Taking 2014 By Storm

January is coming to an end. It's hard to believe that the first month of the new year is almost over! This year I am trying to reevaluate my goals at the end of each month, look back at what I have accomplished and make a plan to achieve a new goal in the coming month.

This month I have been able to research out my options for personal trainer programs and plan on finalizing and registering for my program in February. I am leaning towards the ACE CPT certification. I have also been able to stick to my goal of stretching more this past month and plan on continuing this throughout the year.

My overall goal for 2014 is to break into the fitness world as a certified trainer and motivate others everyday to be better and stronger. It is my true passion and I have to stop worrying about whether or not I can make it in the fitness world and just jump right in and start working! Get ready to hear a lot more from me in 2014! 

I have also become an ambassador for the Zooma Women's Race Series in Napa Valley and couldn't be more excited to help promote this women's only event! I have a passion for helping women learn how fitness and running can help them build confidence and stronger lives and this is the perfect platform for me to share that love. Stay tuned for more information this coming month and a special discount race code from me to you! 

Remember to dream big, set attainable goals and make your vision a reality. What are your goals for 2014? How are you working on achieving them? Let me know in the comments! 

My Love/Hate Relationship with Running

I have a love/hate relationship with running. I love the health benefit, the community and how I feel during and after a run. I hate the fact that I always seem to have a nagging injury. This year it seems to be my hamstring. In reality, I have no one to blame but myself. I have been neglecting doing stretching, yoga and physical therapy exercises on a regular basis. Sometimes it is just so hard to fit it all in! Before we moved I was taking taekwondo classes, going to a regular kickboxing class, playing tennis and running. I had a crazy full schedule, but I was fit! I also did not get injured. I was cross training more than I ever have before and it felt good. 

Since the move, I have found a running group, but have yet to find the same community I had when I was in Roseville, CA and training at The Studio. If by chance you live in the Roseville or Sacramento area, you should really check them out. The instructors are amazing and you can really find a sense of community there. I haven't had the same experience in Ukiah and that's ok. I just need to focus more on fitting in cross training on my own. 

This week has been all about cross training. I went to a spin class, did Nike Training Club strength and yoga workouts and lifted weights at the gym. Today I focused on Kettle Bell training and doing planks. If you want to do one of my favorite ab and shoulder burners do the workout pictured below. Hold a plank for two minutes and every 30 seconds alternate between mountain climbers and leg lifts. Work up to being able to repeat the drill three times in a workout. 

Plank to Mountain Climber and Leg Lift

This weekend, along with cheering on the Seattle SeaHawks (Go Hawks!), I plan on going for another run. I'm testing the waters on my hamstring. I thought I was better a week ago, but after pushing myself a little too hard on my first three runs back and running back to back days, I have been feeling a tight muscle again. I have to officially start training for my first half marathon the first of February so I have two weeks to build a base. 

Being an athlete is never easy but I am enjoying the benefits and path my journey is taking. In April, I will be a Road Runners Club of America certified running coach and hope to add personal trainer and Nike trainer to my resume soon. For now I am focusing on making myself a better athlete and a better runner through cross training. 

Sometimes it only takes a moment...

Sometimes I need to take a moment to pause and just think about how far I have come in my life. It's very hard sometimes to put in perspective where I was a year ago in comparison to where I am now. The team at Digital Royalty came up with a great concept for taking a moment in your busy day to just breathe and reflect. It's called, "Ready, Set, Pause." This week they even launched their very own Twitter handle @readysetpause to help implement this concept into our everyday lives. The idea behind it is that you take a moment in your busy day to just stop everything you're doing and give your body and mind a chance to pause and relax. It doesn't have to be long, it can be thirty seconds or 10 minutes, it just needs to be enough to let you feel rejuvenated. 

My implementation of the Ready, Set, Pause concept.

I have been trying to implement this concept into my life this week. I have so many changes and so much going on at all times, sometimes I get too caught up in what needs to be done that I don't take time for myself. Yesterday was one of those days, I don't think I stopped moving until after 11 in the evening. Today, all my rushing caught up with me. I finally had to realize it was time for a ready, set, pause moment. It made a world of difference, just consciously taking the time to clear my mind and focus on me helped to calm me down and put the days activities into perspective. 

As this year ends I can reflect on all that I have done and see that I was anything but complacent this year. From becoming a Nike Women's Marathon Ambassador, coaching high school girls varsity basketball, named a FitFluential ambassador, working a full time job, blogging and writing, my year has been full of new and exciting opportunities. I can only imagine that 2013 will be even better. 

With plans to get more involved with FitFluential, continue to work with Nike, blogging, studying to become a personal trainer, participating in my first triathlon, and hopefully opening my own studio, my time is going to be limited. Luckily, I have learned the importance of taking a moment for just me. 

Ready, Set, Pause

Happy Holidays!

I'm a FitFluential Ambassador!

