My apologies

On my drive home from the gym today I was reflecting on what a whirlwind the past 8 months of been…. Eight months ago I decided to take PDXstrength to a new level, actually it was  not  my decision really at all. The amazing group of hard working, awesome ,caring and supportive people  that take my classes, took this whole PDXstrength thing to another level. I’ve been trying to chase them, and keep up with this snowballing force of positivity that has overcome my life…..

Eight months ago I came to a cross road. It was time  to make a tough decision.  Leave a  steady paycheck and safe environment, working for another company, not  able to  entirely express what my true beliefs and passion of fitness were, but stable without any worries or responsibilities.  Or chase my life long dream of running, owning, operating my own fitness facility and programs. A place where I could really be creative and put my true passion and ideal fitness philosophies into something I truly believed in? The choice became obvious the longer PDXstrength was in existence. We were thriving, but needed more, our own place, our own  home, and finally this life long dream, this vision has truly come into fruition. In 10 days my lifelong goal will be a reality. It’s really starting to hit me, I’m going to own my whole entire gym, a place for everyone to chase their dreams and goals. A place for everyone to become their best, feel comfortable, have fun and find their inner athlete.

After thinking more and more about how all of this has just organically grown and naturally evolved… I also started to think about how much my life has changed. In exchange for chasing this dream,  I’ve also unfortunately paid a price.  I’ve been putting my heart, my soul, every penny, every drop of sweat into making PDXstrength what it is. But in return  I’ve neglected my friends, my family my boyfriend, even my dogs. I’ve been selfishly devoting every thought, every minute… to PDXstrength.

I’m not sure what really happened along the way, I didn’t intentionally mean to let my friendships slip, not have any free time to spend with my boyfriend, or even take a few minute out of my day to call my Mom. I supposed I’ve become obsessed, 100 percent devoted, but I can’t keep this up forever…..

I’m so thrilled and excited, but also there’s something lingering in the back of my mind that makes this all bittersweet . Without my friends, my family, my boyfriend,  all of this wouldn’t of happened…. I know that this push is still occupying every second of my life, but I had an epiphany today driving home.   I’ve got to find more of a balance. I want  to spend time with my friends, laugh with my dogs, share my life with my parents, stay in contact with my brothers and spend time with my boyfriend without constantly replying to texts, emails….

Now the next challenge is to figure all this shit   out. I’m new to owning my own business, and I knew that taking this on,  would require sacrifice. But I’m not ready to accept that this will be the way it is, so my first step is to apologize.

My second step is to make more of an effort toward becoming a well rounded person who is able to have balance and make the people who are important in my life a priority too.  I’m not sure yet what my plan will be, but by apologizing and recognizing my faults, I hope to make some steps to turn things around.

In 10 days, PDXstrength will open it’s doors….  I’m nervous, scared and so fucking excited I can’t even express it in words. But I want to share this whole experience and dream with the people that matter to me most.

 

I’m sorry, I’ll do better. I promise

xoxo

Jossy

1-9912

Sharing is Caring!

Shamrocking 8k Fun Run Course

images

5 miles, 3 stops, and tons of laughs!!  The course my change slightly- but this is a rough idea of what it will look like. Our first stop will be Slims, second stop, the Twilight Room and then one more stop at the Portway Tavern before we make it back to PDXstrength.  Remember you can bike, skate, etc if you are not a runner.

March 16th, 9:30 am!

Dress up in your wildest St. Paddy’s day attire!

Meet up at PDXstrength

8835 N Bradford St. Portland, OR 97203

Cost is free!  But bring ID and money for beer and charity donation. ( still deciding on a foundation)

Sharing is Caring!

