My Motivation by Cage Carrie

My Motivation

 

I am not going to lie..I love when I hear my class moan and groan and sometimes complain when something I am teaching is causing them discomfort.....hahaha!! ;) Now, you know I mean that in the most loving way! It is a good discomfort, the kind that makes you push yourself harder and further then you thought you could.

 

I want to share some personal things about myself with you.

 

When I was in my late teens early twenties I suffered from Body Dysmorphic Disorder and bulimia. I was so ashamed and embarrassed that I only shared it with a few people, one of them being my mother. I lost the two others as friends because I guess it was just too much for them to handle.

 

I would exercise for HOURS, eat like a bird, throw it up and still hated myself not matter how skinny or fit I was. Long story short I was a train wreck.

At that time I could not afford to get help or did not want to because I was too ashamed and embarrassed. My mother was my rock..she and I fought our way through it and Squashed it!!!  And the best part is...the shame is gone..Yes..I had a problem, and yes I kicked it's butt. It was not easy, and sometimes it still tries to nip at me, but I will keep standing up to it.

 

So when I have people make comments-

. How do you have so much energy?

. How do you teach so many classes in a row?

. Why are you always smiling ?

 

I will never allow negative energy to take over me again. I love to smile, I love to laugh, and I love the way I feel after teaching my class.

 

I don't know who can tell me it does not feel good walking out of a Cage Fitness and then some class knowing that you just pushed yourself to your limits. I look so forward to seeing everybody and busting our butts together as a team each and every class.  

 

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Look forward to working off the feast with you!

 

If you have time.. Respond with why you are thankful for Cage Fitness at LEMA!!

 

Gobble Gobble! 

<3 Carrie

70% Kitchen - 30% Gym

You have all heard the old saying "You are what you eat."   This story really hit home for me a few years back.  Let me start from the from beginning.

I have always been very active and very fit.  I played sports year round, did martial arts, and even went to college on a swimming scholarship. (Bet most of you wouldn't have guessed that.) 
It was fairly easy for me staying in shape when I was younger.  

As I hit my late 20's and early 30's, I still felt really good.  I was going to the gym, teaching martial arts, and generally staying much more active them most people I knew my age.  A Few things in my life had changed though.  I was married and had a business.   This added up to a lot of eating out on the weekends and late night Ellios Frozen Pizzas for dinner.  I figured I was still doing really well.  I mean I felt great.  Only thing I had noticed really changed, was my hair decided to stay back in my 20's once I moved on to my 30's.

It wasn't until the summer of 2008, that I had realized how much I had slipped.  I was at the beach with my family for vacation and I was downloading pictures off my camera to save space.  While browsing through the pictures and munching on some boardwalk fries, i said to my wife Jenn, "Who is that old fat bald guy playing with Lucas (my oldest son)?"  I had this sudden sinking feeling in my newly realized gut, that that was me.  I couldn't believe how much I had let myself go.  This was not me.  This is not who I wanted to be.  I was determined to reclaim my youth....or at least the healthy body part of my youth. 

I immediately consulted a friend who had recently transformed herself into a much healthier person.  I told her I didn't understand.  I was going to the gym and teaching all day.  "Why am I gaining weight?" I asked.    She taught me a very big lesson that day.   I have lived by it ever since.   "70% of your fitness level is determined in the kitchen and 30% in the gym."  I had to completely change my entire dietary lifestyle. Yes, I used the word "Lifestyle."  It is a common misconception that a DIET is something we go on to lose weight.  The truth is, your diet is how you eat at any given time. It is your eating habbits.  You can have healthy diets and unhealthy diets.  For me, it was a matter of completely revamping my dietary lifestyle.  I began right away in the beginning of July 2008.   By the end of Aug, 2008, I had lost over 20lbs.   By Christmas, i was down a total of 35lbs.  It is now 4 years later.  I have stuck to my plan.  I am still down 35lbs from that pre-healthy lifestyle weight.  I just turned 40 this past Sept. and I am in better shape now than i was in my early 20's.  I am still working out and feel great doing it. 

If I can do it, you can do it.  If you need motivation, if you need advice, please feel free to contact me.  I would be happy to help you.  If you need a diet plan though, please seek a liscenced nutritionalist as I am not. 

Good luck and keep working!!  

See you on the mat!
Sensei Rob