The expert was once a beginner...

I remember back in May of 2012 when I started working out at the gym (again for the umpteenth time in my life) and signed up for a few personal training sessions to get me on track. The 3 days after the first session I HURT - LIKE H-U-R-T - immobile - I have no idea how I did my job with how sore I was. I was embarrassed that I was that out of shape. I was mad at myself for not prioritising my own health and wellbeing. I was all the negative, sad, upset feelings on top of being sore. The next session my trainer asked me “how did you feel” and I told him I’ve never been that sore in my life. He said, so long as I don’t stop working out, I will never be that sore from a workout again. I was so awkward, and felt like Bambi on ice as I learned how to squat, push a sled, use an airbike, attempt barbell snatches etc, but I tried, and failed, and tried and failed and then I finally started to get it - then the weight would go up and I’d fail again and again, until I got it… And Eric was right, I was never that sore again - I've been SUPER CLOSE, but not THAT sore!

I was thinking about this the last 2 days after Street Parking (the online fitness community I belong to) decided to feature a slideshow I sent them on their weekly YouTube Vault Workout Premiere (every Friday at 5pm). The Vault is a weekly workout that you are encouraged to complete and by doing so helps build consistency. There are 25 of them each year, and it runs January to June, then again July to December. This year they are featuring one person each week who has completed each of the previous 4 Vaults. If I wouldn’t have put myself out there in May of 2012 as a 36 year old mom of 2 who was VERY OBVIOUSLY A BEGINNER at this working out stuff - I would never have been this consistent with working out and getting a "shout out" from a community and program that I adore.

This was a great realization to have come to light as I am still very overwhelmed at my new job. I spend more time feeling inadequate and non-helpful than I do having any confidence that I know what I’m doing and feeling like I am a productive part of the team. That being said, I am starting to see slight glimmers of hope because I’m asking fewer questions on day-to-day tasks and am more comfortable with the system and terminology. I can finally try to figure stuff out on my own before I run to Sherri for help. …and thank heavens for Sherri - she is patient and kind and encouraging and puts up with me and all my questions and then fixes my mistakes with a smile and then tries to explain everything to me in a way that I understand it. I’d be lost without her guidance (and the guidance of “the other Sherri” too) - both are “the best”.

I guess looking back on my massage career, and then my time spent at the gym and in my basement/garage gym, I am realizing that I was MOST DEFINITELY and MOST OBVIOUSLY a beginner at both of them when I started.  Over time I learned little by little what works for me, what my strengths and weaknesses are and that with determination, perseverance and overall consistency, I improved (am improving) with each day. I will get there too with my new job. Learning an entirely new, out of my comfort zone, nothing like I’ve experienced before skill set will TAKE TIME - but I will improve, I will continue to grow and I will gain confidence with each passing day. It’s going to take me a long time to even come close to obtaining the skills that my co-workers have, but with their continued help and guidance, I will get there!

Now that you’ve made it through the “Laurie writing stuff down to convince herself that everything’s going to be fine” portion of this blog, here’s the “what’s happened in the past 3 weeks” portion:

Nathan started his final semester of highschool (ARG!) at the beginning of February, and has a co-op placement as an “auto mechanic’s helper” at Baden Automotive. He completed his first afternoon shift there on Friday and loved it. Yes, he’s still planning on going to Conestoga for plumbing, but he wanted to try auto mechanic too. If the plumbing thing doesn’t fly, this may be the backup.

Gillian was home for 6 days over her reading week. As always, it was great having my entire family under one roof and getting to catch up with her. We don’t chat much when she is in Ottawa, so it’s always nice to find out what she’s been up to and how things are going. She isn’t in love with her semester, but she’s making the best of it. Her aim is to find a job in Ottawa for the summer, but that’s a current work in progress.

Paul and I will be heading to Vancouver for 3.5 days at the beginning of March for the OK Tire AGM and conference. I am looking forward to being on the west coast for a few days. Yeah, it isn’t Mexico or Dominican or New Orleans, but it is time away and that makes me happy. We get a day to "sight-see", so if any of you have any suggestions or "must-do's", pop them in the comments below.

If you’d like to see the slideshow i sent in that Street Parking put up on their Salazar YouTube premiere, you can find it at the 1:40 mark here: 2024 Vault #8 - Salazar  If you are crazy enough to watch the rest of the video, know that I didn't do the toes-to-bar but chose "fitness freedom" and did hanging knees-to-chest instead! I'm also on team "one-head-touch". Vault workout number 208 is in the books.

I hope you are all doing well. PLEASE feel free to reach out via email or text me. I miss everyone sooooo much and am feeling a bit lost not knowing what y’all are up to! 🙂

Have a great few weeks, and I’ll check in again after Vacouver.

Cheers!

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Nathan with his "congrats on getting into Conestoga" ice cream cake! :)