Whats this all about?
So I turn 30 on February 21st. Growing up I always pictured myself in a completely different place than in my current situation. By all means I am absolutely ecstatic about my life. I have the coolest family, a fantastic boyfriend, the absolute best dog I could ever have (more on her later, a lot more), and a new job that while not my dream job, is definitely moving me further in the direction in which I want to go. Which direction would that be? I don’t know, yet.
I graduated in 2005 from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Athletic Training and quickly followed with an MA in Sports and Fitness, also from UCF. After working in the Health and Wellness Center on campus I began working as a Physical Therapy assistant at a local health and wellness facility. Slowly I found myself more interested in the Personal Training and Sports Performance side of the business and decided to get certified in order to work in both worlds. I became a Certified Strength and Condition Specialist (CSCS) and shortly after, I began training full time. After a couple of years of training I began to feel like I was missing something. Something didn’t quite feel right in my professional life. I enjoyed training people and I loved where I was working but I felt I needed more room to grow. Something more creative was definitely in need. Unfortunately I cannot draw or paint or sing or dance. Actually, I am not a bad dancer although that might just be my opinion. Either way, I seriously enjoy cutting a good rug. Back to the subject, I was searching for something, so I did what felt natural to me and went back to school.
I wanted to expand my knowledge and my options so I went with a business degree. I figured that a greater knowledge of the business world would increase the options for my future. While it seems that if I wanted something creative I would have taken some art classes or started writing crappy poetry, but nope. I decide on an MBA from Rollins College. During grad school, I felt confident that would find out what it was that would make me happy. I decided to quit the job that at this point was paying me fairly well, to explore my options. I can be so nutty sometimes. Who quits their job knowing that a wonderful student loan bill was right around the corner? Me. I interviewed with a couple of big corporations, worked multiple internships, and three part time jobs. While learning a lot from all of them, nothing jumped at me. I have obtained a job that I enjoy and that pays the bills but now as an MBA graduate I am still on the hunt for where I want to be in 5 years. Why can’t life follow the very well thought out plan that I had in college? By 30, I was going to be married with two kids (one of each) with a pack of English Bulldogs. I would return to my cute little lake house after working my dream job. I am just saying, why can’t it be easier? Sorry I am whining; I tend to do that.
That is how we end up at this blog. I decided to stop whining and do something that makes me happy. I know there are a couple bazillion blogs but the more I thought about it the more I loved the idea, if not only to “express my creative side”. Other reasons include using it as a way to keep myself accountable so that I can be in Mint Condition for my 30th year (very excited for my 30s), inspiring those in my life to also make healthy choices, and focusing all of my energy on things that make me happy. Lastly, it is to get me back in the kitchen (probably barefoot). I used to cook most of my meals but with grad school and three jobs I fell out of the habit. One thing most will see is that learning and loving to cook is essential to living a healthy lifestyle. Even if you hate to cook, I hope I can show you that you don’t have to be able to master Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon in order to make delicious and healthy meals.
It is my intent to demonstrate that living a healthy and active lifestyle is not about making bathing suit shopping any easier, because that will always suck. Why do they have such awful lighting in those dressing rooms? Making healthier lifestyle changes helps to do much more, like fend off awful health problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, as well as save you all of the money you would have spent on doctor's visits and medications for those health problems. You will see that you find yourself exercising to relieve stress and getting better sleep as you make more healthy choices. You will crave bell peppers and homemade hummus instead of Potato Chips, and apples dipped in yogurt and honey instead of ice cream. Now, I am going to be the first one to also tell you that there is always, and I mean always, a place in life for ice cream! Yes, an exclamation point is necessary because life without ice cream makes no sense to me. You simply have to learn the right balance for your body and lifestyle. You know, “everything in moderation”. The not so healthy choices have to truly be a treat not a normal staple in your diet. It’s all about the balance.
On the same page, getting active does not have to mean signing up for a CrossFit competition and suddenly wearing those crazy toe shoes everywhere you go. Simply making more active choices when it comes to your weekend activities and choosing to go to yoga class instead of heading home to watch your show (it’s probably DVR’d so there is no rush) will have a great effect. If this blog can help me to continue to learn new things and keep my motivation to stay healthy and active, with the added bonus of possibly convincing others that healthy living can be fun, then I believe I may have found that missing thing.
