Today I had the pleasure of being with some extraordinary women. All whom, like me, have a story. Whether you’re 10 pounds overweight or 70, we know how we don’t want to feel. Our goal is to be healthy, fit and positive; but sometimes it takes an army to get us there.
For almost a year and a half I didn’t even step foot into a gym or do anything constructive to get myself back into shape and lose the weight I did not need to have on my body. Being 5’1 and pushing over 120 pounds, I was hitting a wall and knew I needed to do something. I was unhappy with my life and literally just gave up on trying to fix it. It wasn’t until this past fall that I decided on a whim to join a 5k with two of my girl friends. Completing a 5k was always on my bucket list and I figured now is a good time as any to do it. And I knew, once I signed up and paid, there was no turning back. So I bought a cute new workout jacket (must have) and pants and went running. I didn’t run that much, but enough to get me ready. Long story short, I finished the race in 37 minutes and felt great (and now I’m wanting to do more!). The old ‘me’ was wanting to come out and play.
Fast forward a couple of weeks later and I happened to be talking to another one of my friends and she was telling me about Beachbody and all of the programs it had to offer and how motivational it is to be part of it. So for Christmas I asked my family to buy my challenge pack so I could become part of this ‘family’.
I will admit, it took me a couple of days to get into it but once I got into a routine, I thoroughly enjoyed doing it, and still do when I have time (I know~ very poor excuse!). But even though I was working out to my DVDs, I still felt as though something was missing. Having been a dancer my whole life, I love music and moving. I try to take Zumba classes when I can but I have to admit the dance style is completely me.
Enter Erica, founder of Lovetheleap.com and Shaina. One day I saw a post on Shaina’s page about an upcoming training in April to be an instructor for Hip Hop Hustle. I immediately text Erica and asked her what this was about and if it was something I could do/should do. She said, “Oh my god! Yes!!!” Soooo, I text Shaina and said sign me up!
Now for those of you who know me, know I can be impulsive. But for some reason when I am, something great always comes out of it. The next day, I thought to myself, “oh my god. I’m going to be dancing all day long and hopefully passing to become a trainer?! Can I really do this?” The more I thought about it, it kind of sounded silly, but I had to forget about it because I had already committed to it. And we all know that if we sometimes go into things too confident, it doesn’t always work in our favor. So I let the crazy thoughts go and tried to prepare myself for the big day; I went to a few group exercise classes and ran a little bit and before I knew, April 14 was here!
Sunday, April 14~One of the best days of my life!
This morning, I woke up, sun was shining and the birds were chirping. I knew immediately it was going to be a great day. I had a nice drive to Westerly and listened to a little bit of Jay-Z to get me in the zone. Once I got to the studio, I’ll admit I was a little nervous; I’m not really one to like the unknown. To be quite honest, I’m deathly afraid of it! But I quickly became at ease when I saw Shaina and Chelsea (who I finally got to meet), two women that are truly inspiring and motivational!
Right from the beginning, I loved that Shaina made us feel at home. We were able to go around the room, introduce ourselves and tell our story. No matter what your color, shape or size was, we all had a story of why we were there. I believe that I am here on this earth to teach people. Funny that I already teach children by day, but if I am able to teach one of my other passions, dance, it would be a dream come true! I suddenly realized today was going to be day to see if that dream would be coming true.
After our intros, we started to dance. Once that music came on and the beat went through my body, I was sold. I knew from that moment on, I was going to give it my ALL! And boy did I! We laughed, cried and danced our souls out. I know I made some connections today that I will keep for a long time. There’s something to be said for a group of people who have a great camaraderie. You have the same passion and drive as one another and I think that is the motivation we, as human beings, need. You hold one another accountable and praise one another when something great happens.
I cannot wait to teach my own classes and build the same types of friendships and relationships with people. I want to make people feel positive about themselves and have be able to have fun at the same time. I know I was reconnected to Erica a few months ago, who then rekindled my connection to Shaina, who then changed my life today. I seriously believe Everything happens for a reason.
Happy Hustling!!!
xo
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Tags: beachbody, beastmode, exercise, fit, fitness, health, healthy-living, Hip, hop, hustle, mental-health, well being
