I PASSED!!!!!

Let me tell ya a little story...

When I was really little, probably 8 years old, my Mom had been and was on a mission to lose weight. She'd struggled with it. She found a trainer who worked with her to lose 50 pounds and helped train her for multiple races, triathlons, and a marathon in Death Valley, CA. I watched her, inspired by her dedication.

When she trained for her first triathlon, my Mom didn't know how to swim. Yup, you read that right. A woman who couldn't swim and was terrified of putting her face in the water was going to do a triathlon. Then during her training she was in a terrible bike accident. She lost multiple teeth, broke her thumb, and some other things may have happened, but that's what I remember. I remember her coming home covered in blood. She was in shock and kept saying she was fine. It was terrifying. 

But she kept training. She had a flipper tooth for a long time that we made lots of jokes about and she trained with a cast. She completed that triathlon with a cast! The woman amazed me. This all sounds incredible, and it is, but there is something else you have to understand. 

Mom... I'm sorry... but you joke about this all the time so I think I'm okay to post it. *wink* 

My mother is quite possibly the least athletic person I have ever met. Someone told her once that she was an inspiration because "...if you can do it, anyone can!"

The first time the guy training her (a teenage football player who'd recently broken his back and couldn't play anymore) had her do a push up she landed on her face. He told her to hit the deck and she quite literally gave the floor a hi-five. When he told her to go run the track... she went and ran ON THE RAILROAD TRACKS! 

Not only is my Mom NOT athletic, she is also Amelia Bedelia. (If you haven't read those books, shame on you. They are hilarious and you need to read them like yesterday)

8 1/2 years ago, after much prodding from her children and having already trained people, my Mom became a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). She is now the top trainer in her gym and is also one of only a handful of Master Trainers with NASM. This woman continues to inspire me everyday of my life. She is fifty seven years old and can kick my butt and probably yours too! Haha! 

Now, my story is a bit different. I am athletic. I love sports and I'm good at them. I'm not trying to brag here, just making a point at how different my Mom and I are in this area. Even with being athletic and participating in A LOT of sports, I was still pretty heavy. At sixteen I lost 40 lbs and kept it off by training horses.

Well, when I met the Hubs and stopped training horses... I didn't know how to live a healthy lifestyle without my Mom making meals for me and being active without having to workout. I gained a lot of weight. 

After LW was born I started doing P90X and LOVED the workouts. I lost a lot of weight and gained a lot of muscle. I started running! C25K was my starting point. Then as I got into longer runs, P90X kind of fell away and my Mom started training me for a half marathon! 

Since then I have bounced back and forth with weight, but after my second was born I couldn't lose the weight. I've struggled with it since, but I have a passion for fitness and I wanted to share it with the world, just like my Momma. 

On Feb 3rd, 2018 I became a Certified Personal Trainer with NASM!

Excuse me while I jump in a circle and scream for joy.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Ahem.

I'm a little excited. 

This test is a BEAST! It is not easy and I still feel like I need to study the material even after passing. There is so much information! But I'm looking forward to working with clients and continuing to improve my own health and fitness as well.