Because I'm making it mine...

"Well there's a bridge and there's a river that I still must cross
As I'm going on my journey
Oh, I might be lost

And there's a road I have to follow, a place I have to go
Well no-one told me just how to get there
But when I get there I'll know
Cuz I'm taking it

Chorus:
Step By Step, Bit by Bit,
Stone By Stone (Yeah), Brick by Brick (Oh, yeah)
Step By Step, Day By Day, Mile by mile (ooh, ooh, ooh)

And this old road is rough and ruined
So many dangers along the way
So many burdens might fall upon me
So many troubles that I have to face

Oh, but I won't let my spirit fail me
Oh, I won't let my spirit go
Until I get to my destination
I'm gonna take it slowly cos I'm making it mine " Whitney Houston Step by Step



I was complaining to Shelley today that the combination of injuries, loss of my pharmacy job, stress etc that I was feeling rather rudderless about the direction my life was headed from fitness goals to earning a buck. So after I hung up, I grabbed the girls and headed for the local pool. I took a black Nikko pen, a few big sheets of scrap paper and a bottle of Diet Coke (kidlet watching is very thirsty work) and drew up a list of options - look for another pharmacy job, look for an exercise physiology job, look for more classes - when it dawned on me - why work for someone else when you can work for yourself? I realize that this is no new observation for many people and that indeed I have worked (and still work) for myself, although I've intentionally dialled back the coaching this year. Yes, I'm going to continue online coaching (with some changes), but I'm going to take a big leap of faith like Katie and have faith that my penmanship will lead me to a place of prosperity and inner peace.

Whilst I would love nothing more than to set some health and fitness goals for the New Year or do an "Operation Hot Mama", it's not going to happen. The events of this year(both fitness and non fitness related) have created a paradigm shift in my thinking. Not that I believe that being lean and healthy is a dishonourable goal, far from it - but it's the thinking behind it that has changed for me, possibly driven by my injuries.

What I seek to do with life is to honour myself (mind- body- spirit) with the choices I make when I move, when I eat, when I rest and when I work. From a practical perspective, my days of lifting really heavy stuff have come to an end, but I will continue to practise some resistance training as I heal. My intuition has me heading to the pool and onto the bike next year as well as taking in the delights of Cathe's latest series "Shock Cardio".

What I've learned about nutrition is that most of the information out there is pretty suspect to say the least. An intake of mainly whole foods and the odd treat here and there keeps most people happy. The pre training meal is more important than the post training one. Nutrient timing is only for people with too much time on their hands. If the basics are right, then you're probably OK.

So plenty going on in my world. I can't wait to see how it all pans out. I just hope God's not going to laugh at my next plan (ie I got it right!)