How to make the most of your trainer

Sometimes I read these blogs about, “What your trainer really thinks”  or “10 things your trainer will never tell you”.  As a trainer I read them, but they always leave me with a terrible feeling.  I really dislike these articles, and I don’t like how sometimes ungrateful and condescending these articles can sound.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/22/what-really-thinking-personal-trainer

https://www.dailyhiit.com/hiit-blog/hiit-life/fitness/14-things-your-trainer-wants-to-say-to-you-but-cant/

First of all,  why make fun or put down your clients, which are your source of income. Your business would fail without their loyalty!  Second of all, where’s the empathy and why so critical? We come from different places, opinions, situations and ideas… Yes maybe it can be distracting if your client keeps checking their phone, but who am I to judge, maybe they are waiting on a super important phone call?  Instead of complaining about the behaviors or what irritates you about your clients, maybe some useful information on how a client can make the most of their money and their session would be helpful. Instead of being  critical and condescending,  which will really get nothing accomplished.   There’s tons of great trainers, and as a trainer I know that my clients could have plenty of choices, and they chose me. I better make them one happy camper, or they can walk out the door in a snap. So if you are a client of mine, or have a trainer, here’s some tips to make the most of your experience:

 

1.  Practice what you have learned in the session that we just trained. It’s really tough to build a skill, get stronger or improve your form if you only go over it with your trainer once a week. We might not get to your back squats for a few weeks after we went over it the first time, and without any practice, we will be right where we left off.   If we go over jumping rope,   incorporate it in the next few workouts you do solo.  I always send you home with your homework,  a printed out workout of what we did,  so that you have a plan for the week.   I’m usually only with you one hour out of the 168 hours of the week…. and if you don’t apply what you have learned it’s going to be really hard to make any progress.

2.  If your coach teaches classes,  take them!  Your coach already knows your level, and they will have their eye on you to make sure that your left knees isn’t caving in, or that you aren’t tensing your shoulders on your jump rope.  They know your weaknesses and strengths. They will make sure you are lifting enough weight, or that if your knee is injured, what modifications you need to make. Usually your coach will have a style of how they train, and that will carry over into their classes. You can bring what you have learned in your personal trainings sessions to class, making the most of your sessions.

3. Don’t hesitate to text, email or call me when you have a question or concern about your training. If your coach doesn’t keep in contact with you, or you feel they are unapproachable or too busy…. I’d think twice about having them as your trainer.  It’s my job as your coach to answer your questions, and to be available when you forget how to do an exercise or what weight you should use.  Yes I’m busy, but never too busy for you. You are my client, and I will do what it takes to give you the service and support you deserve.

4. I can get you strong, improve your fitness condition, teach you skills and give you great advice, but if fat loss is one of your goals,  your nutrition has to be on point.  I provide nutrition coaching as well, and never lie that if you want the fat to come off… time needs to be set aside for proper meal planning and nutrition. Once again, I’m usually only with you one hour out of the 168, to make the most of your sessions and fat loss goals, you need to be on board with a smart eating plan. Be honest with yourself and your diet, this is usually the toughest part for everyone!

5.  Tell me what your goals are! If we are training towards something that is important to you, and that comes from you, chances are you will be more interested and inclined to keep pushing.  If you really aren’t interested in Olympic lifting, and you want to master the perfect pushup or walk on your hands,  well tell your coach. There’s a billion approaches to fitness and yes your coach is going to have a style and passion about a type of training, but be verbal about what you really want to get out of your sessions. If I have a client that loves yoga,  that doesn’t have a single ounce of interest in working with barbells, I’m not gonna jam Olympic lifting down her throat. We  can use different approaches to training like Kettle bells or body weight training that spark an interest in her. Communicate with your coach, and remember your training is about YOU, and what YOU want to accomplish on your fitness journey.

5.  I don’t judge you, and would rather you be honest with me prior to our training session. For example if you are super hung over, have any pain, really tired, didn’t get any sleep, PLEASE   tell me… that way I’m not gonna make you do 100 burpees so you barf on my shoes, or make you do heavy squats if your knees is bothering you. If you forgot to eat breakfast before your session, tell me and I can grab you a bar from my bag, so you don’t get light headed and woozy  10 minutes into our session. With the information  you give me,  I can keep things appropriate for you that day. We can go over how to do a turkish get up if you aren’t feeling 100 percent, or work on mobility drills you can do for your warm ups… that way you are still getting a quality session, and we aren’t wasting your time.

