Good-bye toy room hello home Pilates studio! Through the encouragement of my "Pilates stalker" Sue, a catch-all room filled with glitter, glue, legos, balls and bats has become a warm, peaceful space for Pilates. Sue has a natural flair for interior design and generously offered her time and talent in exchange for reformer lessons to makeover this underutilized space. Now a warm tropical sable palm color, with rich chocolate drapes, and upgraded track lighting the room is a haven for bringing a busy life into focus. My Balanced Body reformer is the center of attention thanks to Ron's help and patience with construction. Even my two-day exasperated effort to simply apply a smooth coat of rustoleum spray paint to an old heating vent is now a distant memory. So what precipitated this venture?
Well, Home Training, LLC is nothing new. I incorporated the business in 2002 as a method to train clients in their home--my motto, "Exercise Delivered to Your Doorstep." In addition I would also teach classes at a local dance studio as well as the YMCA. At the same time I worked part-time as an occupational therapist at our community hospital. My primary job however was that of stay at home mom to our two kids--at the time 1 & 3 years old! One of those many identity conflicts--who am I ...a working mom, a stay-at-home mom or someone utterly confused with who she was and what she was supposed to be doing! Needless to say, through all those times one thing remained consistent--exercise improved my life and I received the double joy of it improving others. Nonetheless by 2007 I felt it time to dissolve my LLC as my life felt out of control. My clients knew they could find me at the YMCA if they desired to continue their Pilates training and I replaced my LLC with the pursuit of a hobby...for the first time in my life I indulged myself in tennis!
Understand I come from a family that values work--work ethic, commitment, time, money--for me to embark on a hobby in lieu of work seemed wrong. Of course I was still working--just 2 jobs rather than 3. It took me awhile to give myself permission to have fun. My parents never played golf or tennis--although they had the means to afford it they were frugal and from a generation that knows what it feels like to be poor and to lose everything. Tennis was eye-opening for me. I appreciated the time to focus on skill development--for years it was me trying to encourage and motivate clients as well as patients on methods to accomplish their goals. To have someone demonstrate the patience, enthusiasm and commitment to my own goal accomplishment was amazing and refreshing. This experience actually kept me employed at the hospital one more year as I knew I could not afford the game without my "day job." Nonetheless, my life still felt out of control and I was disconnected with myself and others. By the spring of 2008, feeling miserably sick, run-down, out of touch with my husband, marriage and family I quit my therapy job. That summer was one of quiet times with the kids and a few hours each week devoted to my work at the YMCA. I maintained my love for tennis and believed it was vital for me to carve out time to simply have fun---unfortunately fun has never been easy for me and often my mind would become clouded with off-court conflicts, "joy-zappers" as I like to call them. To maintain focus to the task at hand...to live within the moment rather than the past is a personal objective and one I continue to address on a daily basis.
By fall of 2008 my youngest started kindergarten and I made it my objective to increase my work time at the YMCA to around 20 hours a week. Class size increased, training clients increased and my love and passion for fitness continued to thrive. When your passions and your work align then your work becomes play--this was fortunately the case for me. However, even with my play I like to play as best as possible--to do that within the fitness industry means the investment in educational classes and conferences often ranging in price from $400-$1000. In the past, my hospital salary helped me afford these programs however now, without that additional income, I had to rely on my small budget and whatever the YMCA budget could afford--not much! In order for me to invest in continued training and education I would have to find a secondary income.
So, to consolidate the past year, my appreciation for people that do what they love, make a difference in others' lives and make a living through the pursuit of their passion convinced me to re-title Home Training, LLC and provide fitness training in my home in addition to what I teach at the YMCA. I am thrilled with my decision, I am delighted with the doors that have been opened and the friendships that have been made through the process. I recently attended a 3-day Pilates conference in Chicago and was amazed by the number of professional instructors that serve clients right from their home base. In addition to the small home studios there were other instructors working within large industries of training professional sports teams, rehab clientele, children and geriatrics--absolutely transforming lives one body at a time. I love that my Pilates training can have a positive effect on people and my education in health science and rehab therapy can be utilized with my Pilates clientele.
