End of Chapter I/ Slutet av Kapitel I

Done! I'm now officially a PT, a Personal Trainer, a Sadist in Gym Gear! Whoop!

It feels odd not to be glued to my books and flash cards anymore. Not entirely sure what to do with myself, really. I've left London and my Pharma career, moved back to Sweden, done the training as both PT and Paleo Nutritional Advisor, helped my parents sell their house, bought a new house in the woods with the family and am now kind of just hanging around before we actually move. There's plenty of work that can be done, obviously, like writing a business plan and networking and all that jazz, but for a few days, I am just going to enjoy the end of this chapter.

Feeling a bit lost in the woods without my flash cards 

I'm thinking I'll celebrate by getting my a** kicked at the CrossFit Ängelholm. I gather that Nettan, aka the lady with THE guns, is coaching tonight, oh yeah!

-----------Å SÅ PÅ SVENSKA-----------

Häpp, så var man färdig PT, Personlig Tränare, även kallad Sadist i Trikåer. Hurra!

Det känns lite konstigt att inte ha böckerna och minneskorten som ständiga följeslagare. Man vet liksom inte riktigt vad man ska göra av sig själv! Jag har lämnat London och läkemedelsindustrin, flyttat tillbaka till Sverige, utbildat mig till personlig tränare och paleo-kostrådgivare, hjälpt mamma o pappa sälja sitt hus, köpt ett hus ute i skogen (Simlångsdalen, bejbi!) och väntar på att vi ska påbörja flytten om några veckor. Visst, visst, det finns MASSOR av jobb jag kan ta itu med (skriva affärsplan och nätverka, t ex), men jag tänkte njuta några i några dagar till av den sista biten av kapitel 1.

Jag tänkte dessutom fira med lite CrossFit i Ängelholm ikväll. Det ryktas att Nettan, typ den starkaste kvinnan på andra sidan åsen, håller i kvällens pass. Liiiite skakis blir man allt. :-)

PT Off Piste

I'm back in study mode at the moment, preparing for my final PT exam (the practical part was done last week). Although I am sure I would pass the exam today, I want to take the time to really let things sink in, especially the anatomy part! I know it's a cliché, but after all, I am learning for life not for the test.  

To mix things up a bit, I have started training my lab rats, I mean parents. Pappa was off to a flying start today, doing lunges like there was no tomorrow. I realised quickly though, that there was no point in training them at the same time. Herding cats would have been easier.

Inspirational poster for my male clients

After my parents left the gym, I did a few rounds with the weights myself, then walked/ ran home. My new "thing" is to go out of my way to walk on uneven surfaces. As much as I enjoy pumping iron, I do prefer my exercise to be as natural, fun and functional as possible. So off I went, galloping across a field, on the grass next to the path and off piste through the woods. If people thought I was nuts before...

Who knew that a ditch could be so much FUN?

---------------------Å SÅ PÅ SVENSKA---------------------

Japp, då var det pluggdags igen, inför det sista provet på PT-utbildningen. Jag antar att jag skulle klara det galant om jag tentade av det idag, men jag tar lite extra tid för att låta det sjunka in lite extra (speciellt anatomin!). Man lär ju för livet, som det heter!

För att lätta upp saker och ting har jag börjat agera personlig tränare åt mina föräldrar ("försökskaninerna"). Pappa var förste man till rakning och tog i för kung och fosterland. Utfall med pinne, check! Däremot så insåg jag snabbt att det inte skulle funka att träna både mamma och pappa samtidigt. De blir som barn på nytt...

Efter föräldrarna stuckit (haltat) från gymmet körde jag själv en omgång med fria vikter och sprang/ gick hem. Min nya "grej" är att gå och springa på ojämna ytor i så stor utsträcknig som möjligt, för även om gymmet är trevligt ibland så föredrar jag att röra på mig så naturligt dom möjligt. Sagt och gjort. Det blev fri galopp över ett fält, samt gång i dikesren och genom skogsnår. Kul och lagom knasigt!

