Me?!?! Are you kidding?!?!

As many of you know,  for the past 4 months I've been going to our local YMCA and attending Aquafi****er aerobics classes. I go 6 mornings a week as a routine, and anywhere from 2-4 nights a week depending upon our schedule. I'm there quite a bit. I love the classes, and when I was a kid, I loved to swim and was on a swim team. I used to think it would be cool to be a life guard. So, today at my class, I was asked if I would consider becoming an instructor for the classes. They are in need of more instructors, and they would train me, and have me teach with other instructors for awhile. I would get free memberships for my family, plus be paid. I'm in shoc****ep thinking that I'm not a "fitness instructor" type. Nine months ago, I was 375 lbs, and now I'm just below 300 -- I'm pretty muscular, and such, but I still have quite a bit of fat to go. I'm more having a problem with that image, plus there are women who come almost as often as I do, but the lady who heads the program said that I can do the moves correctly while several of the others cannot, plus I'm friendly and enthuastic with a smiley face. I'm very flattered, and I'm seriously thinking of doing it since I'm there anyways, and I could be paid which is great to be paid for something I was going to do anyway! It would be nice to get our membership for free, and it would make me hold my commitment to going. Oh, since I know all the swimming strokes, and can swim very well, I would also be lifeguard certified. I'm still shaking my head thinking that I just cannot get a picture of myself as "fitness lady". Sometimes the Lord just shakes things up and we are amazed at how He is working!

That is awesome Jennie!!! Congratulations! Carrie

Thanks Carrie

Jennie, I think this is so great!  Thinking of ourselves in a new way is not easy.  I have become a regular exerciser (not as often as you) and I still have a hard time thinking of myself as a gym rat.  Although, that is what they call me.  I love to exercise.  I wish staying away from food was as easy!  Now that I'm almost 2 years out that is my struggle to hold on and not regain any weight. I think you are doing fabulous!!! Lori

Thanks Lori! I am trying to think of myself in a new way, and I think that this will help.  I also want to help those other overweight women (and men) who want to exercise, but are intimidated to put on a bathing suit and walk out the lockerroom door to the pool.  The first time I did that, I just wanted to hide behind my towel and crawl into a hole.  Now, it doesn't even phase me to be in my suit.  The pool director is on vacation this week, and asked me to talk to her when she returned, so I will probably be telling her yes.  Why not be paid for doing what I'm doing, and get a free membership.

I'm impressed!  I'd like to take aqua aerobics, but I'm not cleared to swim yet, and I'm not sure how I'd manage it while I'm still on supplemental oxygen.  Maybe I could get a scuba tank?!  Congratulations, and you will do an outstanding job teaching a class.  Free membership is nothing to sneeze at! Kix

Thanks Kix!  When you are cleared to swim, without the tank, try aqua fit - it's great!  Lots of fun, and the benefit is that you are cooled off by the water so you don't sweat.  I hate to sweat so the pool is great for me! 

Please DO consider doing this! You have no idea what a great POSITIVE impact a larger lady in a swimsuit leading the classes has on us larger ladies in swimsuits who want to do classes but can't/won't/don't participate when it's all skinny minnies leading the classes! Hugs!

Thanks Karen.   Right now, none of the instructors are "tiny" but most are much more "normal" sized than me.  Apparently, they used to have an older, heavier instructor, but she resigned about a year ago to do some travel and other things.  There are many larger ladies in the class, but there are still more who have wanted to come but are afraid to appear in "public" in a bathing suit.  I can understand that feeling, but the exercise is such a better feeling. Thanks for the positive encouragement.  I've really felt so much encouragement that I'm touched.  I was so shocked when I was first asked that I couldn't think that they were really serious.  Now, I know that they are, and that I could do it!

I think that is fantastic.  Go for it!  The only thing I can teach is crocheting and no one will pay for that.  You are doing great.  I need to get off my backside, but we are too busy trying to downsize all the stuff in the house and listing it on ebay asap.  I decided to bite the bullet and sell off most of my crochet patterns.  I must have over 10k and there is not enough time to make everything unless I lived to be 400 years old, so I am sorting and listing as fast as I can.  Our house looks like Fred Sanford's blew up and landed in it, so you can imagine the disaster it is.  Since dh got on his chair binge he keeps buying chairs at auction.  I finally told him he was going to have to start storin them in the greenhouse.  They will not get damaged any worse than they are already and we can manage to walk through the house w/o stubbing our toes on a leg.  Better run and sort some more. Hugs, Sandra