Cape Life

So I am in my third week here on the Cape. The lifestyle is just how I expected it. Very down to earth and chill. All the radio stations seem to be behind times and of course playing beachy music. I feel the most popular song here is Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti. I hear it daily. Also I heard Rusted Root on the radio. I haven't heard them in years! Random. But its great. Live that style of music.

I walk the beach daily, sometimes multiple times a day. My time to reflect and listen to the waves. Very relaxing to me, although I have to walk around the mountains of seaweed. But just listening and watching the waves just make me at peace. Many people are out doing the same and are so friendly. Everyone says hi and wants to talk and find out where you are from and what brings you here. It's a nice change of pace. You never know what you will see on the beach. It's a surprise every time.

Not having a gym has been very tough. I like lifting things up and putting them down apparently. But I have found myself doing very different workouts and running a lot. I've gotten smaller which I don't like, but I'm definitely getting leaner and quicker. I can handle that. Once I get back to the gym, watch out.

A group of us have started the Sunday Funday club and its been great. We have lots of activities planned. Keep an eye out for pics of course.

Being away from the Bay has been tough, but I am definitely getting used to the Cape Life.

"Weird is just a side effect of being awesome."

Welcome to the Cape

This is what I hear on a daily basis. On the radio, in the store, the big shrub that is at the end of the bridge, and everyone around. People love their Cape. And I can see why, as you can too from the abundance of pictures I have been posting on Facebook and instagram. It is very beautiful and everyone is very relaxed. It is quite a different lifestyle compared to that of Albany and Boston. I would hear sirens on a daily basis and I have heard one here. Guess that means I'm safe.

Driving here with the sunroof and windows open, I step out of my car and the smell of the ocean made me smile. One of my favorite smells. The sun was shining and Jimmy Buffet was on the radio. What's not to like?!

The place is very quiet and I've been told it will get very busy. Buy everything you need in bulk so you don't have to drive anywhere. (Note to self). Many of the houses are "smaller" until you walk the beach and see the houses that are called "cottages". Pretty obnoxious since they are used 3 months a year. But hey, if you got the money, why not. Someone must have a hot, single daughter I can marry!

That's it for now. There will be plenty more to come, as well as pictures.

I end with this: what kind of shoes do pedophiles wear? White Vans  

I woke up in a new Bugatti! Not really.

Well well. It has been quite a while since I have posted on here. Spring is finally here (I think), and soon it will be summer. I can finally start wearing my Sperry's and shorts. Back to reality, even though everyday I wear workout clothes. It's very strange to dress up in normal people clothes. It's a rare occasion that happens.

Trees are starting to bud, flowers are out and about ( picture Canadian accent there ), and the sun is shining.....a little,and it's always frickin windy. Let's go Mother Nature....

As for me, I am just training away with people, and trying to meet my fitness goals. I sometimes push my clients harder than I push myself, which needs to change. Don't get me wrong, I do some redonkulous workouts, but I know I can push myself harder. Have to figure out how to motivate myself more....hmmm. Though it is fun watching my clients just sweat and fall into a heap on the floor afterwards HAHA! They love it. My lunch class clients are all in a fitness, weight loss challenge within their work sites. Knowing that, I give them quite the workouts. Which they hate me the whole time. I am OK with that.

Silver Bay Au Pair Weekends are going again, so I make my monthly visit to the Bay. It is a great stress relief to go there and just enjoy a fun filled weekend. I mean seriously, who wouldn't want to go hang out with some great people, and about 90-100 girls!

Well I have some changes coming up that I will let you know at a later date, or when I figure them out myself. Until then, I leave you with this:

Common sense is like deodorant, the people who need it most never use it.

More Than Meets the Eye

So today I needed my hair did. I didn't want to go back to the last place as they definitely messed up. I had to let the hair grow out for a while to get it back to a state where I could get a legit cut. I love me my barber shops and always ask the locals the best places to go. Never met a guy who doesn't love that warm shaving cream and straight blade cut.

So I found a place today that I thought I would try out because someone recommended it. It is a small barber shop in downtown Albany called Love's. Its a typical urban barber shop and reminded me a lot of my favorite one in Boston. Young group of barbers and very chill.....minus the NY Yankee crap people were wearing. I won't hold it against them I guess.

My barber's name was Jimmy. An older guy but very into the times. He had to be with the younger guys around. Let's just say him and I were the only white people in there. But everyone was funny.

I walk in and he was eating, so I told him take his time I was in no hurry and caught up on my Sportscenter fix for the day. Finally went over and he was happy that I let him finish because he just found out he was diabetic and had to get food every so many hours. Glad I could help him since he was going to be cutting my hair. He definitely took his time and made sure things were perfect. All the other guys there said he was the best one for the job and gave him a lot of praise. So I knew I was in good hands.

One of the other guys looked out the window and sees that the parking patrol walked up to a car and was starting to write a ticket. They asked what color my car was and I said silver. Just so happens that the car that was getting a ticket was silver. Jimmy, dropped what he was doing and ran outside to talk to the parking patrol. It ended up being someone else's car luckily. He came back and said that he likes to take care of his clients and make sure nothing happens to them. I thought, well that's awesome of him to go and make sure I wouldn't get a ticket. This guy doesn't know me and was going out of his way to make sure I would be taken care of. As he finished, which turned out to be a baller hair cut, I stood up and he looks at me and stops me, takes out his razor again and fixes something and said now he was finished. His quote was "I never let anyone walk out of here without the perfect haircut." I left him a good tip and he gave me his card.

As I walked out, I was very pleased with how it went, and how Jimmy treated someone he just met. And I asked myself, why doesn't this happen very often? Why are more people not like Jimmy and go that extra step and mile to help someone just to make sure they have a pleasant experience?

