My Personal Training story with Julia Casal (2010)

I wrote this in 2010 for a competiton at my gym, where I had to deliver my Personal Training experience. I won the competiton for Spain and was runner up in UK. 

I joined the David Lloyd in December 2007, having just found out that I was pregnant with my second child. The obvious choice would have been to not join a new club given my situation and not knowing whether I would be able to justify the membership. However, I was encouraged by the sales rep at the club to get in the hands of a personal trainer and work out at a slower pace, ensuring I would not take any risks on overdoing my training. This convinced me and I was keen to discover the likes of being taken care of by a professional trainer.

I was introduced to Julia and explained my situation to her. She immediately took on board my needs, my weak points and above all made me feel very comfortable with her. I have always been keen on keeping fit, though I never knew my true potential till she pushed me and encouraged me to try out workouts that I never imagined I was capable of doing.

During my whole pregnancy she guided me so smoothly that at times I never even thought I was pregnant. Once I started to get heavier we slowed down my pace and started working on stretching more and getting a more mental preparation for the time of birth. During my fourth month I suffered an asthma crisis when travelling abroad and I came back with a fair amount of fear in my mind, questioning if it was safe to continue working out. Julia approached this fear very cautiously and explained to me it was entirely up to me and we could take it slowly without any pressure.

I went on training till I remember one day, now almost in my eighth month she told me that I had lasted this long at the gym thanks to my dedication and perseverance. I would like to add to that her words of encouragement and a unique way to always make me feel like I was making progress, even on my worst days.

Once my daughter was born, she suddenly took reigns of my body and we both realised how much work needed to be done. Undoubtedly I did feel energetic, only thanks to the fact that I had not stopped for 9 months, but as she would say “you need to feel like you are at a level of 9/10 now”. During my pregnancy we never crossed 5 or 6/10. I understood at this point how tactfully she had managed to keep me within the safe realms of realistic fitness standards for a pregnant woman. Her upmost concern at all times had been the baby!

We commenced with body pump classes at 7.30am, which was the only time of the day I could give to the gym then with a new born who I was nursing. Looking back I don’t know how I even found the motivation to come to the gym so early on such cold mornings. During my time with Julia she actually discovered that I may need to wear insoles as I had a tendency to injure my knees caused by incorrect treading of my feet on the ground. This changed my life as I realised I could do so much more once my knees and feet stopped hurting as much.

With time we brought back my cardio levels and within less than a year after giving birth I was running and actually considering mini marathons. I give most of the credit to Julia, again for her constant push and silent dedication she gave to me, even during group classes.

As time has gone by I have discovered a fitness level in me which cannot be matched to anything I have ever felt in my whole life. I am 32 years old but feel like I am in my 20s. Julia has turned my life around a full 180ºC. After this pregnancy it’s not just the weight loss I have valued but more the energy and vitality I have gained. This has enabled me to run two races, attend spinning classes and do advanced Pilates with an ease I cannot explain! The treadmill has become my best friend and going to the gym has become a drug which I actually miss when I let go for more than a week. Julia finds innovative workouts for me to follow and I never get bored of them.

People ask me where I find the time to go to the gym with two children to take care of, a home to manage and work part time. I have learnt in the last two years that you are nothing if your health is not with you. Being in the hands of a trainer has given me my health back and bettered my quality of life. Despite having a background of asthma I have learnt that such obstacles simply need to be controlled and not allow them to control you.  

In simple terms I consider my personal trainer an investment which has given me high returns without any extra interest or risks incurred!

Julia was my first ever trainer and at this moment in time I would not give her up for anyone else.

Does everything always happen for a reason?

Nothing happens by chance

For a long time I used to relentlessly question why things would go wrong in my life and seek an answer to the why in all the bad things I would encounter. I realised this would actually distress me further and too much time and negative energy was being consumed, whilst no answers were found. As rash as the following sounds, I decided to stop caring and let life lead its course. It seemed to me that where I was otherwise spending so much time thinking about my misfortunes, if I channelled this time into something more creative and fun, I would reap more benefits and distract my mind too.

