, so I'll do my best to describe in words ;))

Woke up at 5:30 Saturday morning. I'm a morning person (esp after a trip to Starbucks) so the early wake up didn't bother me. I was also very excited but had a wonderful peace and calm about the experience. (Thank you Lord)

My mom traveled with me. We arrived in Atlanta about 8:15. There was a 5k race going on at Georgia Tech. Had I known prior... I probably would have run it. Off the tangent... I parked where the GPS told me the building was and then roamed for about 20 minutes trying to locate the actual facility. I arrived at the campus rec center (It was beautiful, awesome, huge, epic - I would totally go to Georgia Tech just for that awesome facility). The group was assembling at the front, so I grabbed my paperwork and worked on that.

After completing the waiver, showing my ID and CPR card, I was ready to go. We hiked up some stairs and arrived at the area where we would spend the day. Like I said, awesome facility. We were in one of their group fitness rooms.

We started about 9:15 with introductions. Our instructor for the day was Yota. She was awesome. There were 17 of us going through the class. I had read on another blog to meet your peers, so I made sure to speak and mingle (and learn) from those around me. Here's my favorite thing about the people in the group, everyone is different. Oh and we're all "just normal people" College students, some seeking a second career, a dancer, a guy getting ready to go into the marines. Some were from small towns and some from the city. Only two out of 17 had ever taught group fitness before (I didn't count Run for God as teaching group fitness but I did share the experience with some of the participants)

On from the people, we started class by identifying all the major muscles and joints in our body and the action they perform (flexion, extension, adduction, abduction) It was a great run through! She weaved in some of the study guide material into the review from the beginning. She did a really great job reviewing information that would help for both the practical and written exams.

Next we reviewed the AFAA 5 questions (in detail - multiple times...really important):

1.  What is the purpose of this exercise?
2. Are you doing that effectively?
3. Does this exercise cause any safety concerns?
4. Can you maintain proper alignment and form for the duration of this exercise?
5. For whom is this exercise appropriate or inappropriate?

Then we discussed proper form and alignment. This was our first chance to practice speaking to a small group. We had to share proper form for different positions, standing, seated, on your back, hands and knees.

After alignment we started "practicing" for the practical exam. Seriously we went over ever single thing for the practical test. If you can remember what you did during the "practice round" you should be fine on the test.

Two things to mention about the practice;
1. There are mirrors all around the room. If you mess up... look at a friend who is doing right :)
2. I don't normally like to volunteer to be a guinea pig... but when given a chance to practice for the individual presentation... I took it. Super glad I did too because I bombed the practice round. I decided to teach squats and tried to keep them on a beat... epic fail. But I learned from that mistake and aced it during the testing!

So I'll skip talking about the rest of the practice and studying for the written test and talk about the testing.
The test is broken into two parts: Practical and written.

The Practical exam. The practical exam has 3 parts: Cardio section, strength and stretching section, and an individual presentation. Here's how it went.

We were lined up in 4 lines. I was given number 6 so I was in the second line on the far side of the room from where I had been all day.

Our first part is Cardio. We have to perform 3 minutes of warm up, 5 minutes of an elevated cardio section, and the 2-3 minutes of a cool down.

For the warm up, I marched, step touched, low grape vined, low hamstring curls just basically kept it low, easy, and comfortable. For the cardio section, you basically just turn up the intensity, jog, grapevine, jump n jacks, through in some punches. I just thought about all the basic steps (from taking group fitness classes) I could repeat over and over and I just repeated them over and over. Then we started to lower the intestity down and cool down. I basically just repeated marches, step touches, and slowed down as the music did. Then that section was over.

Second section. Strength and Stretching. Here's what I did: (remember we practiced all of this before)

Pectorals – supine chest fly, chest press, stretch: standing, clasp hands behind the lower back

Upper back (Trapezius, rhomboids , latissimus dorsi): bent over row, reverse posterior fly, stretch: standing, hands in front, clasp hands with palms facing away from you

Shoulders – deltoids: front raises, side raises, stretch: one hand across your chest

Arms (biceps, triceps): bicep curls, overhead tricep extensions, stretch: overhead tricep stretch

Hip abductors and adductors: side lying leg abduction, side lying leg adduction, stretch: seated butterfly

Glutes and/or tibialis anterior: squat, hands and knees rear leg raise, stretch: seated one ankle on opposite knee

Quadriceps or front of leg: squat, lunge, stretch: standing quad stretch

Hamstrings and/or gastrocnemius/soleus: standing calf raises, standing rear hamstring curls, standing hamstring stretch

Adominals: standard crunch, oblique crunch , stretch: lying flat on back

Erector Spinae: prone position alternating opposite leg/arm raises, prone upper body lift, stretch: cat stretch

 Finally it was time for the individual presentation. I told you I bombed it the first round... but I rocked it during the exam. I taught squats. Here's the gist of what I said:

"Hi my name is Charity and today we are going to learn how to do variations of a squat. Squats are a great lower body exercise. Before we learn how to squat, let's get our bodies in good standing alignment. Be sure you head is in line with your shoulders, roll your shoulders back and down, chest lifted, abs engaged. Your pelvis should be in neutral alignment, not to far front, or too far back. Slightly bend you knees and check that your feet are about hips distance apart."

