schoolOMG! It’s Official!  I am an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor.  I wonder if I get to add credential letters at the end of my signature?  LOL.  My wildest dreams are slowing coming into fruition.    My crazy ambition is gradually becoming a part of who I really am every day.  This morning I woke up 10 minutes before my alarm went off, which never happens to me; but I guess it was because I was so scared that I would over sleep.   Since I’ve been studying all of this nutrition stuff, I selected a breakfast of whole grain toast (complex carbs) and scrambled eggs (protein), and a cup of 100% fruit juice to get me started on the right foot, and prevent hunger later.  Then I was on my way.  While I was getting in the car, I started to feel so sick to my stomach, why today, of all days would my stomach want to turn flips.  Then I remembered back to the day I had to do the TV Evening News interview, and the day of my All-Star 5K race, and I realized it was just nerves.  I coached myself, “failure is not an option, calm down, pray, You only need a 71% to pass,  quit trippin’”  My stomach began to settle.   When I got to the school testing site, there was a huge locked gate with no access to the testing building.   “Dang it!’ They said in all the study materials that you should scope out the place before test day to help with test anxiety.  I figured, “well it’s 10 minutes away, I can find it.” I started to panic again.  I had to start up the positive self talk again, “calm down, you’re 30 mins early, failure is not an option.” I had to go around a few streets and finally made it to the security desk.  All week I prepared myself to deal with skinny overly excited fitness gurus to look at me “ask why are you here”? When I pulled up, the security guard said, “what are you here for?” I replied to take the Group Fitness Instructor test, he said “okay”….then he paused said “Ma’am what did you say?, as he sized up all of my extra curves.  I repeated I’m here to take the group fitness instructor test, I’d like to help overweight people reach their goals and become more healthy.  “Oh! Thats great” he said and gave me a visitor pass.  The school building was so beautiful! It was marble everywhere.  I snapped a quick pic for you guys.  I logged in to the computer based test and I got really antsy after an hour.  I was so tired of sitting there.   I decided to take a bathroom break and did some stretches and jumps and kicks to get moving again.  Two more hours later, when I finished my test the results popped up and the 1st number I saw was 68%, my heart sank, I read down 71%…..still not good enough, down some more 76%, down some more, in the last section I scored 100%.  Averaging about 78%, and finally at the bottom in tiny little writing: “PASS”   I can’t believe it, I am a real group fitness instructor!  No more audio study CD in the car, no more studying until 2AM, no more flashcards in my purse, no more textbook under my pillow for osmosis, (yes I did this, lol).  It’s turning out to be a fantastic year for me….My cousins pastor put it best, “God wouldn’t put the desire to go south in a bird, if he didn’t think it would make it there, just like he didn’t put those dreams in you, if he didn’t think you would make it!”

4 Comments
  1. Congratulations Carli! That’s absolutely brilliant.

    A friend and I are doing the C25K programme (about to embark on week8) and were so pleased to find your podcasts after putting up with some really ounsty dance music ones for a few weeks. I have to admit that I keep going back to run to week 6 though, as running to ‘Baby’s Got Back’ just makes me very, very happy!

    All the best for your new career.

  2. CONGRTULATIONS!! I love that quote from the pastor!

  3. CONGRATS! I chickened out of a group instructor program last weekend because of my size. I am so proud of you and wish you the best moving forward! 🙂

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