 

6. Don’t feel bad about canceling if you are sick. There’s a difference between sick and just feeling lethargic and unmotivated. If it’s the later, come, you will feel terrible about missing your session. Remember the hardest part usually is lacing up the trainers and getting out the door. You never regret a workout.  If you truly are sick, cancel! I don’t want to get sick myself and you won’t be in the proper condition to truly get the most out of your training session.

 

7.  Don’t be afraid to be my friend and share your life with me.  I hear trainers complaining that they feel like counselors. I want to keep the lines of communication open between us, and I don’t mind when you share with me. Training can be an emotional journey,  and I’m actually touched and honored that you feel comfortable enough to share your life with me. Yes, I want to be professional,  honor your privacy and I never disclose what we have discussed in our sessions, but I also want you to just be you, and comfortable enough to discuss whatever issues, concerns, etc that you feel like bringing up.  I’d like to be more than a trainer to my clients, I also want them to feel like there’s more backing our trainer, client relationship, and I’m a supportive and caring friend as well. If the talking gets too out of hand, I’ll keep you on track and on to the next exercise, so that we aren’t sitting around talking the whole session obviously, but there’s nothing wrong in my opinion then making friendships with my clients.

 

Again, these are my opinions on how to get the most of your training experience. I could add a few more in a future post, and I’m sure some trainers will disagree on a few, but like I said in the beginning, there’s lots of trainers out there, and it’s about finding someone who you vibe with, is getting you results and truly cares about your health and well being. My clients are not dollar signs to me,  they are awesome individuals who continue to amaze me, make me smile and have made the best friends in the world!

xoxo

JOssy

photo copy

Ok and to end it on a funny note…. enjoy the video below!

 

Sharing is Caring!

Sunday Funday

Sunday Funday PDXstrength Workout from Jocelyn Streng on Vimeo.

 

Our first Sunday Funday class was a blast. It was a bit chilly to take things outside today, so we stayed indoors, and had a ton of laughs! This class as you can see is on the lighter side, pretty silly and tons of fun! We played Burpee Dodge ball,  Crab Tag, Bear Crawl freeze tag. We did a jump rope circuit with pushups, squat jumps, tuck jumps, high knees and more! Prison ball dodge ball – where we did a prison workout of Goblet squats, overhead presses and russian twists….  As you can see it was non stop smiles…   remember exercise isn’t torture or punishment,  it can be fun, playful and creative!Screen Shot 2014-01-05 at 5.00.30 PM

 

 

 

Yours in health,

JOssy

Sharing is Caring!

Goal workshop and first nutrition challenge of the year

Join a supportive and inspiring community as you share, and create your SMART goal game plan. This group will help with accountability, struggles and motivation to strive towards the goals you set.

Hey there campers! A lot of you have asked about our 2014  Goal Setting workshop and first Nutrition Challenge of the year. Here’s the 411, SMART Goal Workshop is Saturday Jan 11th at 10:30 am, right after bootcamp. You can enroll using your mind body account- under enrollments .https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=45374&stype=-7&sView=week  Free for members, or $12 bucks drop in. We will also be going over our Nutrition Challenge- you can do either/or 1. No Processed foods for 30 days and/or 2. No alcoholic beverages for 30 days.

Screen Shot 2013-08-23 at 3.39.31 PM

 

Why Set Goals?
Goal setting is used by top-level athletes, successful business-people and achievers in all fields. Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation . It focuses your acquisition of knowledge, and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the very most of your life.
By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals, and you’ll see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. You will also raise your self-confidence , as you recognize your own ability and competence in achieving the goals that you’ve set.

In this workshop we will discuss and write down our goals for 2014. We will create a game plan for each goal and share them with each other. As a group we will support each other and in 3 months, regroup and evaluate how our process is going. We will also talk about the month long nutrition challenge for those that would like to focus on their nutrition and alcohol consumption.  Please bring a  pen and your thoughts, ideas, dreams and drive! 2014 is going to be great!

 

Sharing is Caring!