Sams 2017
Hey all, Sam here!! Apologies for the delay in sending, it's a confusing time of year when it comes to keeping track of days!
Did any of you do the exercise Ash suggested on Wednesday? We asked each other for our successes and areas to work on, and getting an honest opinion was a really interesting experience!
With that in mind; I wanted to reflect a little on the past year from my point of view!
At the beginning of the year I was just coming to the end of being under part-time employment as a Fitness consultant in the club; which I had been doing alongside personal training... The big step to being 100% self-employed was a scary prospect but I knew that having the freedom to organise my own schedule would help my business and I wasn't wrong! I'd also been asked to teach a couple more classes each week so pretty much straight away I found I could survive without my safety net. Taking that little step out of my comfort zone proved to be worthwhile!
January was also when myself and Ash booked to go on holiday together... the much-mentioned vacation to Valencia which happened in June and as you all know by now... brainstorming happened; a life-long friendship was cemented, and SMASH was born (so close to being called IN-FUN-ITY FITNESS).
For me, SMASH has really re-iterated my reasons for becoming a personal trainer. To be able to use my personal experiences to inspire others and help them make changes in their own lives. And finding that I had a friend that shares the same goals to embark on this journey with just made it even more important. The feedback we have had from you has been amazing, and finding out more about where you guys are coming from helps us keep SMASH your class as much as ours. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
This year I set myself the challenge of running 12 races over 12 months – aiming for 1 per month… I achieved 7x half marathons and 5x 10ks. It started as a “silly” idea; but when I found that one of my run-spiration friends had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, meaning that he had to cancel his running for the year; I knew that the challenge had to be on… I’ve noticed more and more recently - through the power of social media - that people in my life are suffering or have suffered with serious illnesses… even if they wanted to run they cannot and this has spurred me on even more so.
Looking back briefly on each of the runs I realise that there were only 2 out of the 12 where I went totally alone – 10 of my races I was either running with friends or being supported by them so I wanted to quickly send a massive THANK YOU… and even if you were not there in person there has been so much support on Instagram and Facebook and I have really appreciate it.
Throughout the year I have become much more mindful in everything I do… whether it’s listening to when my body needs rest; listening to my mind if I need to take a little bit of time alone – or the opposite and spend time with friends; or listening to clients, colleagues and friends and realising when maybe they need that little extra support and a little more time to talk through their own stuff….
I’ve realised this email is gonna be super long and I have so many amazing things that’s happened this year, but I will cut it down to one more reflection for now. I’m at that age now where all my friends are getting married and I have been honoured to have attended 4 weddings this year… most recently of course for Ash and Simon (which you all know a LOT about). In July I was also a bridesmaid for two of my closest friends, Jen and Graham it was an amazing day and one of the proudest moments of my year. They are two of my most favourite people in my life and I’m excited to be spending New Year’s Eve with them this year!
So that is all from me for now… I will set a reminder for the email on Wednesday to make sure you all know what day it is!!
ENJOY YOUR CHRISTMAS!!!!
Sam & Ashley
SMASH
For Body For Mind For Life
