Local woman's personal lifestyle change inspires her to inspire others abroad
Two years ago, a girlfriend invited me to accompany her andher Clemson class on a month-long visit to Ghana. I accepted without hesitationand, a few months later, found myself on a 24-hour trip over to Africa.
We were instructed to bring a list of items that includedinsect repellent, flashlights, tissue and a small travel-sized photo album with pictures of our families and friends from the U.S. The album was included so we could share a little bit of our history with some of the families we met duringour tour. One special person in particular noted the obvious difference in myappearance throughout the years. He told me the pictures showed that I gained around five pounds each year, and he was genuinely concerned that if this pattern continued I would surely be overweight and quite unhealthy soon.
After getting over the initial shock of such news – from a stranger no less – I had to admit to myself that he was right. So often I had made excuses for my weight gain. “Oh, I was in my 20s then…” or “I just don’t have the time…” or “I’m too tired, and don’t feel like exercising.” But they were just that – EXCUSES!
Why couldn’t I look just as good as I did in my 20s – or better? After all, I was supposed to be wiser now, right? And why shouldn’t I look just as “hot” as I did when I first met my husband? It was part of the initial attraction, right? This led to another group of introspective questions. Why did I let myself go? How did my priorities shift? How did I get here? Was it because I got too comfortable? No, I had just forgotten how much I enjoyed spending time with me. I had forgotten what it felt like to truly love myself.
I think it really comes down to what you think is important.We all place importance on “things.” Some of us on more “things” than others.So why not place that importance on ourselves, our health, our self-image and our lifestyle?
After absorbing those candid truths about myself from a stranger – now best-friend – I decided to do just that! I decided to start taking control of my life and stop letting it fall by the wayside. I set out tobuild and create a better version of me because I was important! And what I gotin return was not only a new look, but a new sense of self!
Instead of indulging in decadence, I ran. Instead of partying all night, I slept and woke up early to hit the gym. Instead of purchasing dietary pills or marketing gimmicks to lose weight (all designed to take your money), I invested time in myself.
The changes allowed me to market myself. At the same time, Ihelped inspire others who may have needed an extra push or the motivation tostart changing their lives, because that’s essentially what I did.
My eating habits… changed.
Drinking habits… changed.
Attitude… changed.
My vision… changed.
I always considered myself a “can do” person, but now I was proving it to myself and others. After being hit by the “Fit” bug, I decided right then and there that I wanted a life in fitness. I signed up for classes as a personal trainer and, after visiting Ghana for a second time within the year, I was invited to attend the University of Ghana (taking courses in Nutrition and Food Science). I began working directly under gym owner Issac Agyekum as a Fitness Trainer/Aerobics Instructor at one of the local gyms named“GYM IKE Fitness” in the Adenta community. This is where my real work will begin.
I knew how important it was to make a great first impression when meeting potential clients, so, I asked Physical Fitness Trainer/Life Coach Aaron Cullip to take me under his wing. He did just that and more!
Along with the support of Ramona Graham and her great space in Downtown Greenville (Lifeforce Fitness), Aaron not only conditioned my body to withstand High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.I.T), he also conditioned my mind to withstand every day oppositions such as time restraints, lack of motivation, fatigue, peer pressure and other temptations.
Throughout the entire process I learned the importance of self-discipline and how to keep pushing until I got the results I was aiming for. I learned how to fight against the worst critic – myself – and be happy with the image I saw in the mirror.
But probably the best gift of all were the priceless tools I was given to train others properly. That is the most important thing I’ll betaking with me to Ghana in March of this year!
Thank you to my family at home, as well as my second families at Coffee Underground and Sassafras. I couldn’t have done it without your support. Many people couldn’t understand why I was so driven and committed to changing my lifestyle, but after time and after seeing the results, a silent applause was heard.
So here I go Greenville, off to Ghana 45 lbs lighter. Wish me luck!
