FEATURED ATHLETE: RACHAEL V. A great story from another amazing woman!! Thank you Rachael, for sharing! Keep up the incredible journey of living the Kaia Life! Hi, I am Rachael, a married mother of two (6 and 3) with a full time career. I am a Psychologist for a large HMO and commute about an hour each way. In other words, I am tired… sometimes cranky, drained of energy, and constantly trying to find balance. Mastering all the demands and responsibilities in my life seems like a lofty goal; just finding some sort of balance for one day, preferably before the Real Housewives of Beverley Hills is on would be great! For me, finding balance is basically a day to day task. Some days I feel like a domestic goddess with Starbucks, high heels, and a paycheck. I can dress a table and a mantle like no other. Did someone say glittery gourds or cranberry centerpieces with birch tree branches? Most days, managing my life is slightly less fabulous and just plain stressful. Did I remember to put my kids in the correct attire for spirit day? When am I going to make it to the grocery store to buy 100 mini marshmallows for the 100th day of school tomorrow? If I feed my children Kraft macaroni and cheese three nights in a row for dinner, am I being neglectful? I hope my eye shadow actually made it onto my eye. It’s really hard to apply eye makeup when you’re driving in traffic. I wouldn’t recommend it. Diet, nutrition, and exercise were somewhere on my priority list, between maybe tomorrow and definitely as soon as my kids graduate HS and move out. Fast forward to 1 year ago, when I decided that it was really time for me to do what I was recommending to my patients day in and day out. I desperately needed a healthy outlet (wine and reality shows) weren’t cutting it. I had become the mom that was yelling at her kids to stop yelling. My body had also changed after having children, and I was less than pleased with how mommy looked on me. In the past, I viewed exercise and diet as a means to an end. The end for me usually consisted of a vacation, wedding, holiday, or dreaded bikini season. In order to achieve these goals; I would try out various classes at the gym, run a few miles around the neighborhood, cut back on Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, skip the Frappuccino and order the skinny late, opt for the burrito bowl with brown rice and black beans at Chipotle instead of the bean burrito with sour cream at Jimboys. In all honesty, I didn’t have the healthiest habits, but I could “rough it” when I needed to and incorporate some form of exercise into my routine for brief periods. The other thing I suppose I should mention is that I HATED exercise. I would do it because I understood the benefits both physically and mentally, but I hated every second of it. I’ve never been especially coordinated and don’t particularly enjoy the feeling of my muscles tearing. So that was me a year ago. Then 10 months ago, I made the leap from fantasizing about how much my life would improve if I had muscle tone (slightly kidding) and having a consistent outlet, to just doing it. In total that leap took me a few years, but who’s counting? It’s never too late. I learned of Kaia FIT Laguna from a friend who brought me to a class in the park, and I immediately knew it was exactly what I needed to find BALANCE. I was drawn to the variety of work outs, to the philosophy, to the support and encouragement of the trainers, as well as the overall positive energy of this group of women. Women who are all working towards achieving their goals together. I immediately went home and spoke to my husband about how much I needed this! My husband had his listening ears on that day. He bought me a membership to Kaia FIT Laguna as a birthday present. I suppose he also benefited. Just ask him how much fun I can be after a long day. I went to my first class at 5:15AM on my 35th birthday. It was the BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER! Learning that it is okay and necessary to do things just for me is still something I struggle with. This is reflected by the fact that I attend the 5:15AM class when nobody needs anything from me. But nonetheless, this hour of my day is time just for ME! I have successfully made the shift from viewing exercise and nutrition as a means to an end to attempting to live a balanced healthy lifestyle. I am less stressed, less tired, happier, healthier, and actually have a few muscles to show for it! And, I suppose there is such a thing as good pain. Recently my family traveled to Mexico, and there was a pivotal moment when I knew I had reached my goal of living a healthy lifestyle. In the past, my thought process would have been something along the lines of, “Okay, the bikini is finally on, now pass me the carnitas and make my margarita a double (no salt though).” This time, I was enjoying the scenic beaches and ocean, not with a margarita in hand (I did that later) but from inside the resort’s gym happily working out and feeling great. Some things continue to be a struggle of course, but I continue to make steps towards becoming FIT and I am enjoying all the wonderful benefits. P.S. My husband and children are also enjoying a more energetic wife and mom. P.P.S. I can also proudly state that we are down to one box of macaroni and cheese a week.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:37:56 +0000
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