A lot has happened since my last blog post… I turned one year older and one year closer to forty (when and how did that happen??); I attended an Original Strength Workshop over my birthday weekend in New York City at Five Points Academy and was able to spend some quality time with my brother.

On the first day of the Original Strength Workshop, we worked on Original Strength resets the whole morning.  After lunch, on a full stomach, and not warmed up at all, I accidentally discovered that I could do a handstand push up with my head practically reaching the floor.  I wrote more about the workshop and how it helped me in my post “Reset, Restore, Rejuvenate – The Magic of the Original Strength System”.

One of the themes that was discussed at the Original Strength Workshop is that “we are meant to get older, not age”.  Our bodies are truly meant to last a lifetime.  I found this to be very fitting as I turned 38 that weekend, because I am stronger and more fit, than I was in my twenties.

“In our lifetimes, we are not meant to have only a “season” of health.  The body is far too amazing for such a season.  We are meant to live a “life” of health.  Yes, we will grow older, but we do not have to age and decay.” ~Tim Anderson & Geoff Neupert, Original Strength

The Original Strength System is a phenomenal, game changing system.  I strongly encourage everyone to learn and explore this system.

After I returned from New York City I FNALLY finished the 10,000 Swings in 28-Days Program.  The last day was so hard to motivate to finish that I almost didn’t do it.  But I did.  I was ready to be finished with the 10,000 Swings Program at around week three of the program.  However, I pushed through and finished all four weeks. I finished my last day on Wednesday January 8, 2014 and was very glad to move onto something new.  I am back to a more strength-focused program as I am working on a half body weight press program and try to put some pounds back on.  I know, I know, most people are trying to do the opposite, but not me.  I’d rather weigh in heavier to be stronger and lately I’ve been much lighter than normal weighing in around 113/114lbs.  I’m not sure why, perhaps it’s the winter, perhaps it’s stress from everything I have on my plate for Iron Body Studios, but in any event, I’m hoping to get my weight back up to 117/118lbs even if it means I need to stop doing kettlebell swings, and eat a whole apple pie and ice cream after dinner every night :).  Pack it on, pack it in, and let the strength begin!

Another really amazing thing that happened last month was that Iron Body Studios was named The Boston Globe Magazine’s Best of the New 2013.  This was a very exciting accomplishment for Eric and myself and we are grateful for all the support from our clients, colleagues, friends, and family that helped us to achieve this.

When I first started writing this blog two years ago, often I felt like Amy Adams’ character Julie in the movie “Julie & Julia”.  There is a scene when she is writing and her character remarks that her mom is the only person reading her blog and she says, “Is there anyone out there reading this? Anyone? Anyone?”  Soon after, she learns from fan mail and reader responses that indeed there were many people out there following her blog.

Two years ago I felt the same way.  There were ideas, messages, and experiences that I wanted to share; I wanted to inspire people to have the courage to go after what they really want in life (after all you only have but one life!)  and to encourage women to toss the pink dumbbells and the bathroom scale and rather to get stronger in body and mind, by adapting a lifestyle of lifting heavy, eating REAL food, and having the confidence to be capable of anything.

Responses started to trickle in towards the end of the first year of writing this blog, but I first learned of the true impact that I was having when I assisted at a StrongFirst Level II Kettlebell Instructor Certification this past September 2013 at DV8Fitness in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  I remember at that certification many people approached me to thank me for writing and for writing what I write because it has inspired them and helped them.  It was overwhelming (in a good way) and truly amazing to receive this feedback.  Again at the Original Strength Workshop I received much of the same feedback from people and it never gets old and it always touches me and has an impact on me because no matter how many blogs that I write, sometimes I still feel like Julie from Julie & Julia “Is there anyone reading this? Hello? Hello?”

I hope that I continue to inspire and to have an impact on people’s lives because that is the goal of why I write and why I coach – to do what I can to spread my message and to make a difference.  I know I may fall off the blog wagon on occasion, but know that I constantly write down ideas for topics I want to write about and that I have a long list of notes and unfinished blog posts in the works, to be published in the order that I have a chance to finish them.  When things get busy at Iron Body Studios, and my blog posts take a back burner, they are always on my mind to carve out time to write.  So, to all of the readers out there, thank you all for giving me a reason to write, for validating that there is actually someone out there reading the thoughts, messages, and experiences I share.   Without you reading what I have to share, there would be no impact, no inspiration, no change in people’s lives, or encouragement to help them to get one step closer to being exactly where they want to be in their one beautiful life to live.

~Aspire to Inspire~