Trial and Error

Celebrating 49 and Feeling FABULOUS

I believe in trial and error and especially when it comes to what works best for my body and my life.  I will be celebrating the last year of my forties this weekend and I am thinking a lot about my life, and reflecting on many things that have got me to this point, how I feel about myself, and realizing that trial and error has served me well personally, physically, and nutritionally. 

In my journey of almost fifty years, I have experienced definite trial and error when it has come to relationships and defining what I do not want and what I do want, with healthy being at the forefront of all that.  It has been quite a process and as I look back, all the trudging through the unhealthy to open fabulous doors to healthy has been a blessed learning journey to create who I am right now, and whom I have chosen to share my life and I include my hubby, family, and friends through this healthy pondering.   Life is just too short not to take care of ME and it is too short not to be with people who are positive, supportive, real, and who nourish my soul in great ways.  Of course when I was going through the trial and error process, there were days that really sucked, and I allowed myself to feel all the pain of that moment, but all the time never saying “Why Me” but asking God to please “Show me how to be a better person through this, help me believe in your better plan for me, or what the heck are you teaching me now”…it was this kind of faith and belief going through the trials that provided the hope in the positive lesson that kept me going and keeps me going still.  

Moving on to trial and error with my fitness and workouts…now this has really

been quite the ordeal.  As many of you know if you have read my bio, I have suffered a cervical injury, live with diagnosed torticollis, and have undergone two major surgeries, in addition to giving birth to two children.   When injury face plants you to the ground and takes away your quality of life and job, a sense of hopelessness and stripping of who you are can take place…well…that was me a few years ago.  Talk about feeling scared and humbled, well I was that and more, and depended on strength greater than my own to get me through.  I utilized my skills and knowledge of the human body to begin rehabbing myself and although a slow process, I began to create through trial and error, a new modified ME.  I look back on that time and know that I do not ever want to re-visit that part of my life again, and do whatever I can to greatly reduce and hopefully eliminate that.  I am no longer the extreme athlete of the past, but I am happy to be ME, the athlete of today. 

My workouts are all about trial and error.  There are days I may push the envelope too much, and my body screams back later that night or the next day to not repeat that.  That calls for a check mark of that exercise off the list, and return to what my body likes best.  For example, I can no longer do pushups and boy do I miss those, but I can still chest press and fly like no other.  The beautiful part about fitness and exercise is that ALL things can be modified to fit the person.  I love to teach this to my clients and really have a passion for those with injury because I can say “I know how you feel” and truly mean that.  Also, it is about QUALITY moves regardless of the weight resistance being used.  I enjoy working out, sweating, and the way I feel when I am done, but what I really love most is being able to push myself through my workouts and not aggravate my injury…now that is happy success and has been accomplished through lots of trial and error. 

My nutrition relates to trial and error in eating the foods that best fit my system,

body, and overall how I feel energy wise.  If I removed whole grains from my nutrition, I feel a definite drop in energy and talk about constipation…no thanks.  Besides, I enjoy my brown rice and steel cut oats, and what I concentrate on is eating healthy, proper portions, and eating to live and not to feel like “Thanksgiving Dinner” at every meal.  If I eat something that does not agree with me, causes an upset system, then I eliminate that from my intake, but that takes trial and error to figure out, and yes even healthy foods can upset my system like certain dairy for example…talk about colon cramp to the ground…YIKES.  So, with my nutrition I implement what works best for ME, and provides MY BODY with the nutrients that make ME feel at my BEST.  I also agree that people are not generic, so what works for me may not work for another.  Life would be so boring to think that we all fit into the same size life…right?  I would be a negligent and insensitive trainer/coach if I did not listen to what was not working for my clients and tried to force feed some sort of one-size-fits all philosophy down their throats.  I am unable to support those types of ideals, and really that is why it is called “personal” training/coaching.

When it comes to my life, I have been happy with my trial and error education, personally and professionally.  Through my trials, I have become a better person, stronger, wiser, and a person who has woke up and really enjoys the coffee, one who appreciates that hard times bring about greatness, and I am thankful.  I understand what works for me emotionally, spiritually, physically, and nutritionally, and that is HUGE to me living a healthy LIFESTYLE.  I welcome the trial and error and the opportunities that always come from my learning through the journey.  It may not feel good all the time, but that is the reality of life and I would be untruthful with you to say that life has been all peaches and cream.  Life has not promised easy, but it has promised that it can be great.  It is what I have done through my trial and error process that has determined that.  I will close with my favorite “Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you respond to it”. 

                                                                                  

I dedicate this Blog to my Beautiful Mom and Mother-in-law!  I love you dearly and wish you the Happiest of Mother's Day! Happy Mom's Day to all the mothers, grandmothers, and all those fabulous women in that role...you are all truly appreciated for all that you do and all that you are!

