A year ago in December I attended a fundraiser for the non-profit, ReCreation, a residential camp program for adults and children who have developmental disabilities. My brother got involved by volunteering while he was in high school and became so passionate about it, that he still does it to this day. Since his high school days, he’s successfully recruited my entire family to volunteer and Camp ReCreation is now a part of what makes "The Smarts". The fundraiser, hosted by the incredible team of Interwined, who also happen to be the Camp Directors, offered a variety of raffle prizes. As a makeup artist, I dumped all of my tickets into the MAC Cosmetics Gift Set (duh). Well, all except for one. Next to the makeup raffle basket, there was a fitness package that included a hat, some other fitness items, and a gift certificate for a personal training session with Cal Coast Fitness. Mind you, this was December. I had already created my extra layer of warmth for the winter season that evened out to about 7 extra pounds on my body. Not dropping in at least one ticket would confirm that I'd given up. So, I reluctantly tossed in my last ticket, aware that I’m one of the most un-lucky people on the face of the earth. For me, the odds of winning anything, ever, is the equivalent of me marrying Ryan Gosling.
I left the fundraiser early and my parents were kind enough to hold my tickets in case I won the MAC Cosmetics Gift Set. The next morning I got a text message from my mother claiming I’d won! Yes! More makeup for my wedding kit! But alas, I was sorely mistaken and the impossible happened. I won the fitness package. Seriously?! I admit I wasn’t thrilled but figured it had to have been a sign if I won with a single ticket, seeing as I’m un-lucky and all. A few months later, I called Jade, the trainer of Cal Coast Fitness, and scheduled my first session. Little did I know, as corny as this sounds, it would change my life.
The First Workout:
Half asleep at 5:30 in the morning, I found myself in the
gym at my complex with Jade. She was
beautiful, obviously in incredible shape, and ready to put me to work. At that point, I probably hadn’t worked out
in about six months. I’ve always had this
assumption that no matter how long it had been since my last workout, I could
handle anything because I’m an athlete. After
all, I had been one my whole life. This
of course, is a ridiculous mentality. Ten
minutes into my workout, I threw up. Not
because Jade was killing me, but because I was so out of shape, that my body
decided to send me a serious message. I
had let myself get to a point where I wasn’t exercising or eating right. I wasn’t in a good place physically,
mentally, or emotionally. Even though I
took what felt like a million breaks, Jade was encouraging during the whole
session. She was engaged, asked me
questions about my history as an athlete, and pushed me. After that session, I knew that I needed to
make a change and the first step was to consistently work out with Jade and Cal
Coast Fitness.
A Year Later:
In one year, my life has changed. My mentality has changed, my emotional
stability, and of course, my physical appearance. I’m not going to testify that Jade is solely
responsible, but she has played a large part in those changes. Lots of people have personal trainers, but
Jade and Cal Coast Fitness is entirely different. Let me break it down. Jade is not a fitness trainer. Well she is, but she’s more than that. She’s a coach, mentor, and friend. She’s provided me with support and
encouragement, not only in my physical goals, but my personal ones too. I remember talking with her after a workout
about my makeup business. At the time I
wasn’t putting very much effort into it.
She told me about the importance of branding myself and my company and
gave me valuable advice. I’m happy to say
now that since that conversation, I’ve re-launched my new website and created a
company brand, Smart Makeup. I’m going
to toot my own horn here and tell you that it’s pretty awesome.
Besides supporting my professional and entrepreneurial
goals, Jade has inspired me to challenge myself in ways I never thought I
would, like running. To say running was
not my thing is an understatement. It was
the death of me. Even as a little girl I
remember running 5K races with my Dad and
absolutely hating every minute of it! I would cry the
whole race, except when I got to the end.
They’d always snap a photo at the finish line and even at seven, I knew
that no one wants a photo of themselves crying while running. That’s just sad. After working out with Jade, who’s an
incredible runner, I began to feel inspired to challenge myself. A few months later I ran a 5k. The best part about it was that I didn’t run it
by myself. I was joined by other Cal
Coast Fitness members. Jade had Cal
Coast Fitness t-shirts made to show our unity and support for each other as
well as represent Cal Coast. Not only
did I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when finished, but I felt like I was
part of team again, something that I hadn’t felt in a long time, and I loved
it. I completed my first 10K on Thanksgiving
and I’ll finish my first half marathon in May.
I also plan to do a sprint triathlon in June.
My physical goal when I began working out with Jade was the
same goal I’d been trying to achieve since I was in junior high; to lose
weight. I don’t know if I physically
needed to lose weight at that point, but mentally and emotionally, my confidence
was begging me to. Over time, my goal
changed. I wanted to be healthy, strong,
and happy. I can’t tell you the amount
of weight I’ve lost in a year, but I can tell you what I’ve gained. Confidence, self-esteem, toned legs and arms,
a smaller waist, a love for hitting a punching bag, a couple of race medals,
some awesome Cal Coast Fitness t-shirts, a mentor, and a friend. I haven’t stepped on a scale in a year and I
don’t plan to anytime soon. I don’t need
a number to tell me how to feel. I can
look at a photo and see it in my sexy face, legs, and arms. And yes, you read that correctly.
Cal Coast Fitness has made me successful on multiple
levels. Jade has positively impacted my
life in more ways than she’s probably aware of.
I can’t thank her enough. It was
a team effort, though. It took my own
dedication, determination, and will to keep going. My future is bright. Yours can be too. If you want to make an incredible change in
your life, do it, but know that you don’t have to do it alone.
To Jade and Cal Coast Fitness, thank you.
