READY TO PAY IT FORWARD with TURBO

READY TO PAY IT FORWARD with TURBO

The day that I had waited for had FINALLY arrived!  

Since I had started this blog late last fall my goal was to accomplish one thing...become a bonafide, certified TURBO KICK INSTRUCTOR.  So much ended up coming along with it, but my DREAM of being able to Pay it Forward by teaching Turbo Kick to help people increase their fitness and wellness, has been realized.

Carolyn, Michelle and myself EARLY in the AM
before training!

January 30th at Boston College I attended the Turbo Kick Instructor Training.  I was a ball of nerves, but there was no going back.  I can't remember the last time I had wanted something so much (after marrying my best friend, of course!)!!!  To think that I could help others achieve their fitness and wellness goals in a fun and exciting way just got me so PUMPED.

I had a great time!  Embedded in the training was a workshop on Round 38.  The day was long, study sessions, followed by drills, the worshop, more drills, testing and testing.  There were group drills and the individual practical test.  It was work, but SOOOOO worth it!

During the workshop I got to see a few Turbo Friends from Master Classes I had been to before!  It's great to be recognized and remembered.  Joie from Presenter Camp came!  It was great to chat and catch up with her.

 Christine Dwyer (center) once again rocked out an awesome training!

 

CHRISTINE ROCKS! (I have learned SOOO much from this woman)

Fellow TBB Coach, Lauren, and myself

 

Michelle, myself and Carolyn after being TURBO-CERTIFIED!! WOOT!!

So much has happened since!  I studied and took my AFAA Primary Group Fitness Certification exam.  That was a totally different experience.  I'm still waiting on the results but should know soon.  

I've also managed to book one-time classes at MIT and Broad (where I work).  It'll be really fun to bring Turbo to the workplace.

I interviewed at Mike's Fitness JP and plan to teach Turbo Kick there...waiting on the word for the Spring Schedule.  If you're in the Boston-area, I'd love to have you as a student!

In the meantime, I'm just practicing my MAD SKILLZ and booking one-time events. 

I am grateful to God everyday for this opportunity to pay it forward.  I hope to continue to grow and learn from this experience and bring hope to people with a goal to be fit and well.  

Till, next time...

KICK IT!!

When My Lungs Begin to Fail Me, I Prevail!

So, I've been battling something bronchial since Thursday night. Was that going to squash my enthusiasm for the opportunity to take a Turbo Kick Master class scheduled for Friday evening?

HECK NO!

BUT........I think I was in a little bit of denial as to the severity of the ailment.

First, I will say that I was so incredibly BLESSED by the turn out. Christine Dwyer came from Upstate NEW YORK to teach the class. My coach, Hillary Kelley, drove from CONNECTICUT to participate. My buddy from work came and A TON of ladies from my church also attended.

THANK YOU Michelle, Maria, Beverly, Rose and Iris for giving Turbo Kick a try. When I become an instructor, I will do my best to give you the best exercise experience I can.

All that is to say that TK Round 39 is KILLER! And my phlegm-filled lungs were letting me know. So, I moved my body to low-impact modifications of some of the moves.

Did that stop me from sweating enormously?
NO

Did that stop me from working every muscle in my body?
ABSOLUTELY NOT

Did it dampen my enthusiasm while doing it low-impact?
NEGATIVE, CAPTAIN

Did it mean I wasn't working to my MAX at that particular moment in time?
NOT A CHANCE!

Just because you are keeping your feet on the floor during the plyometric Turbo section doesn't mean you aren't working to your max.

Be real with yourself--ask yourself: "Can I give more to this??" If no, that's OK! You are getting the full benefit of the move because you know you have pushed yourself as far as you can.

If YES, consider--within your physical means--how you can take it to the next level.

YOU CAN! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.

Does this mean just because my lungs wouldn't allow me to take it to full, high-impact that I am a weak individual?

NO WAY!

Everyone has a maximum level at a given point in time. Next time, when my cough has subsided, I KNOW I can push harder and DO MORE.

In your journey, realize that you can do the same. And that you don't have to beat yourself up mentally if you're not at the same level as someone else. Everyone has their own maximum level.

So, for today...

ROCK ON, Fitness Buddies, ROCK ON at your MAX.

<3
EMS

A recent note from *my* coach.

I am an Independent Team Beachbody Coach. I'm sure that is old news by now.

BUT did you know that I, too, have a coach? And *my* coach has a coach?

In this picture: Hillary Kelly, myself, Christine Dwyer (Hillary's coach!)

Effective coaches are not born, they're made.

