Friday, November 26, 2010

One of my *Babies*

I want to share a story about the woman with me in the photo...

About 9 years ago I worked for the biggest fitness group in South Africa as the Aerobic Manager...
One of my talents was to identify a member with potential and approach them about becoming aerobic/step/etc instructors.
Not very often did I observe a member with this talent, most time members would approach me about doing the course and me training them up.

There was something about this girl...her body, her style in the class...the way she moved that caught my eye. She was not a very friendly member, she came, did her class and left....One day I plucked up the courage to stop her as she rushed out of a class as she had just had a baby and asked her if she was interested in becoming an instructor.
I was a tutor and the fitness body who trained up the instructors and I would then I give her one on one training to get her to teach the way I liked....
She was stunned at first that I asked her, then started to wonder if she would be good enough....gave it some thought and came back to say she was interested so I got her signed up and her training began.

For a while she did my warm up's, then my warm ups and cool downs...slowly I allowed her to teach a combo in my lesson until she was good enough to team teach with me....and then she was off on her own.

I saw her today, I try and meet up with her whenever I am in Cape Town
She had taught a class this morning...hence the gym outfit she was still wearing...
She has had another baby since and is currently 9 weeks pregnant.
She says with the last baby she taught right up to the day before she gave birth
A Preggy Belly class...and intends to do so with this pregnancy as well...

She's 37 years old, a mom of nearly 3 and so fit and a motivation to everyone.

I am very proud of her...she is one of my *babies* someone I took from scratch and molded...she has been teaching every since..
I know had I never stopped her and suggested this path for her she would never have gone this route ( and she tells me this ) as she didn't have the confidence or belief in herself...

She is the most popular instructor at the gym she teaches at...
More proud I could not be.


Monday, November 22, 2010

Running with partners is GREAT

I have been so busy with *life* as a Nana I see I never updated my weekend run ...
I did a run last Saturday, 9km, was happy with the results as I beat my 5km time and ran the dreaded hills...that I had to walk up when I first arrived as I was feeling so bad.....within my running...like a beginner, like someone who was starting from scratch..once I got over whatever it was that was making me feel this way I have really felt like my old running self and enjoyed every second of pounding the pavement.
On Sunday I moved from my daughters house back to where my Mom, Dad, brother, sister in law and my youngest daughter live - here I have running partners which is great...
Yesterday late afternoon was our first run together...
Note my sister in law's *running shoes* ~ its like running flat footed, I think she is very brave as I love the protection I get from my running shoes which you cant get from this new craze.

I was very happy with myself yesterday....the route was a slight incline and then back down, no hills, doing this route I beat my PR for 5km ~ 30 mins...that's nearly 2 mins off my normal time with the hills route.
AND
I'm the oldest ~ my daughter is 24, my sister in law is in her 30's and me ~ 48 and I beat them both...by quite a way...not that I was racing them, but my pace was much faster and I felt like I was dragging my body when trying to run with them, so went off ahead.
My sister in law is a marathon runner and is doing a triathlon this Saturday...
So I was impressed with myself, this old duck!!! :)
Ran 8.7 km
53 mins
818 calories
20% fat
133-155 HR

Food wise am still sticking to Clean Eating...
Yesterday I did share a slice of cheese cake with my daughter when I took her out for lunch with a blob of ice cream, that must have been my biggest * cheat * in months!!