      Me and My Mom                                                               My Fabulous Moms!

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Stay Healthy~ Darla 

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BIG SHOULDERS

Well…not as big as they used to be physically but my mental and emotional shoulders are definitely making up for that loss…lol.  What the heck does this have to do with fitness, my life, my health…I say everything!

When you are in a position of internet personality, helping people from around the world, bravely putting yourself out there for all to see through images, videos, and opinions…well…the mental shoulders get well developed.   As you know, I am a say it like it is person, trainer, consultant, coach, expert and any other name that gets tagged onto “Darla” the fitness gal.  In this position, I MUST remain POSITIVE  and let things roll off my back like a duck sometimes.  The majority of the time, I am taken with appreciation, and thankfulness from so many for providing the hope they thought was never possible…touching to me as my purpose to help has been accomplished.

The other side of the coin can be exactly the opposite and filled with statements from people who do not take the time to know ME and jump into an attitude of sharing only judgments and negative comments.  I can read through that into an unhappy soul who really wants to be healthy and the BEST, but not at a place in their life and unwilling to make that happen, and it is always easiest to lash out at someone than take responsibility for self.   Really…I would like to reach out and give all those people a hug…NO…I really do…because they just need to have the encouragement and love to realize their fabulous potential. 

 

I do not need to go into statement details but anyone who sits in my position as a fitness expert who has put themselves out there understands the lashings that can come in reference to a fit body, workouts,  personal life, sharing success stories, making opinions and comments, and even recipes for crying out loud.  I was taught never to judge a book by its cover and this is so important in life, but especially in what I do for a living as I see people of all shapes and sizes…and they are ALL FABULOUS!!!  Could you imagine if I was a judgmental person…well…NO WAY…I could not do my job if I was running people into the ground for being too heavy, too skinny, low self esteem, body image issues, hairstyle, clothes, and the list can go on and on…how in the world would I MOTIVATE or help anyone with that mindset…I mean what in the heck is up with a judgmental mentality anyway.  Who am I to judge…am I God…NO…I am Darla, the person who just so happens to come to YOU daily through different internet mediums to In Your Face MOTIVATE YOU. 

I LOVE my Big Shoulders because they provide me with emotional strength and the ability to “not sweat the small stuff” in this life.  They give me a very caring spirit and the understanding that negative statements usually come from people who are truly hurting, bitter from personal issues or life events not dealt with yet, and who really want and need help, but just do not know how to be vulnerable enough to let those feelings out in a healthy way to start the healing process.  In my position of trainer, consultant and coach, I wear many hats, and during the times of hearing or receiving negative comments, I throw on the “coaching/therapist hat” and become the BEST listener in this moment, keying in on any details that I may be able to offer help, dig deep into who that person is, provide insight and  validation, but at the same time, provide the guidance that says…HEY…TODAY is a new day and time to toss the old crap to the curb and begin a new healthy lifestyle…you get the picture. 

 The beautiful part about my life is that I choose to be POSITIVE in ALL circumstances,  personally surround myself with people who will nourish my soul in a positive way, and lean on one of my favorite quotes that states “Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You Respond to It.”   Does that mean that I avoid all negative people, situations, and comments in my work…of course not…this is not realistic in my position...I am surrounded by people on a daily basis physically and online who are going through things that they are healing from or do not even realize they need help with, and all that is needed are some Big Shoulders to take on the task of helping and healing.  Am I ever offended by such comments and sucked down to a point of OH MY…WHY DO I CONTINUE TO PUT MYSELF OUT THERE….well…the answer is a Big Hell No.  If anything, I feel challenged to help even more…I always have HOPE, always PERSEVERE, and do not believe in failure…in fact, in my opinion, failure is GOOD and a stepping stone to dusting off and becoming a better person.  In this journey called life, I will continue to develop my Big Shoulders, continue to MOTIVATE…some may like me and some may not…that is OK and out of my control…but I will push forward with the cause of helping people adapt healthy lives…and for my Big Shoulders…ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!  Stay Healthy~

IN YOUR FACE MOTIVATIONS 

For a Limited Time Only, enjoy my Stay Healthy Nutrition Guide as a Free Gift to YOU with a $10 donation to support Stay Healthy Fitness, YOU, your health and happiness. Thank you all for the many MOTIVATIONAL comments, notes of appreciation, and emails sent to me through all my online mediums.  I read and respond to each and every one and hearing that I have helped YOU is YOUR gift to me.  Many Blessings to YOU and Stay Healthy!

Thanks for stopping by my Blog, hope you enjoy the content, and if you have not become a follower yet, I would love to see your face on my friend's list.  If you are inspired, LIKE my entry, leave a comment and I look forward to responding! 

Have a Fabulous Week!

Stay Healthy!

Darla;)

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