In this process of change, I did of course become a little more selfish and where perhaps before I would blame myself for a negative outcome and take strict care in protecting others, the latter had now stopped and I refused to empathise as much anymore. I saw short term benefits from this attitude change but deep down all I was really doing was ignoring the problem by putting up a facade and not fully accepting the fact that negative events take place in our life and we should just face them sooner or later. I was in fact more pissed off with the universe than before.

Then one day I was driving and was looking for a parking space in the city centre. I was already running late for my appointment and was convinced that not in a million years was I going to find parking that day and cursed myself and the city traffic. I stopped at a traffic light and then saw the light change from red to green and I had read in a book about voicing your positive thoughts out loud and if you think positively then the outcome will be positive too. The change from red to green triggered off this thought and I actually started chanting out loud "I am going to find an amazing parking spot". I did think I was somewhat mad to be chanting in my car like this, but a part of me really believed this would work. Within a minute I actually found a parking spot and in no time was I walking towards my appointment venue. It turned out the person I had to meet had missed the bus and they arrived five minutes after me.

This incident taught me a few things. Sometimes your natural path of life can take detours and although we translate this to a negative event, the truth is these minor disasters can often be wonderful gifts, hidden opportunities or life enhancing lessons. The red traffic light turning green was a sign that inspired me to remember what I had read in the book and therefore made me think in a positive way and the fact that I was late didn't matter as I had used that delay towards my personal enhancement and that was the moment I was meant to learn my lesson. I arrived at my appointment in a happy state of mind. Perhaps me finding the parking spot was purely coincidental, as was the person missing the bus and as was I reading into the traffic light too. However, all these events occurred together and what I did was to reap the benefits from each one and see the positive outcome.

As time has passed I still continue not to dwell on things as much as before, but I have added another element to my attitude of dealing with the worst. I want to believe that the things that happen to me have a meaning and that's how life should be. There are definitely days when I feel like I'm the protagonist of a dramatic soap opera, but I try hard to reverse my thoughts to believing that there is a purpose and value to it all. Being positive out loud obliges you to vocalise these thoughts and somehow make it real. When we discover the meaning of these unexpected events, everything literally changes 180º!

How?
You actually believe you are stronger and almost invincible because you have learnt to take the punches and not punch back, but stand strong whilst life continues to punch you. Life will eventually get tired and take off its gloves and wear soft mittens.

You actually feel wiser as you are able to decipher the intricate web of disastrous events and envisage the connection between them.

I will state the example of my training months leading up to my half marathon. From mid December till the month of February approximately, I had to face a different obstacle each week, which hindered my training progress towards the final goal. It varied from cutting cold temperatures to my children falling sick to family stress to me getting a blister, which later got infected only a week before the race. I think the list goes on. After the third week I noticed how it was no coincidence that some new surprise was coming my way and I identified these series of negative events. I decided to actually wait for the next obstacle to come to me and not shy away from it. When I got my blister and my foot was plastered up, disabling me from walking, let alone running I remember telling myself that I will give this misfortune three days to heal and after that I will be at the gym doing my final training before the run. I accepted this final punch as a gift to make me rest before the marathon and took it as a blessing, rather than a disaster. Sure enough I was training within three days and ultimately I was able to finish my marathon smoothly. Had I got the blister in the week of the race, well that would have definitely put me out of the race, so there was a reason why I got it a week before.

When you discover the reason why something happens, you also liberate yourself from self-blame and from blaming others. Normally blame is the easiest answer to any catastrophe and as human beings we hate facing the truth so find consolation in blaming others or blame ourselves to simply label the why. However, when one blames it's like shoving dirt under the carpet, sooner or later the dirt comes out and this blame keeps fogging your thoughts.

When you realise that things happen for a reason you are actually living in real time and not in the past, because you know the life you're meant to be living. Above all you are happy as you have consciously put the loss behind and are eager to embrace a future that only promises well.

Does everything always happen for a reason? I would say yes it does, but often the answers are so deeply profound that not even us the smart human beings are capable of understanding these reasons. In such instances it is always easier to just accept that there may not be a reason and simply it does because it just does. The mere acceptance of this event is often the biggest step towards moving forward and not in reverse.

Regardless of whether things take place for a reason or not, the most important element that solves most of our problems is the solution. We often forget that one can find a solution to most situations before labelling them as life or death. I always believe that under pressure one can perform shockingly better towards a critical situation than in a calmer state of mind. Therefore, in most cases always attempt to solve the problem before it solves you.