I graduated in 2005 from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Athletic Training and quickly followed with an MA in Sports and Fitness, also from UCF. After working in the Health and Wellness Center on campus I began working as a Physical Therapy assistant at a local health and wellness facility. Slowly I found myself more interested in the Personal Training and Sports Performance side of the business and decided to get certified in order to work in both worlds. I became a Certified Strength and Condition Specialist (CSCS) and shortly after, I began training full time. After a couple of years of training I began to feel like I was missing something. Something didn’t quite feel right in my professional life. I enjoyed training people and I loved where I was working but I felt I needed more room to grow. Something more creative was definitely in need. Unfortunately I cannot draw or paint or sing or dance. Actually, I am not a bad dancer although that might just be my opinion. Either way, I seriously enjoy cutting a good rug. Back to the subject, I was searching for something, so I did what felt natural to me and went back to school.
I wanted to expand my knowledge and my options so I went with a business degree. I figured that a greater knowledge of the business world would increase the options for my future. While it seems that if I wanted something creative I would have taken some art classes or started writing crappy poetry, but nope. I decide on an MBA from Rollins College. During grad school, I felt confident that would find out what it was that would make me happy. I decided to quit the job that at this point was paying me fairly well, to explore my options. I can be so nutty sometimes. Who quits their job knowing that a wonderful student loan bill was right around the corner? Me. I interviewed with a couple of big corporations, worked multiple internships, and three part time jobs. While learning a lot from all of them, nothing jumped at me. I have obtained a job that I enjoy and that pays the bills but now as an MBA graduate I am still on the hunt for where I want to be in 5 years. Why can’t life follow the very well thought out plan that I had in college? By 30, I was going to be married with two kids (one of each) with a pack of English Bulldogs. I would return to my cute little lake house after working my dream job. I am just saying, why can’t it be easier? Sorry I am whining; I tend to do that.
That is how we end up at this blog. I decided to stop whining and do something that makes me happy. I know there are a couple bazillion blogs but the more I thought about it the more I loved the idea, if not only to “express my creative side”. Other reasons include using it as a way to keep myself accountable so that I can be in Mint Condition for my 30th year (very excited for my 30s), inspiring those in my life to also make healthy choices, and focusing all of my energy on things that make me happy. Lastly, it is to get me back in the kitchen (probably barefoot). I used to cook most of my meals but with grad school and three jobs I fell out of the habit. One thing most will see is that learning and loving to cook is essential to living a healthy lifestyle. Even if you hate to cook, I hope I can show you that you don’t have to be able to master Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon in order to make delicious and healthy meals.
It is my intent to demonstrate that living a healthy and active lifestyle is not about making bathing suit shopping any easier, because that will always suck. Why do they have such awful lighting in those dressing rooms? Making healthier lifestyle changes helps to do much more, like fend off awful health problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, as well as save you all of the money you would have spent on doctor's visits and medications for those health problems. You will see that you find yourself exercising to relieve stress and getting better sleep as you make more healthy choices. You will crave bell peppers and homemade hummus instead of Potato Chips, and apples dipped in yogurt and honey instead of ice cream. Now, I am going to be the first one to also tell you that there is always, and I mean always, a place in life for ice cream! Yes, an exclamation point is necessary because life without ice cream makes no sense to me. You simply have to learn the right balance for your body and lifestyle. You know, “everything in moderation”. The not so healthy choices have to truly be a treat not a normal staple in your diet. It’s all about the balance.
On the same page, getting active does not have to mean signing up for a CrossFit competition and suddenly wearing those crazy toe shoes everywhere you go. Simply making more active choices when it comes to your weekend activities and choosing to go to yoga class instead of heading home to watch your show (it’s probably DVR’d so there is no rush) will have a great effect. If this blog can help me to continue to learn new things and keep my motivation to stay healthy and active, with the added bonus of possibly convincing others that healthy living can be fun, then I believe I may have found that missing thing.