(In my opinion) ;-)

Here is the most fantastic and motivating note, from my TBB coach, Hillary Kelly.

SUBJECT: Some thoughts for the New Year

Hey Team!!
As we approach 2010 please consider the following: You can succeed at anything..if you believe in yourself and your abilities. Over the years we get bombarded with negative messages, negative feedback and along the way one can lose their confidence, we lose our desire to succeed and we stop believing in ourselves. Over time the negative thinking can expand to the point we do not feel that there is anything positive in our lives. Always remember this, you are a spectacular human being capable of achieving and doing anything you desire--all you have to do is believe in yourself and then start doing the right things to succeed. It may not seem easy right now,but once you get your mind and subconscious mind working for you, once you change the way you think, change your beliefs, change your attitude and change your actions--success is automatic. So let's make 2010 our best year ever!! Focus on what you want! Believe in yourself! Believe that you can and will succeed! Get rid of the negative thinking that holds you back! Get your mind and subconscious mind working for you by constantly reminding yourself that YOU ARE GREAT!!!! Wishing You A Fit Day!

I wanted share with everyone because I feel that "paying it forward" really does, and genuinely, exist in this world. In the short time I have known and worked with Hillary, I have learned so much about how her life has been transformed through this business and how much she wants to see the same for me and all those she touches.

The part that stuck with me was "Focus on what you want! Believe in yourself! Believe that you can and will succeed!" (Another blog will address the goals she encourages us to put forth...)

I guess I'm just so blessed to know so many amazing people and continue to meet people to whom I can "pay it forward" to. I really do get such a huge thrill out of seeing others succeed at achieving their goals.

What do you want to focus on this new year?

How can I help you succeed?

If I knew then, what I know now...

Being a Team Beachbody Independent Coach was bound to happen as part of my journey to become a group fitness instructor. It was Turbo Jam, a Beachbody-released program, that got me started on my journey in the first place. It was what got me LOVING fitness. So, naturally, in my own transformation process, it made sense for me to position myself to support and encourage others, too.

What I didn't expect was all of the support I would recieve in the process as well! I am an active part of Team Beachbody!!

Being a Club member allows me to customize a meal plan to accomodate my fitness regimen. Including a shopping list for all the meals designed for me.

I log my workouts in the SuperGym and have workout buddies from all over the country and Canada! It allows me to be accountable to them when they invite me to workout with them. There's a cool down chat room and support message boards galore! I'm so blessed to be a part of this community.

But I think the thing that suprised me the most was Shakeology.

I was absolutely floored when I tried Shakeology. I first tired the Greenberry flavor thinking I was going to dislike it. I had been told it had a "wheat grass" flavor to it, so I was expecting it to be kind of bland. I remember thinking, "Thank goodness they have a chocolate flavor!" But I LOVED IT! Not only was it flavorful, but it was filling!

What the heck is Shakeology?!?!?!?

Check it out for yourself! Believe me. It's amazing.

If I knew when I joined the Club how amazing Shakeology was, I wouldn't have waited until NOW to get it! (But it doesn't hurt to have the coach discount to get it home direct!) :-)

I plan to use one shakeology shake a day in place of either lunch or dinner. A month's supply saves me anywhere from $2-$7 for that meal. Generally, I spend anywhere from $7-$12 on lunch everyday. Shakeology works out to be $5 a lunch! Woot!


STILL don't believe me? Read a recent blog from a straight-up fitness expert:
MY SHAKEOLOGY APOLOGY

My Turbo Addiction -- Part Two

Continued: To understand how my Turbo addiction came about, I must first take you back a few years...

2006

It seemed I had fallen off the proverbial aerobics bandwagon at some point in 2006 and into much
of 2007. I can't explain it other than I was in a new living situation. Things at home, while MUCH more pleasant than my previous one, were not conducive to at-home workouts.

My saving grace was Angel. She had returned to my life and she would be with me indefinitely. She and I would go running (not an indoor exercise! WOOT!) and that helped me keep a handle on what I had set out to do: get well. Winters, however, are harsh here in Boston, so my running days were limited.

I had also started bowling in 2006. At first, I was going to Kings Back Bay on "Ladies Night" and bowling for free through the night. It started to gain a bit of momentum and more and more gal pals (and paying boy pals) would join us in this weekly activity.

I come from a long line of bowlers, actually. My father, Michael and brother, Mike currently bowl in leagues in New Jersey. My dad actually bowls in two leagues! Everyone in my family from my aunts and grandparents to my mom had bowled in a ten-pin bowling league for some portion of their lives. I felt honored to be a part of the family tradition.

