One of my favorite things about the weekends during the fall is college football. The atmosphere and competitiveness that surrounds college football is like no other in sports (at least in my opinion). When I look at my life now I really wouldn't be where if I am today without the game of football. Now that I think about it, I honestly don't know what I'd be doing for a living if I wasn't involved in football throughout my life.
I started lifting weights in high school to improve myself on the football field. Ever since then I have been in love with the "iron game". Lifting with teammates and pushing each other to our physical limit helped developed a passion to train and coach people to achieve a wide range of fitness goals. I have people that I train that are athletes working to develop peak power output and I have people that I train that are over 60 and could care less about how much weight they lift. But, it all goes back to football, that's where this passion began.
I realized that through physical conditioning not only do you improve your body but you also improve your mind and your outlook on life. I know its tough to relate training a 45 year old mother of 3 to an athlete performing heavy hang cleans with a room full of sweaty yelling teammates. If you look at it from my perspective, there is a definite relation. Everyone who goes to the gym or enters weight room wants to get better. They want to get stronger, get learner, improve the condition of their cardiovascular system, or develop more self-esteem- the list goes on forever.
That's why I got into this profession. To make people, better. I look back at the days of doing hill sprints in full pads in nowhereville, Iowa and I really do miss it. Pushing yourself to be in the best physical condition of anyone at your position is something I always took pride in. I also look what I am doing today and I wouldn't trade it for another profession in the world. There are so many ways I can improve myself professionally, it really comes down to dedication and hard work, the same things that improved my ability as an athlete. What I did on the football field, in the weight room, running up and down hills, made me into the type of trainer and coach that I am today.
I always want to get better, whether it's in nutrition, strength training, or business/client relations- I want to improve. I also want my clients/athletes to get better- if they don't improve, I feel like I've failed. If I don't get better I also feel like I've failed. Its about pushing yourself to your limits, over coming adversity, and striving for excellence- all things I learned on the football field.
I also love going to CANES games. This weekend UM plays Virginia Tech and I can't wait! Throwing some meat on the grill and hanging with my dad and some friends before the game are times that are irreplaceable. Walking into the stadium and getting ready for the game to start still give me goose bumps. When kick off comes, all of the physical preparation, the long hours in the weight room, the days of running endless sprints in the summer heat, are forgotten. It's time to buckle up your chin strap and play! May the best team win- GO CANES!
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