Resurrecting the blog; so here is a classic catch up post.
Work
My dad, and Randy Pausch – author of the Last Lecture, always encouraged me to “Bring something to the table”. I think I can pretty much sum up most of my career to: the search and acquisition of bringing any and all skills I can to the table. Sometimes I feel like that is the case, almost to a fault; as I am jack of all trades but master to none.
None the less, my latest Endeavor is Health Coaching through Life Time’s myHealthCheck. I participated in the MHC program last year as a technician; which means that I completed Heath Screenings for the participants (blood pressure, body composition, Cholesterol, Glucose, etc). This year as a Health Coach, I am doing telephonic consultations, walking participants through their results, and then through goal setting based on their Health Priorities.
I was nervous going in to the process for a number of reasons, including not knowing exactly what people would ask me as a Fitness & Health Professional; and more importantly if sitting at a computer/phone for a big chunk of my day would go over well with me. Surprisingly, I am loving it. As an ‘achiever’ (StrengthFinders 2.0), I am a list maker and I struggle mentally/emotionally if I do not achieve my standard of productivity every day. This MHC opportunity fills some of the gaps in my schedule when the gym is not as busy, which pleases my inner achiever, and it gives me a chance to improve my Health Coaching skills. Conversations around changing ones health are sometimes challenging to navigate, so the more practice I can get, the better.
Therefore, these days my tool belt includes the following: Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, Weight Loss Coach, TEAM instructor, Project manager, and MHC Health Coach. I still aspire to add to that tool box, and am also completing a Leadership Awareness Course via Life Time Fitness. None the less, work has been busy, and I’m actually focused on creating balance and boundaries with work and life. While being a gym rat is my nature, I’ve realized that creating healthy boundaries around my work schedule makes me much more efficient and able to bring all of my disciplines together. Maybe someday I’ll be a master to something.
Love
Peter is doing well, as usual. You can usually find him Lumberjacking trees, tinkering in the garage, tending to the grill, or spending time with his family; not to mention putting up with my constant itineraries and requests. He had the pleasure of putting plenty of miles on his snowmobile this last winter, including two trips to Michigan with his boss. We took a long weekend trip to Cable, WI to sled with another coworker in Northern Wisconsin, and had a blast! It was awesome to get away and spend some time on the trails.
One of the big topics in 50% of conversations these days is wedding planning. All of our ‘big stuff’ is planned and ready to rock. We are simply working on some of the logistics and details. We are enjoying the process, and very excited for the big day.
Training & Thoughts
One of the consistent passions in my life is my training and health aspirations. Sometime this last year, I cannot recall when, I came to the conclusion that I flourish best when I have someone present me with a goal. I find that when presented with a task or a journey, I conjure up infinite determination and excitement in achieving that goal, versus creating my own goal. I struggle in figuring out why that is, which has been something that I have been exploring lately. (another post, another day). None the less, it is what it is; therefore I approached my boss friend trainer (boss, best friend, personal trainer) for assistance in setting my next goal.
After some investigation into my preferences, my feelings, etc, she came up with the goal for me of being able to complete a Body Weight, Wide Grip Pull up. Now while that might seem like a simple straight forward goal, there is a lot that goes into approaching that goal; which I love. Over the last few months I have been focusing on my strength gains and specific macro goals. I have actually put on weight, but my strength has surged – again, which I love. As I progress closer to my goals, I will look to decrease body fat and increase performance in my workouts and on some specific lifts. And like many Brides-To-Be, this goal might have something to do with a special day that is approaching in say…159 days.
It has been an awesome journey thus far, and last week while I was lifting, I had that illusive prideful feeling that many women struggle with in regards to their bodies. Aesthetically I am not at my goal, but my physical strength is providing me with satisfaction in my body and an enormous sense of accomplishment.
Another aspect of my life that I’m continually exploring and challenging is my personality type. I have always been interested in why and how people tick, especially myself. Therefore, I have become more aware of my actions and have attempted to get to the root of those actions. A specific aspect of my personality and personality type that I have been exploring is my introverted nature. This is honestly something that I struggle with, in day to day life; particularly due to my line of work. This too will be a more in-depth post down the road, but in relation to this topic is my goal to schedule spontaneity in my life. I think life does happen outside of your comfort zone, so I am going to explore this goal and make an effort to step outside my routine of “work/workout/work/home/sleep/repeat”. Even if that does mean scheduling time in my life to step out of that comfortable routine. (My stomach is in a little knot just thinking about it).
I will say I had a victory in this effort last week, as at 2:00pm on Tuesday I was presented with an opportunity to go the Timberwolves game that night (7:00pm). After a few butterflies, and a text to Peter, I committed to attending. Might seem silly, but that is HUGE for me; not to mention it was on a week night! And hey, look at me…I Survived, I had fun, and the sun came up Wednesday morning.
It has been a pleasure to get back in touch with my blog and my thoughts, and I’m looking forward to a more consistent dose of writing.