Today I found out that I was accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador! I'm excited about this opportunity because it is just another step in the right direction for my fitness career and a way to inspire even more people to work on their fitness and life goals. The email alerting me to my acceptance was a bit unexpected, but so exciting! I had applied months ago, right before my Nike Women ambassadorship took over.  Running the Nike Women's Marathon was one of the best experiences of my life and I can only hope that we will all meet up again for another race soon. 

"FitFluential is fitness found." It is an amazing online community of bloggers, ambassadors, enthusiasts and brands. It merges the online and the physical world into one amazing FitFluential community. With motivation and events across the country, it is a great place to connect with others who share my fitness passion. As I try to merge my love of fitness with my skills in social media, the FitFluential family will be key to my success. 

With so many new goals and challenges for 2013, the FitFluential community is just one area of my fitness journey that I hope will bring me closer to my goals. I also plan on becoming a personal trainer and running coach and expand my online presence. 

What are your goals for 2013 and for your fitness journey?

An Amazing 2012

2012 has been an amazing year. I can't even begin to describe all of the amazing things that Nike has done for me to help me become a better athlete, reach for me dreams and set high goals for myself that I never thought possible. It may be a little early for a 2012 recap with new years still over a month away but I wanted to share how much I have grown this year and how thankful I am for all that my friends, family, and the team at Nike has done for me to make this year spectacular.

January was a big month for me and as I started a new job and started focusing more on my fitness and my blog. I had big goals for the year and shared them with you here on this blog. My four goals are listed below.

• Run a second marathon and beat my previous time
• Become NASM personal trainer certified
• Become Nike Training Club certified
• Get my Blackbelt in Taekwondo

Over the year I was able to meet two of my goals. On October 6, 2012 I became a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and the following week, on October 14, I beat my marathon PR by 18 minutes with a time of 4:29. Nike was an integral part of my achievement of this goal as they picked me as an ambassador for the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco and I was able to enjoy the marathon through the eyes of Nike. I participated in photo shoots and spent time with many Nike employees that just served to make me more intrigued by the company as a whole and how they do business. Nike gave me an insight into how they interact with consumers and work for their target market and are involving everyday people into their campaigns. It was such a valuable experience.

As for the goals I have yet to meet, the personal trainer certification has not gone as planned. I was having a hard time deciding which certification to take and recently changed my mind and am leaning towards the American Council on Exercise (ACE) certification. I plan to complete my personal trainer certification by January or February of 2013. As for the Nike Training Club Certification, Nike only picks certain trainers to teach their classes, but I am going to continue to pursue this option and look for opportunities to become a part of this amazing team.

Looking ahead, I don't know where my path may lead but I am going to continue spreading my fitness and running journey with you all here. I have also started a new twitter account @sistersinnike to continue sharing my journey and the journeys of each woman who shares this passion. Check it our and hit me up with your ideas for what you want to see highlighted. Personal interviews, photos, gear guides? Tell me what you want to see!

Hope for Hood to Coast & My Trainer Certification

Today I got my official "decline" letter from Hood to Coast, the "Mother of all Relay's" starting at Mount Hood Oregon and ending on the coast at Seaside. I wanted to do this relay so badly! Maybe in 2014 I will get to go. I did see that if you were able to raise $20,000 for the American Cancer Society you get automatic entry into the 2013 and 2014 races. I have been trying to figure out how to do this all day long. I don't have too much experience on the fund raising front and that is a daunting task. I may just have to keep trying for the lottery and hope for the best! I refuse to give up hope and if anyone knows of a team that is looking for another runner, I'd love to join! If you know how to fundraise hit me up with your ideas as well!

In other news, I am CPR certified yet again after my class tonight. That means all that is left standing in my way of becoming a personal trainer is deciding on the course I want to take and studying hard. I think I am going to go with NASM certification and keep looking around for a school where I can get a second degree in exercise physiology. I am also looking at becoming a certified running coach with the Road Runners Club of America. Fitness is my passion and I can't keep putting off my dreams with excuses. I want to be a trainer and that is where I am going to put my energy this next year. Living my dreams and my passion and turning them into a career will be a rewarding experience and I can't wait to  begin the journey. 

Coaching basketball this year has really opened my eyes to the joy of teaching others and watching them grow and learn new things. I love challenging myself and seeing progress, but seeing others challenge themselves, grow and succeed through my coaching is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. I can't wait to see how the girls progress this season.

What are some of your goals, both fitness related and professionally? What is holding you back from achieving them? 

Follow Your Dreams

Working out at the gym is always the highlight of my day. I love feeling my body moving and my muscles getting stronger. Today, as I was doing my routine of squats, push-ups, lunges and TRX moves one of the trainers asked me if I just had a crazy routine that I did or if I was a professional trainer. I said no, but someday I hope to be. He was very helpful in recommending certifications for becoming a trainer and promoting the field.

This got me thinking about why I sit behind a desk all day when what I really love is fitness. Why do something I dislike when I could be doing something I love? While I won't be quitting my current job any time soon, I do plan on getting my trainer certification and testing out that career field. I plan on following my dreams and right now those dreams are pointing me towards fitness. 

Who knows, maybe someday I will be the next Jillian Michaels.