Ugly- (1995)

The day has only just begun

Nothing appears like it’s going to be fun

Roll in bed, twist and turn

It’s time to wake up and make a run

Open your eyes and remember

Remember that you are still here

Still far from looking thin and slender

I give up, I want to surrender

Stares and gazes that come my way

Everyday

All the time

Where ever I go, whatever I say

From the outside I appear okay

I have my fantasy

I have my dream

I leap into it and feel supreme

Here I am the princess

Pretty and flawless

The day has only just begun

Nothing appears like it’s going to be fun

Roll in bed, twist and turn

I really must get up and make the run

Reality is quite different

The world is real, not an illusion

My biggest disillusion

Late again, so what’s new?

Get to the bus stop and wait in the queue

I will just always be amongst those few

Summer days

A cove on the Costa Brava I discovered last summer.

Bodies lie horizontal
On a mattress of soft sand
A sheet of towel in between
Splish splash drops
A ball drops

Rays of sunshine
Screen the sky
Flames of heat
Burning feet
Smothering lotion
A soothing potion

She plays with seashells
Curiously dwells
Digs deeper, massaging her fingers
Crumbs of sand highlight her strands
Looks at me
Flirts with her eyes
...happy sighs

A timid hush
Coquetish rush
A scream of fear
A celebratory cheer
These ripples are not shy
Loud and clear
Can you hear?

All day long the waves perform their dance
Splish splash
Crash
A turbulent romance

A dreamy breeze
A lethargic ease
Strong hands
Familiar touch
I've missed you
So much

An anesthetizing hiss
We kiss
Tickling fingers
A warm breath lingers
Spine
Nape
Escape

The sun crawls down
Pomegranate paints the horizon
Merging wigwag violet azure
We stand there
Hand in hand
Bedazzled by the sunset that shimmers the land

Choice or Chance - Serendipity

"Life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences, but rather a tapestry of events that culminate in an exquisite sublime plan" - Serendipity 2001 (Film)

The definition of Serendipity is actually a fortunate accident that leads you to discover something. The following is a piece about the way many of us live our day to day lives floating around believing that these so called "accidents" and occurrences can crack a crucial equation to the events of our life. Clearly this idea breaks the rules of logic and simple science and perhaps you'd imagine I'm just living a fantasy fairy tale. The world is quite divided on this idea and many also think these signs are just happy coincidences and move along, without paying much regard to them.

Ironically, one of the most famous examples of such a fortuitous accident was the discovery of penicillin. Alexander Fleming returned from a holiday to find penicillin molds had killed bacteria that Fleming had neglected to disinfect. There are plenty of other such cases where one can blame an accident or sign which was there for someone to either ignore or acknowledge and the result possibly changed that person’s life. 

Depending on the culture, religion or heritage you come from, different signs appear in our lives and we all have them in the unconscious of our minds. However, depending on if you wish to live by choice or chance you choose to read into these signs or ignore them.

What is a sign?
They are like messengers of important information about your current or future life. They can be subtle reflections of what is going on with you or inside of you. They work in different ways and forms;

Dreams- Have you ever had a recurring dream where perhaps you remember symbols, words, phrases, people or even a song?
Conversations- Often these are fragments or slips of the tongue. There is always a reason we have a conversation with someone. I was once on a flight and sat next to a total stranger who told me she had studied at the same boarding school as me, although much more senior to me and had later gone on to study the same degree as me at a different university to mine. She got married soon after her graduation and had two children. I was still not a graduate at the time but met a woman who seemed to fit the exact description of what my life would be in the future. I only didn't know it at the time. At the end of the flight she discovered she had been sitting in the wrong seat all along and had misread her boarding pass. I conclude from this little story that you must listen carefully and take in all that you hear. It's important to not think much about what you are going to say, but to infact live in the moment.
Random thoughts- When you are doing something seemingly normal do you get random thoughts that run through your mind. You may hear of a random topic or person, almost like a tangent it does not relate to your present activity, but a few days later the same thought or person runs through your mind or even crops up in your real life. We all live such moments, but very few of us actually pay attention to these thoughts and wonder why?
Media- Sometimes scenes, commentary can all be interpreted as a message that is being conveyed to you. Books, billboards, magazines and nowadays even printed words or phrases we read on t-shirts or in the social media can feel like they are jumping out at you and giving you the answer you need. Read your fortune cookie next time, you never know!
People (known/unknown) - Everyone is put into your path to cross with you or meet you at a junction of your life. You must not disregard these people; they are supposed to represent an answer for you. Most of all don't forget that you could also be a messenger for someone else. I once kept meeting the same guy in the elevator when I worked in a bank. I decided to say hello one day and it turned out this guy was a neighbour of mine who lived on the floor above me. All these years I had never met him in my home elevator, but instead I was supposed to meet him in my work elevator. Next time you have an "elevator" meeting, perhaps you should seize those seconds and say hello. 