I like the song, The Motions, by Matthew West. The artist describes the difference between going through the motions of life versus being consumed with passion at living each day to its fullest. I have made the decision that if at all possible I want to avoid simply going though the motions--I want to go beyond the motions and stretch and strengthen my life and others' lives through a commitment first to God and to my family and to my work. I welcome you to observe and participate in my journey.
Well, Home Training, LLC is nothing new. I incorporated the business in 2002 as a method to train clients in their home--my motto, "Exercise Delivered to Your Doorstep." In addition I would also teach classes at a local dance studio as well as the YMCA. At the same time I worked part-time as an occupational therapist at our community hospital. My primary job however was that of stay at home mom to our two kids--at the time 1 & 3 years old! One of those many identity conflicts--who am I ...a working mom, a stay-at-home mom or someone utterly confused with who she was and what she was supposed to be doing! Needless to say, through all those times one thing remained consistent--exercise improved my life and I received the double joy of it improving others. Nonetheless by 2007 I felt it time to dissolve my LLC as my life felt out of control. My clients knew they could find me at the YMCA if they desired to continue their Pilates training and I replaced my LLC with the pursuit of a hobby...for the first time in my life I indulged myself in tennis!
Understand I come from a family that values work--work ethic, commitment, time, money--for me to embark on a hobby in lieu of work seemed wrong. Of course I was still working--just 2 jobs rather than 3. It took me awhile to give myself permission to have fun. My parents never played golf or tennis--although they had the means to afford it they were frugal and from a generation that knows what it feels like to be poor and to lose everything. Tennis was eye-opening for me. I appreciated the time to focus on skill development--for years it was me trying to encourage and motivate clients as well as patients on methods to accomplish their goals. To have someone demonstrate the patience, enthusiasm and commitment to my own goal accomplishment was amazing and refreshing. This experience actually kept me employed at the hospital one more year as I knew I could not afford the game without my "day job." Nonetheless, my life still felt out of control and I was disconnected with myself and others. By the spring of 2008, feeling miserably sick, run-down, out of touch with my husband, marriage and family I quit my therapy job. That summer was one of quiet times with the kids and a few hours each week devoted to my work at the YMCA. I maintained my love for tennis and believed it was vital for me to carve out time to simply have fun---unfortunately fun has never been easy for me and often my mind would become clouded with off-court conflicts, "joy-zappers" as I like to call them. To maintain focus to the task at hand...to live within the moment rather than the past is a personal objective and one I continue to address on a daily basis.
By fall of 2008 my youngest started kindergarten and I made it my objective to increase my work time at the YMCA to around 20 hours a week. Class size increased, training clients increased and my love and passion for fitness continued to thrive. When your passions and your work align then your work becomes play--this was fortunately the case for me. However, even with my play I like to play as best as possible--to do that within the fitness industry means the investment in educational classes and conferences often ranging in price from $400-$1000. In the past, my hospital salary helped me afford these programs however now, without that additional income, I had to rely on my small budget and whatever the YMCA budget could afford--not much! In order for me to invest in continued training and education I would have to find a secondary income.
So, to consolidate the past year, my appreciation for people that do what they love, make a difference in others' lives and make a living through the pursuit of their passion convinced me to re-title Home Training, LLC and provide fitness training in my home in addition to what I teach at the YMCA. I am thrilled with my decision, I am delighted with the doors that have been opened and the friendships that have been made through the process. I recently attended a 3-day Pilates conference in Chicago and was amazed by the number of professional instructors that serve clients right from their home base. In addition to the small home studios there were other instructors working within large industries of training professional sports teams, rehab clientele, children and geriatrics--absolutely transforming lives one body at a time. I love that my Pilates training can have a positive effect on people and my education in health science and rehab therapy can be utilized with my Pilates clientele.
I like the song, The Motions, by Matthew West. The artist describes the difference between going through the motions of life versus being consumed with passion at living each day to its fullest. I have made the decision that if at all possible I want to avoid simply going though the motions--I want to go beyond the motions and stretch and strengthen my life and others' lives through a commitment first to God and to my family and to my work. I welcome you to observe and participate in my journey.
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