Here’s interview #2. It’s another instructor friend of mine, Amanda. She has made fitness her career because she is so passionate about it. Now, I know the last interview was an instructor, too. I do have a method to my madness. We’re looking at the extreme end first and then scaling down to people that don’t make fitness a huge part of their lives. Check out this interview and see what you have in common with Amanda. I guarantee you will see a little of yourself in her, too.
Stats…
Name: Amanda
Age: Late 20’s
Self classification: Fitness-obsessed
Titles: Mom, Aerobics Instructor
Goal: Maintenance
What motivates you to work out?
Health is 50% of what motivates me to work out. I eat very healthy, and live a bit of an alternative health/food/medicine lifestyle. And of course, appearance is the other 50%. ...It’s the nature of the beast I guess.
What is your ideal workout?
My ideal workout is an hour of super intense cardio (whether it's TurboKick or Zumba) I want to SWEAT and get breathless. That, followed by a mind/body workout, either Pilates, Yoga or Piyo! I have found for me, that is the perfect combination to get the 'appearance' I want, balanced with the 'health' and mindset that I live.
Have you ever struggled with weight?
Yes, yes, and yes. When I was 11 I was anorexic. I struggled with anorexia until the age of 16. Then, as a junior in college, I gained about 25 pounds. I carried the extra weight for about a year and a half before I lost it all...and then got pregnant. I gained 48 pounds during my first pregnancy, but lost it all in the first 6 months after he was born. Then I got pregnant the second time, gained another 48 pounds, and this time, only half came off. So then I recommitted myself to fitness and lost it all...AGAIN. There you have the story of my life in pounds!
Have you ever struggled with lack of motivation?
Always! I have always LOVED working out...the hard part was always just committing to do it! (The motivation factor.)
Describe your earliest fitness memory.
I am from a small town (1,231 people) in the middle of nowhere, and if you didn't play sports, you were considered unfit or not athletic. There was nothing like 'fitness' outside of the mainstream sports. So, as a young child I struggled with the idea of NOT being athletic or fit (even though I was!) simply because I didn't play sports! I danced and that kept me thin, but back then, it was hard to have people look at me the way they did. (Which was lazy and uncoordinated since I didn't play sports!)
What was your "ah-ha" moment in which you decided that fitness was a part of your lifestyle?
For me, fitness has NEVER been torture. I don't think I had an ah-ha moment! EXCEPT for when I decided to make this my profession, then it was more like DUH! What am I doing NOT getting paid for this!
Meghan’s Analysis
Amanda like so many young girls struggled with a poor self-image and resorted to starvation (anorexia). Ya’ll this is a serious issue that I don’t think can be addressed as a little side note on my blog. But I will say that I have had someone very close to me suffer with an eating disorder and it is a hard thing to overcome. This plight seems to affect women that are just starting their fitness journey. They are becoming a woman and are struggling with the extra weight and body changes that go along with that. It’s scary. I over-analyze every wrinkle on my body and I don’t really think about the ramifications this could have on the self-image of another person, especially a young, impressionable teen. Be careful when you succumb to self-hate.
Ok, enough of that. Argh, serious issue alert.
Yo-Yo-Yo! Amanda had some yo-yo gains and losses. Raise your hand if you are part of that club. Gain 20 pounds, lose 20 pounds, gain, lose, gain, lose…Oprah is your hand raised? The problem with yo-yo dieting/weight loss is a lack of full commitment to a lifestyle. Aside from pregnancy, when weight gain is essential, your weight should not fluctuate more than 5 pounds over the course of a few months if you are at a “happy weight.” If you want to calculate a happy weight for your body, check out this site: http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/ideal-body-weight-3146-143.html
But don’t freak out if you aren’t at that weight. We are all a work-in-progress. Diet and exercise can regulate this and help you find your happy place. Ironically, my happy place is on the beach with a tub of fat-free, calorie-free ice cream…and I’m wearing a thong bikini…
Back to Amanda: she needed a serious commitment to keep herself in check – thus making fitness her career. It’s not for everyone, but man, I never miss a workout because there are people that rely on me. Have you ever thought about adding a level of accountability? A workout buddy? Teaching a class? Taking a class? Volunteering to do something active at the local YMCA or Boys & Girls Club. We all have something to offer. Get accountable. It will help make fitness part of your life. If it’s part of your life, then you will achieve your goal.
I think of fitness like toilet paper. I would never decide, “you know what, I think I’m going to skip buying the TP this month. I don’t really need it…” Think of fitness the same way. Your body needs it, your mind needs, you need it!
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