"Great job, Let's get started. To begin, we going to place our hands on our thighs and sit back into a baby squat. Not to far down, just a comfortable top half squat. Great. Now if this is too simple for you, lift your hands off your thighs and sink deeper into the squat. Imagine your bottom sitting back and down into a chair. (then we did that for a few seconds)"

"finally, if you want an even deeper challenge at the bottom of the squat, you can spring out of the squat into a jump in the air. (and we did a few of those"

Then time was called. and the practical test was over! Everyone in the class had to go through the practical teaching part. Then we broke apart for the written test.

The written test is a 100 multiple choice test. It has some matching of muscle and joint groups. Lots of knowledge questions about anatomy, group design, special considerations, safety, etc. I felt like I did a good job on this. It took me about 35 minutes to finish the written exam. We had an hour to complete it and then the day was over. I left about 4:15. It wasn't schedule to end until 6, so I made a little shopping trip out of the extra time.

Overall, it was a fun, energizing, and encouraging day. I have to wait 4-6 weeks for the official results, but I feel confident that I passed. I'll be sure to post an update when I receive the results.

Big take away - Imagine the things we could accomplish if we quieted the fear and just tried!

 

Group Fitness Certification - tomorrow!

I've been on a roller coaster of emotions with this group fitness certification. As I mentioned in the last post about the certification, my fears had been getting the best of me...

I looked over at my sweet, adorable husband earlier this week and asked him why I was taking this certification?

You can see all the reasons fear and doubt crept in on my last post. I had been worried about the usefulness of the certification. How exactly do I get into the fitness arena? What path do I take? Maybe the certification is just a learning opportunity and it could take a year or two (or maybe even longer) before I teach a fitness class...

But I am taking this first step! I'll never know if I don't try.

This is what my husband (in his infinite wisdom and simplicity) reminded me that I do have...

• I have passion. I love fitness. Passion is one HUGE thing you can't teach people! It's deep inside us. You either have passion for something or you don't. We all know what it's like to work, live, or mingle with people who don't have passion for what they do... I really like this blog about the 3 components of job satisfaction! by Michal Hyatt
• I care about people. Yes. Another one of those characteristics you can't teach. I want to see people achieve goals that they never thought they could. I want to challenge them. I am encouraged when other people find the strength deep inside (like I did)
• I want to encourage, motivate, and sometimes give you the swift kick (in love) that you need to keep going.
• I have Christ. I have his love. I have a relationship with him and when I'm in doubt, I can turn to him. Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Skills can be learned. I can learn how to safely and effectively lead a group fitness class. I love to learn. I have studied, practiced, and prepared all I can for this certification. When I took the practice test, I did well. I am excited about this new adventure and the opportunity to learn more, encourage others, and focus on living a healthy lifestyle.

Change is good. Although it can be a little scary, I know that if this is the path for me, God will open doors and create paths that allow me to pursue this passion!

Prayers for the certification and direction are welcome and appreciated!!

Run for God - Week 8 - Sharing Community

As the weeks go by, I have really been encouraged by the Run for God participants. So many wonderful people and stories from this journey! I have enjoyed getting to know each person.

God designed us for relationship. This verse comes to mind when I think about the community our Run for God group has formed.

Hebrews 10:24-25 - And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,  not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

One of the many things I love about Christ Community Church is the emphasis on authentic life together. We share the good times and the bad, our challenges and opportunities, successes and struggles. I love the opportunity to share life with each and every individual I meet.

It's one of our Core Values -

Authentic Relationships

Because God created us for community, we devote ourselves to building healthy relationships.

Demonstrated by... engaging in life together with transparency, humility, compassion, and a commitment to speaking the truth in love (Acts 2:42-47; Rom. 12:15-16; Eph. 4:14-15; I John 4:10-12).

This past Sunday, after the motivational story and scriptures, we took some time to develop our relationships with each other. How often are we at work, at the gym, at school, at church with the same group of people but don't even know their names? What about what they do for a living? What about their family structure? To really engage and share life with others, we have to learn and invest time in each other.

We played the game below where you have to find someone who has done each of the 25 activities on the sheet. You can only use a person once. If you want to try a version of this game, just make up 25 different things. I made the one we used up. Try to find one that could be next to impossible...so that everyone focuses on getting to know people (not winning).

Find someone who

1.       Has a dog ______________________________________________________________________

2.       Lives or has lived on a farm ________________________________________________________

3.       Has ran a 5k ____________________________________________________________________

4.       Was born in another country (not USA) ______________________________________________

5.       Was born in July _________________________________________________________________

6.       Is single _______________________________________________________________________

7.       Has three children _______________________________________________________________

8.       Speaks another language (slang does not count) _______________________________________

9.       Is an only child _________________________________________________________________

10.    Doesn’t like spicy food ____________________________________________________________

11.    Can swim well __________________________________________________________________

12.    Is still in school __________________________________________________________________

13.    Can ski (water or snow) ___________________________________________________________

14.    Does not like college football ______________________________________________________

15.    Can name at least 5 presidents _____________________________________________________

16.    Has an interesting talent: What is it? ________________________________________________

17.    Can sew _______________________________________________________________________

18.    Has a collection of something. What is it? ____________________________________________

19.    Drank coffee this morning _________________________________________________________

20.    Reads the newspaper daily ________________________________________________________

21.    Has worked more than 5 jobs in his/her life ___________________________________________

22.    Owns their own business or works for a family business _________________________________

23.    Is a twin or has twins in their immediate family ________________________________________

24.    Loves road trips _________________________________________________________________

25.    Can tell a good/ clean joke ________________________________________________________

After the game, we did a short (very short) discussion on fat vs muscle and then we ran! 25 minutes of running!