These are but a few of the ways by which we see signs and the believers like myself often choose to pursue them further. Others, who are indifferent to such anecdotes, merely regard them as happy coincidences of life. I agree with the latter and it is possible that many of these "signs" are just happy pills to keep us smiling through the day. However, I also think there are times one must take those leaps of faith and actually follow the signs. You won't know whether they're good or bad until you test them right? 

This time I decided to consider the reasons why others like myself would consider paying attention to these signs and launched a question to a group of around 20 individuals and gave them multiple choice answers, also allowing room for additional input from their side. My question was simple; You believe in signs because, a) they are like messengers of information that bring me closer to the solution b) God is sending his answers in this anonymous fashion c) I just feel better following them, they act as a reassuring device. 

This mini survey brought out a perfect balance of answers, but what I noticed a lot was that many chose to interlink their responses by using either A and B or B and C. I concluded from my research that as human beings we always need answers to everything and many of us like to hear these from a third party or in the form of a sign. Most of the time these answers actually lie within us, but we have this urge to search outside. Our brain works in a complex way and the uncertainties that lie within us are comforted by these positive signs that we see or hear in the exterior. In cases where you have a faith in God, well as Albert Einstein said coincidence is Gods way of remaining anonymous. We reaffirm our faith in Him by accepting that these signs are anonymous messages he wants to send you in order to help you thorough a problem. I.e. our prayers have been answered. 

I want to end this piece asking you all a famous question which has eternally been considered as the statement which is used as a tool for dealing with acceptance. If signs and anecdotes in our life are meant to lead the way for us and guide us towards the solution or at least part of the solution and there is a force in the universe that pushes you towards or away from an outcome, is it always true that the result is always for the best?

Does everything happen for a reason? Are all the outcomes, even the most negative ones like death or terminal illnesses meant to happen because what you are meant to accept from them are the actual lessons they teach you? I end on this note and no prizes for guessing what I will be embarking on next. 

Special thanks to a few close friends who have contributed to this piece by providing me motivation, data and lived examples of "serendipity" with me.

Rebirth...Spring

Rays of warmth penetrate the ground
Beams of majestic light
Commanding presence
I'm here, it's my right
Sun light

They hum a tune
Dance in the wind
I see them grin
Blooming flowers
Happy petals

Warm gentle winds
Clear skies
Budding dafs, buzzing bees
Itchy eyes... and a few sighs

Picnics in the park
It's no longer dark
Lovers stretching out
Under the dormant trees
Their love awakes
So do the trees

The birth of nature
A true adventure
All is new
The earth bears a special hue

Drip drop rain
Rat a tat tat on my window pane
Musky green
Aquamarine
The air smells clean

Children playing all around
No longer homebound
Balls and bicycles
Slides and swings
It's finally Spring

My everything

Capuccino tinted dermis
Button nose
Velvet strokes
Soft apple cheeks
Plump
Pink
I watch and think...

Forehead
Framed by feathers of slate
Tresses of ash
Each decadent lash
Never ending
Sweeping long
Across each almond
Eye blink
I watch and think...

A nest of hair
Powdery black
Waves of dark
A cushion of black ink
I watch and think...

Sparkling glitter drips from those eyes
You grip me with your ties
A smile to mesmerize
The perfect sunrise
I love you Mama
A cheeky wink
I watch and think...

Your laughter infects the skies
Cloudy blues turn to bright highs
A voice that heals
A void that fills
Sweet nothings
That's the thing

I watch...
I think...you are my everything