Burning the midnight oil at Kings wasn't going to last forever...not if I wanted get to work on time the next morning. I also wanted to get serious about my game. I know that sounds silly--and don't get me wrong: I LOVED bowling with my friends every week. But, I knew that bowling from 10pm-2am on a Tuesday night was not going to help improve my game or my chances of making it to work on time. So, I began looking into bowling leagues.

Being new to the bowling league scene came with its usual levels of anxiety. I knew I was not great at bowling--or even a good bowler for that matter. What I did know, however, was that I really wanted to try. Being in a league also obliged me to commit to that activity every week. I was paying for it one way or another. Nonetheless, I started small. Summer league.

Oh, Neponset Doubles at Boston Bowl, you will never know how much you really mean to me. I only bowled in the Neponset Doubles league that one summer. But I made so many new friends that I now has a network of bowlers in the city that I could plug into for practice, feedback and plain ole' fun times. By the end of the summer of 2006, I knew that I would be returning for the fall league: BIB.

2007

BIB was a league like no other. I don't mean that it was necessarily ultra-competitive: it was a handicap league. BUT, it came with a rich tradition and it was a relaxed, respectful place. I made incredible friends, had a great time and learned a thing or two to help improve my game. I knew that this was one habit I was hard-pressed to break. I loved it too much!

In spring of 2007, I also started a new job. I loved the work I was doing at the time--science is awesome! I think, unfortunately, too much of my past and who I was had been deeply woven into my life in my workplace. My boss, Roz, was incredible and hugely supportive of the change. I began working at Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT in April.

My job is pretty amazing. I get to study the brain. I may spend a day devoting an entire blog to what I do for a career and how its changed my life--but this isn't the day or the blog. :-)

All that is to say that the change in work gave me yet another change in attitude. While I was active with bowling league and the occasional run with the dog, I was still not fit. And we won't even get into my eating/drinking habits here other than to say they were atrocious. I was back to a place of hopelessness--that I wasn't going to find the solution for me.

2008

Enter the Turbo Jam(R) infomercial.


Infomercial? I know what you're thinking. REALLY?

Really.

Stay tuned for more on this story....my life as a Turbo addict........

"Hello, my name is Erin. I am a Turbo Addict."

To understand how my Turbo addiction came about, I must first take you back a few years...

2004


This was me in late 2003/early 2004. I look happy, do I not? Oh, how looks may be deceiving. Angel, my dog, is just over one years old in this picture. At the time, she was the only thing that brought any joy to my life. She would comfort me in moments of despair--even licking tears off my cheek as I mourned my grandmother, Jean.

Sparing the gruesome details, I was in a romantic relationship that was--for lack of a better word--sub-healthy on all fronts (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual). The only things I remember doing during that time in my life were eating and sleeping. I was clinically depressed. I found joy in nothing. I felt rather hopeless. And my weight was the perfect barometer.

Of course, there were bursts of beautiful things from time to time. This included the occasional visit to see my family, who lives hundreds of miles away. I was car-less at the time. When in the city, I relied solely on public transportation. For jaunts out of the city, my boyfriend had to drive me with his car. To make it worse, his car was a standard--which I did not know how to drive. So, getting anywhere with him at the wheel, was a chore. So, often, I opted not to go anywhere.

At my heaviest, I weighed over 210 pounds. That doesn't seem like a lot, given my height of 5' 11". Regardless, I was not well. Something...desperately...had to change.

2005

Mentally, I had had enough at this point. I was home in New Jersey at one point and found a DVD that my mom had in her library, but wasn't using. It was Kathy Smith's Timesaver Cardio Fat Burner. It was 20 minutes--with the option to go another 20 minutes. I could handle 20 minutes.

It was also from 1998--so this could be interesting...

But I gave it a go. Why? Because I didn't know what else to do. I actually was really stoked to find that not only did I enjoy it, but I became really good at it. I had found something that I could do. Finally.

I worked out when I could--which, wasn't consistently. However, exercise wasn't completely absent, either. I began to hunger for variety...so I turned to Kathy once again. I purchased her Functionally Fit Peak Fat Burning DVD. This was my first taste of interval training. I really, really got into it. It was a little less dated than the first DVD, and I was able to really master the moves and constantly increase the intensity.

Did I begin to lose weight? Yes. I was about 190 pounds by spring of 2005.

That summer, (again--to spare details), the man in my life had left me and taken the dog with him. For some reason, I thought this breakup was the end of my world. I've realize now that the only thing worth sparing in that relationship was Angel and losing her was the true source of my utter despair.

Stay tuned for more on my life as a Turbo addict............