Apr

Continuous Learning….Sharpening the Saw

Lisa on April 7th, 2008

This weekend I participated in a personal trainers seminar put on by the National Council on Strenth and Fitness ( www.NSCF.org ) . What an enjoyable weekend that was! The organization is excellent, the materials (which I got back in February) are extremely thorough. Oh, and the instructor was incredibly knowledgeable guy who walked the talk. So I got two days of review, met some new friends, and had a blast.

While I kept up with my interest/knowledge in wellness over the years, I had let my personal training certication lapse. Since I was getting more and more requests through work, church and the community to participate in and lead in various fitness related programs, I decided it was time to get certified again. And, I have enjoyed every second of it.

While I work for a fantastic company which provides numerous educational opportunities, I found I had been spending more time on the work related knowledge programs and not as much on the areas that interested me. This year’s balance plan includes more reading time. I have 3 unfinished books that I am proud to say I am making headway on again: “Love Without End” ( http://www.lovewithoutend.com/ ), “The Power of Now” (this is by the same guy who wrote the book on Oprah’s Monday night deal (www.oprah.com), “The Purpose Driven Life” (this one is taking a bit longer like “Love Without End” because I read a bit, then lay my book down and ponder…), and my most recent addition, “Eat, Love, Pray” ( http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/ ) which really suits me on several levels. This was one of Oprah’s book club recommendations and my boss loaned it to me. This woman writes conversationally, she has a quest for knowledge, and I enjoy her sense of humor. Plu the chapters are short so if I only have 5 minutes before bed, I can still get a bit in!

So, this weekend’s seminar and my personal training textbooks have reminded me how important it is to spend time sharpening the ol’ saw–BUT in a subject matter that excites us. Like trying a new sport. Which, btw ladies, I still think the sprint tri is SUCH fun. And much more achievable than most folks think. There is a great book on training for one in 4 hours a week or less. Truly it can be done. You can find the book at : Amazon.