A little Personal....

So, I'll admit it...I don't really like to blog about my personal life.  I just feel like my life, is just that...MY LIFE.  Beyond that, why would anyone CARE??  I mean, I know I'm super awesome and everything, but I've got to have a few limits ;-)   All kidding aside, I just feel weird about everyone knowing my business.  I guess over the years I've just run across WAY too many judgmental people and have gotten really hurt more times than I'd like to remember, so I just closed myself off.

BUT...on this day, I'm going to open up and talk about someone I love very much, because, well....he deserves it!!  My boyfriend, Beau, is one of the most caring, loving and romantic guys on the planet.  Seriously, I don't know what I would do without him.  I'm not gonna lie, I was a COMPLETE commitment phobe when we met.  I had just gotten divorced after 15 years of marriage, and although I hated dating, I was afraid to just go out with one guy.  He stuck it out though and I eventually said "f*ck it"  and I'm not kidding when I type that....I literally said that to him hahaha!!!  We still joke about that all the time.  But that's why I love him, he just gets me and my awesome sense of humor ;-)  (yes, babe...you know it's awesome!)

Over the past year, he has helped me so much and in so many ways.  He believes in everything I do and helps me stay true to what matters most.  He makes me laugh and treats my son as if he were his own (except when it comes to discipline - such a chicken!).  I can't tell you how many cards, notes (left in my blender bottle, of course!), Edible Arrangements and bouquets of flowers I've gotten "just because".  We have a saying that started when we first met, "Never forget the little things", and he doesn't.  If anything, he reminds me I'm slacking lol. 

Thanks so much for coming into my life, babe - I love you7  (sorry, inside joke!)

Shout Out!!

People that know me well, know that I don't get mushy very often.  I'm not a lovey dovey, express your emotions, kinda girl (unless I'm talking to my son...or angry, then...Watch out!!).  But when I talk about my friend, mentor, and fellow coach, Landon, it's hard for me not to say nice things about him.  He definitely has his moments where I want to smack him, but for the most part, he is a genuinely nice person.  Honestly, he's like a brother to me.  We do the whole brother/sister thing, where we pretty much pick on each other non-stop, day in and day out.  He gets on my nerves, I get on his.  He teases me about being "old" and I tease him about his non-existent quads.  He gets a new haircut and I don't say anything about it (that burns him up haha!!)...Hey, I can't let his head get any bigger than it already is :)

Fight Gone Bad 5

Bottom line is...he helped change my life and I'll never be able to thank him enough for that.  He obviously saw something in me, and pushed me to be where I am today, and for that, I'll always be grateful.  With Regionals a week away, I just want him to know, how proud I am of him and all of his hard work.  I've been training right alongside him, and I'm telling you...this is the year he goes to the Games!!  I'll be at Regionals wearing a shirt with HIS name on it (barf!), and cheering him on as loudly as I can.

I'd wish you luck, LA, but we all know you don't need it.  Love ya brother!!

Insomnia!!!!!!!

Insomnia.  Just typing that word and/or saying it makes me wish it never existed....especially in my own home!  You see, for the last 2 weeks I've been waking up, for no apparent reason, at 3am.  Which is why I laughed so hard when I found this image on Google:

I mean, really??  Could it be ANY more perfect for me?!!  

This is definitely not the first time I've had issues with the dreaded "insomnia monster", but for some reason this time...it kicked my effing ass!!!  I'm already used to getting up at 4am, 3 days a week, to coach classes, so one hour on those days isn't a big deal.  It was the EVERY SINGLE NIGHT of going to bed at 10:30pm and waking at 3am that completely ruined me.  I felt like a zombie moving through my day.  My workouts weren't good and my attitude was poor.  Spark and coffee were my best friends - for those of you not already addicted to Spark, it's an energy drink made by AdvoCare and it's AWESOME!  (If you 'd like to try some, I'll give you a sample!)

I can already hear all of you, "Well there's your problem, you were drinking too much caffeine.".  Nope.  Sorry to disappoint you, and not give you the satisfaction of being right, it wasn't the caffeine.  I made sure to only have my caffeine fixes in the morning when I needed to be "chipper" and "bouncy" to motivate everyone in class (sorry 5:15pm, you missed out on the cracked out version of coach Aggie- ha!) or I drank some right before my workout, but never anything after 1:00pm.  I STILL, went home completely exhausted, falling into bed, sleeping as hard as a rock until - BAM! 3am.

It' SO frustrating to be that tired and exhausted and not know why you can't stay asleep.  You look at the clock and think "I've got 3 more hours to sleep" and then before you know it, you're looking at the clock again and it's been 15 minutes and you've pretty much just laid there staring at the wall.  Thirty minutes goes by, an hour goes by...same thing.   Last night I finally slept for 9 hours straight and I did nothing different - WTH??!!  But...that's pretty much how it's always been for me.  Insomnia comes and goes as it pleases, leaving me wondering what the heck I did to make this happen again.

Everyone knows insomnia can be caused by stress and caffeine, but there are some other factors that I had no idea could affect the way you sleep.  Like, eating too late in the evening, there's even a cause called "learned" insomnia.   Huh...who would want to LEARN that!?!  Click this link to read an article by the staff at the Mayo Clinic, it's filled with tons of info, even some home remedies.  

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/insomnia/DS00187 

If you're suffering or have ever suffered from insomnia, I hope this helps even a little bit.  Learn to push that stress out of your life, eat well, and take care of your body - it's the only one you've got!  And if you just happen to be awake at 3am...call me, we'll chat - haha!!  :)

Much Love,
coach Aggie
"Strong is the New Sexy"

Leadership

lead·er·ship/ˈlēdərˌSHip/

Noun:

1. The action of leading a group of people or an organization.
2. The state or position of being a leader.

I've never really thought of myself as a leader, maybe it's just the way I was raised - mom always told me to be humble!  But after reading the definition of leadership, I thought about what I do on a daily basis.  As a coach, I do lead a group of people.  As the gym manager, I do help lead an organization.  As a mother, I am in a leadership position. Funny how different things look, when you see them on paper!!!  If asked what my characteristics were, I never in a million years would've listed "a leader" as one of them - just for the record my list would include: hilarious, sarcastic and fabulously dressed :-) 

I guess it's time for me to take ownership of the fact that I am, a leader.  Maybe not a vocal leader, but a leader by example.  Hopefully, I continue to grow and embrace this, so others will continue to follow me down the "healthy highway" ha!!