As I walked to my car, not one person would look at me, all with their iPods in their ears looking at the ground. No one cares about anything around them, only what goes on in their little world. I try to say hi to people out on the street just because it is polite, but people now a days don't care about you and put blinders on. I also looked at people in their cars as I drove by them, everyone looked miserable. No smiles, no jamming out to some crazy song on the radio, no windows open on this gorgeous day. What is wrong with people? Enjoy life, have fun, live a little!

My job is to give people the motivation to get healthier, happier, and enjoy life more. Jimmy's job is to cut hair.....and I feel that after seeing what he did, our jobs are the same. Thanks Jimmy!

Live Greatly

Live Greatly

The more I do in the fitness industry, the more I realize why I chose it.

Basically, I live in a one gym or another. I spend more time in a gym than I do my own apartment. I see people working out many different ways, some know what they are doing, and others do not. I see coaches who are telling their team to do wrong things. It happens on a daily basis. Some listen to advice, and some do not. Their loss.

The ones that train with me now, whether it is in a group class or individually, I thoroughly enjoy working with them. They bust their ass and push each other at the same time. When at the end of the workout, and there is a mass of people just laying on the ground and not speaking, I know I did my job. They got the workout they were coming for. They may have swore at me multiple times (which also happens on a daily basis), but in the end they all say thank you and keep coming back.

I see them changing many aspects of their lives and think differently on life. They hold each other accountable and call them out when they are not there that day. They ask for harder workouts to challenge themselves more. At first I took it easy because I wanted them to like me and come back, then I realized, screw that they are here for a workout and I want to push them to their limits and have them push themselves to their limits. In the end, it works.

Talking to others and have them say how much they hear about my classes, is a great thing to hear. It has given me more confidence in myself to design better workouts, push them, and open up to them more, and also in my own workouts. I see people from age 60 and up doing things I never expected and can run circles around me. They now push me to be better and challenge myself. I have been challenged in a CrossFit workout by a class. Now I can't let them win that! However, some of them are pretty badass.......For the ones that know of the 12 Days of Bootcamp workout, my lunch time class, loves it. Why......I have no clue because I remember the first time I did it.....ugh

So if you have an excuse of you can't do something, come see me because I have a 71 year old lady that I train, and she will show you that you can do anything, and probably kick your ass as well.

"Do or do not......there is no try"  YODA

Bonjour!

So, I realized I have not wrote in a long time. Sorry for that, things just have been a little hectic. But I am back and waned to say hi........so HI!

Anyways, life has been interesting lately.  A little challenging of course, but when isn't it. Things are not falling the way I had hoped, but it is still early and hopefully it works out in the end. I realized that being a personal trainer is more gratifying than I thought. I won't lie, there have been somedays that I feel the only time I was happy was when I was training a client or doing a class. I watch them push through whatever workout I give them and they accomplish it and they are proud. Now that doesn't mean that they don't tell me to F OFF multiple times during the workout and hate me while they are doing it, but in the end it is worth it. They are happy and smiling, most of the time. And seeing that makes me realize that I am doing good in this world and helping people. I give lots of advice to people and they take it or leave it, and then they turn it right back on me telling me to take my own advice...I never listen of course.

 These people deal with shit daily, and the only time they get away from it is when they are killing it in the gym. It is a stress relief. I feel the same way. I get in the gym and I take out whatever is on my mind on the weights or CrossFit. I feel relieved when I am finished and even after training someone. What I do is changing people's lives daily. I wouldn't change it for anything. Of course I have my own issues to deal with, but I get to enjoy these moments in the gym with others and just forget about those problems for a while.

I look back at how I thought my life was going to be, and where I would be. Have I got to where I am supposed to be, who knows, but what I do know is it is going to be a fun ride to get there. I know God is on my side and will put me right where I need to be. I wish it would happen sooner, however, it will happen in due time. And then this world has no idea what's in store for. Anyone wanna come along for the ride?

I leave you with this:    Boobs are like sodas, no one likes them flat

The Giving of Thanks

As Thanksgiving approaches, everyone gives thanks for what they have in their lives. I am no different. The cliche says that there are so many things to be thankful for. It is true that people should be thankful for what they have. You see it everyday though that people want more and more and are never happy with what they have. The more stuff they have or buy, they happier they think they are. It only makes them want more. Ipads, mini ipad, iphone 5, 6, 7 or whatever number they are on now. Pretty soon there will be an icar, and how many people will be in line for that when it comes out. IHP 

Not too long ago, I was having deep conversation with someone about our lives. I say daily that I am too old, I know I am immature, I don't have much of anything, I am in debt up to my ass, and I probably won't find anyone because of all these reasons. And this person said to me, "all those reasons is what makes you who you are. Age is just a number, you are fun and make others have fun, everyone is in debt, and a girl would be dumb not to take you because you are a great person." I shrugged it off of course like I always do, even though I give others advice to take compliments and roll with them. Hypocrite haha. But it is true, without all that, who the hell would I be? So what I take as flaws in me, others look at it differently.

For me though, I do have thanks to throw out there. I am taking all the good and all the bad this year, and saying thank you. Without all of it, who knows what would have happened or where I would be at. To all the people who have supported me and the path I have chosen for my next move, I will do my best and try not to let you down. To all the doubters and people who have said I am nothing and never will amount to anything, thank you for the motivation.

Come Monday, all the hard work from the last year gets put into play. From the BS I went through at the end of last year to the horrid first boot camp of NPTI to now, I am ready to give all the appreciation to those who deserve it. Nothing has been forgotten.