At Last!

I got on the scale before I stepped into the shower this afternoon and Glory Be to God--I am finally at 130!!! I was beginning to think my scale was incapable of giving me what I wanted. We are back in good standing now though (little does it know I've moved on to a new goal already--125 here I come!)
Anyway...as some of you remember I mentioned an exciting opportunity that had come my way. Well...I've been "sitting on it" for a bit until I could make sure it was going to all work out, but I've decided to spill the beans since I'm not exactly sure how long it's going to take before it's official.
Now, if your a guy or your the kind of girl who doesn't like details you can skip this whole big next paragraph because it is just background information..but if you're like me and you like to know all the reasons behind stuff...well, then read on my friend.
So...back a few years ago we got a new instructor at the gym, my sweet Shelly that you've all heard me gush about lately. She has been instrumental in whipping me into shape over the years and has become a very well-loved instructor at our gym bringing in monumental crowds to her classes. If you're a regular, you know to get there early if you want to be guaranteed a spot. To get a spot in front of the fan is like getting the best parking spot in a crowded parking lot and you for SURE have to get there early for that! (go Rene! :)
Okay switching gears. All my dedicated readers know that I am passionate about a few major things, two of which are fitness and God. In my mind, anything I could do that would intertwine the two of them together would be the Ultimate Dream for me! As I sat praying one day a couple of months ago, pondering this idea and the possibilities, I spoke these words, "Lord, You know my heart. I don't know if I should pursue this right now, but if someone would approach me with an opportunity, I would do it."
God...He's a funny guy sometimes. The very next morning, less than 12 hours after I uttered those words, Shelly came right up to me and said, "Jen, have you ever thought about becoming an instructor?"
Uhhh....YAH! It was divine. I was so pumped. She told me exactly what I need to do to get certified as a fitness instructor, who to talk to at the gym to get started and also mentioned that my Zumba teacher (who is also a friend of hers) said she'd love to get me started with Zumba too so I could (at least) sub her classes when she's gone. Awesome! Next, just a few days later, I talked to my kickboxing instructor who also chimed in that she'd love to train me to be able to sub her classes as well. Amazing!
So...this is where I'm at right now: During the month of May, I am holding "classes" at my house for some of my friends so I can get some practice in and develop some of my own routines. We decided to turn half of the upstairs game room into a work out area and we are in the process of putting up a whole wall of mirrors. Today, we came across a great deal on Craig's list where we were able to get 350 lbs. of plate-weights and 5 barbells (2 short ones and 3 long ones).
Starting this week, I will possibly start instructing a small portion of Shelly's Tue/Thur. classes so I can get comfortable speaking in front of all those people. She said just pick a muscle group I want to do and she'll give me the class for that portion. I figure I'll probably just start with abs and basically do Ab Ripper X since I know that by heart. Today I got all the books and workbooks to study for my certification. As soon as I feel that I can lead a class on my own, I will let the gym know and they will put my name and number down as a sub for any of these classes! Eventually, if everything works out and God is still showing me His favor for this, I will become a certified fitness instructor with my own classes!
In the meantime, I have decided to take a leap of faith and become a Beachbody Coach. Yes, Demi...I'm finally doing it. I just feel like I'm throwing away opportunities ALL the time when people ask me what I've been doing to get in such great shape. I tell them about P90X and they ask where they can get it. What a perfect time to hand them a business card with my Beachbody site on it right? Well, I've missed out on probably at least 1o of those opportunities in just the past 2 weeks! I talked to my hubby last night and after showing him a few of your websites (Demi & the Bransons) he agrees that it would be a good idea. He also got super excited about starting P90X again and on a whim, we worked up a schedule that will work for both of us, did his "before" pics, took our measurements and completed the Fit Test (at 11 pm last night!!) This time around (his 2nd round, my 3rd) we are going to attempt to make Wednesday's our Stretch/Rest day instead of Sunday's so that we can still keep going to church on Wednesday and not put such a strain on our family on that day. Also, I am (obviously) going to continue going to the gym so I will have to adapt for that as I think doing both things (ALL the P90X work outs in addition to the 7 classes a week I take at the gym) that I was over-training. Matt is going to focus almost entirely on building muscle volume while I am going to work on my endurance. I figured we'd start this Thursday but he's so gung-ho about it that he wants to start tomorrow instead! ha ha
Wow...here I go again. I certainly didn't expect to start it again this soon! I am planning to order X+ asap and then we'll incorporate that into our workouts. I REALLY can't wait for Shaun T's "Insanity" to come out. It looks completely ridiculous, which is just how I like it.
So you might be asking yourself how all this is combining fitness and God. Well, it's not crytsal clear just yet, but I know that I will have much more opportunity for witnessing through this avenue and I know that as I continue to seek God and His will and study His Word, my footsteps will be ordered by Him and I will be able to help people change their lives--not only physically but more importantly--spiritually. What could be better than that? :)