Whilst in my last blog I prattled on about my husband a whole lot, I didn't get to tell you much about me. So I started a business some 12 years ago grooming toy dogs from home. People bring their scruffy fluffies to me, I make them look beautiful with clipping, nails, bath and blowdry etc and then the owners come back, the dog is overjoyed to see them and they pay money and take pretty puppydog home. I originally groomed all sorts of dogs but found the big fluffies were too much for one woman's back to cope with, especially when they did not want to have their nails clipped and decided to enter a protest which can involve jumping around, biting, twisting, weeing, pooing and expelling anal glands. Small dogs can also display this behaviour simply because doing as they are asked is not what is normally required of them at home but don't require as much energy from me to control! After becoming best friends with my chiropractor and probably funding them a new car, I downsized to small fluffies which is not so hard on my neck, shoulders and lower back.
Whilst I have met some wonderful people and some really lovely dogs, as well as some interesting folk, some psycho animals and its a pretty repeatative job. I long for some long service leave. I mean I would have been entitled if I was employed by someone else.
Mid life crisis new career aspirations...
Meanwhile about 4 years ago, during another mid life crisis, I walked the Kokoda trail with some good buddies, none of which were my husband as he could not get leave from work. When I returned to dog grooming I decided that there should be more to life so I embarked in a fitness career. You might think this is a bit far left but when I was training for Kokoda it made me reschedule my dog grooms to fit around training times. I decided that there was not a lot of info or personal trainers out there that would cater to a full on 8 day exhausting walk - although there are plenty of people out there willing to smash your body with exercise for a fee. I decided that I would fill the void of short term contract 'fit for your holiday' personal training.
For this I needed qualifications. So I enrolled in Canberra Institute of Technology which is a TAFE education centre, in Certificate III in Fitness, studying full time. Full time because if I had to do part time it would take me years and I am also the most impatient person ever. I had to stop growing my dog grooming business so put the word out I was not taking any more customers.
I also had to grow a studying brain and after 7 or so years of looking up dog's bums clipping out dags, toenails and washing dogs, my brain had not been required to work that hard so the first term of full time study and dog grooming was a challenge. I was also one of the oldest there at 40 odd. Its weird going to school at my age hoping to make a friend to sit next to. Most of the others were straight out of school and late teens/ early 20's. I did make a really good friend though, Sue was an ex school teacher who ran a cattery and wanted out of that. She was the same age as me but was more RPL's (recognition of prior learning) so didn't have to do as many classes as me. We became best buddies and still keep in touch today.
Then my husband broke his leg on the day that my Mum had to come to Canberra for an eye operation. She had to stay for 3 weeks before she could go back home to the coast. So Mum, Dad and the dog all stayed. It was a very interesting first term. Dad was great. He did so much at home for me whilst I was trying to get my head around the concept of studying. At one point I said to grumpy husband who didn't want a broken leg - nobody chooses to break their leg and if you don't stop carrying on I will fly you down to your mother's in Melbourne and you can stay there - so shut up! He did and it saved me an air fare.
I completed my Cert III then Cert VI then went on because I loved the study so much and the fitness part I did my Diploma of Fitness. After 2 years of full time study I was willing to take on the world and be the best personal trainer ever there was. Unfortunately customers weren't lining up outside my door to be coached in the virtues of fitness so I was still grooming dogs although I did get a few minor jobs which was great. They didn't last long. People were starting to mind their pennies. The economy was becoming very tight and people were saving their money. It didn't help that gyms were springing up like mushrooms everywhere with cheap memberships. I could have got a job in any gym but didn't want to at that stage.
What people wanted was boot camp and boxing and yoga and stuff so I enrolled in a boot camp course. This was aimed at the insanely fit individual who had a lusting after becoming a commando who liked yelling at people type person. I'm not like that without a really good reason. I can't just yell at someone to do exercise. I don't even yell at my husband.
I then went on after passing my boot camp course to do my boxing certificate which I enjoyed so much. I did it with Thump which is a company out of Sydney and the dude that trained us was so much fun. It was exhausting but I was hooked on boxing for fitness. Even got my own set of gloves and focus pads.
Several change of events - which is a topic for another blog, happened and I realised my calling was with people who want to exercise but not necessarily to the point of sweat drenched exhaustion. There is a lot of merit in training and being at a level of fitness for what you might like to do. For example your friends call and ask whether you would like to join them in a 20km bike ride to a really good pub for lunch and back. Or a 10km hike to see a really fantastic waterfall or something. You want to be able to do it without ending up in traction or walking like a cowboy for a week. Then if you know you have a big event coming up its a matter of tweaking your fitness not starting from scratch. Based on this theory is strengthening muscle groups that get forgotten until they need to be used such as rotator cuffs in shoulders or archilles tendons, ankles and knees can go bung at any time if not strengthened. Abs and backs also as these core muscles are so important for balance, falls prevention and because we need to protect our spine. Once you get a really bad back/neck, life becomes very uncomfortable.
I did a course in Heartmoves. It was designed by the Heart Foundation. It was originally designed as an exercise program for people coming out of rehabilitation after heart attacks. Its a exercise program intended to be medium to low intensity. Nothing too hard but all the same using all muscle groups, improving balance, not much cardio though for obvious reasons and some proprioception. Although recovering heart attack patients are encouraged, anyone can participate. I have some stroke survivors, knee and hip replacement recipients and people that just want some gentle exercise in a friendly environment. I now have two classes per week, I just love teaching the exercise and twice a week is fun. Any more and I would be in danger of getting sick of it and giving it away. The people I teach are all wonderful and whilst most are older people, I have a few just a little older than me who simply want a social time and loathe gyms. It works well. We exercise then go somewhere for coffee. Coffee is always a good idea!
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