Live to Inspire

Lately, there’s been this perfect storm of dissatisfaction and frustration at work, and I’ve been dealing with it through exercise and fitness goals. (My go-to coping strategy used to be beer, so this is a big deal for me.) Without a doubt, I’m happier when I’m focusing on health and fitness.

Then last week, while I was at work, my boyfriend texted me asking how my day was.

Me: Not bad. Would just rather be home.

Boyfriend: That’s kinda your default feeling at work. I really think  you should pursue the trainer thing. I think you’d be a lot happier. Just remember, when you enjoy your job, you’ll never work a day in your life. 🙂

That was sort of the kick in the ass I needed. My boyfriend and I talk about our work and what’s going on regularly, so he’s been able to see the progression of frustrations I’ve been dealing with. He works a very physical job, and in general, is much happier at the end of the day than I am. I work in front of computer in a cubicle, where the highlight of my day is going for walks during my breaks and hitting up my kickboxing gym before going home. (A couple of months into kickboxing, I had talked to my trainer about a part-time gig as a trainer there, but my full time job just doesn’t give me the time I would need to do that.)

Long story short, I signed up with the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT) to get my Personal Trainer certification. This is the first step in a bigger plan to become a certified health coach. ***Update: I’ve switched certification programs and am now actively pursuing my certification through the American Council on Exercise (ACE).***

The way I describe this series of events makes it seem like this is sort of random or sudden. Truth be told, I’ve always had a interest in doing something like this, I just never really thought about it as a professional interest. I work in a healthcare-related industry, and during a recent project I had learned more about health coaches and thought how great it would be to combine my current skills with my interest in fitness and wellness, and make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Though there’s so much more to this story, the gist of it is that I have never felt more empowered and happy than when I took charge of my health and fitness, and I want to help other people make positive changes in their lives. So I’ll use my spare time to study and develop my network. I’m not looking to turn my professional life on its head just yet – there’s some good overlap and could really make it work for me – but I’m excited about the opportunity to once again love what I do.