So if you are following along for the workouts. This week's workout is 5 minute warm up, 25 minute run, 5 min cool down, stretch.

Group Fitness Certification - Before the test

This Saturday I am taking the AFAA Group Fitness Certification. Feel free to click on the link below to learn more. I'm not sure what the future holds for me with this certification, but I'm trusting God that if he designed this for me, he will open the right doors.

Ok... Let me be honest. After all, honesty is the best policy...

I'm afraid, fearful, not sure, insecure... I feel completely vulnerable. Just a few short weeks ago, I was meeting with a few fitness professionals to learn about perusing a career in fitness, and now I'm getting certified to teach?!?

I never imagined myself as the fitness instructor. Honestly (again...) I never really imagined myself (my physical self) having any impact on someone else... I was always the "smart" girl. A leader by nature... but not when it comes to health, fitness, or sports...

But here's how awesome God is.

• He has transformed my life. He has shown me over (and over and over) again how faithful he is if I listen and obey. I can not on my own, but with Christ, I can do all things. Even teach group fitness...
• He places people, events, and encouragement all around us. My dear friend Kelli Wommack posted on her blog - Living for one - today about fear (and how to kick it to the curb!) Thank you, Kelli! Perfect timing.
• Run for God has challenged and changed my heart! I am so humbled by the opportunity to share my fitness journey with others. God has overwhelming affirmed my love for sharing Christ through fitness.
• I love to encourage, motivate, and push people past what they "think" they can do. Here's why... Christ doesn't give up! EVER!
• Here's my final thought on this... Fear is a sin. When I fear or become anxious, I am saying "I don't trust God"... "He isn't going to come through this time". God is faithful and always answers our prayers. So every time I am in fear, I will turn to my faithful father in prayer. Giving him my anxious thoughts and worries because he has the perfect plan for me.

I have been studying (for about a month now). I've researched and read all about group fitness. Thought about various classes I like, things I would enjoy teaching.

I've also found some awesome links to blogs about the certification and what to expect Saturday.

Nutrition- Nut on the run
Jackies Health and Fitness

Please pray for me as I pursue this new chapter. Remembering to trust God, shut out the fear, and live my life to encourage, motivate, and share Christ's love with all I come in contact with!

Who are you foolin'?

Today's April Fools Day. Warning to all of those who work/live/interact with jokers :) A few years ago, Adam and I learned our lesson about playing April Fools jokes on people. I'd elaborate... but I'm protecting the innocent :)

But who are we really fooling (the other 364 days of the year)? We're fooling ourselves. Today I am asking you to expose those areas that are "fooling" you.

Have you ever wondered why you aren't loosing weight?
Do you look in the mirror and want to change but don't know where to start?
Have you hit a weight loss plateau?
(Wow that sounds like an infomercial for some great weight loss drug...)

Are you aware of what's causing this? Awareness is a really big step in overcoming problems, plateaus, and implementing change. Being aware of the pitfalls can help us design a plan that will correct specific issues.

So... How do you become aware? Here's one tool that can help in Awareness.

 

A food and fitness journal

 

If you are an avid journal writer and like the book form, you can purchase a food and fitness journal.

Here are some options.

 

There are also lots of resources on the web for printable sheets to track.

Here are a few favorites:

 

WebMD

Pop Sugar separate food and fitness journals

More food/fitness journals

 

There are also apps for it... There is an app for everything. 

When I tracked calories, I used my fitness pal.

I've also used calorie count. Both are great for recording food and exercise intake.

 

But if you don't want to purchase or do all of that, you can still track your food and exercise (the old fashion way - or with a twist)

 

You can use a normal notebook (or an app - I'll talk about this in a second) and use this guideline below.

 

Date -

 

Breakfast -

Snack -

Lunch -

Hunger Killer -

Dinner -

 

Fluids -

water -

Coffee/tea -

Milk -

other -

 

Workout -

 

How did I feel today? -

Anything noteworthy or different?

 

The focus of the journal is awareness. I (and you if you are tracking as well) am trying to become aware so I can make a plan to correct the pitfalls.

 

Starting today, I am using the above format to track my food and exercise. My only goal is tracking. We'll talk more about developing a plan later. I am using Evernote (it's a FREE app and really easy to use). I keep a note for each week. At the end of the month, I'll review and prepare for May (and maybe even share parts of my April journal with you).

 

 Food and fitness journals create awareness, so you won't let little "sabotagers" fool you anymore!