Trigger Point(less)

Wow. Where have the last three weeks gone? Commute, class, work out, eat, class, study, commute, eat, sleep. Repeat. Whoop!

I've been extremely impressed with the course so far. The teachers are extremely knowledgable and have FIRE in their bellies. The coursework takes me out of my comfort zone on a daily basis (anatomy, anyone?).

However, the key takeaway from this week is the distance I have put between me and my old life. That - not so exact - distance can be measured in my shoulders' trigger points.

You see, we learned a few handy massage techniques in the last days and some of them focused on the little knots (trigger points) that so many of us develop in our muscles, preferably in our shoulders when we're have a stressful desk job.

Ever since I started working I've had stiff, knotted, painful shoulders. At one point it got so bad that I lost all sensation in my right index finger. At another point, my shoulder gave me so much grief that I couldn't sleep properly for months. Let's just say I was expecting to be the perfect lesson in locating trigger points.

I wasn't. Actually, I SUCKED as an example. Even the teacher struggled to find much.

THAT's how far I've come.

My face after two days of kneading

What's My Name Again?

Because I sure can't remember it... I thought the last course was intense, but this one takes the biscuit. Ha!

I had no picture of biscuits, so here are some paleo balls from mamma instead

Key take-away from week one? It all starts in the core. We've analysed postures and practiced various core exercises, making me realise just how fundamental core strength will be to staying injury free. I kid myself into thinking I'm strong, but many of the exercises showed me that I should really hold off on some of the heavy lifting before I've corrected my posture. Oh CrossFit, how I miss you...

My new love interest, check out his lats...

Anyhow, add in a few more anatomy lessons, our first practice PT lesson, a sprint session and a Friday afternoon 3 k run for time and you've got a happy, but insanely tired lady. I want my bed!

Mobility Lab Rats

My parents are my favourite lab rats for new experiments. This latest one is courtesy of my favourite Cromagnon who got me reading Ido Portal.

Anyhow, I've got my parents to hang throughout the day, the goal being to build strength as well as mobility. I admit, I can't even hang for a minute, but it just makes me want to do it more. It bothers me that something as simple as hanging has become so uncomfortable since I did it last (like eons ago...). The good thing about it is that I can feel my shoulders and back loosening up already.

I hope they don't break (the house or themselves)

Squatting is another pet peeve/ project of mine that I'm trying to incorporate as much as possible in my daily life (now that I don't have to worry about splitting a suit). It's irritating, I want to do it perfectly NOW! But a comfy life spent sitting most of the time isn't to be undone in a few months, ey? Check out my current props:

Cheating with the yoga mat until I can squat like a pro

The third, but perhaps most important thing I've started doing, is to stand throughout the day. I swear I've developed an allergy towards sitting after quitting my office job. I sit down for meals, but will stand for the rest of the day. More props:

Quite the eclectic book collection 

I can't wait to meet my classmates on the PT course for some more inspiration for more awkward habits. :-)

The Upside of Studying in the Sticks

My life consists of studying, eating, exercising and sleeping it seems. But I'm not complaining. Because in between, I sneak in this:

Pine cones hurt more than gravel, trust me on this one

And this:

Lingonberries to go with the moose I just wrestled to the ground

And this:

Glad no one saw me taking this pic

And some of this:

My face hurt from the cold after this particular swim

And this:

Not a tourist in sight

Achtung! Wonder Woman Gushing

Wow. What to do, what to say? How does one sum up a week of this? This course has been absolutely riveting from start to finish. The subject matter is obviously close to my heart, but what made the experience were the people. My amazingly quirky, sassy, intelligent, funny and compassionate fellow nutri-nerds. We're talking "massive collective girl/ boy crush" here. Ouch, I miss them already.

So what's next? A lot. I'll be wrapping up the nutrition course next week, hopefully passing with flying colours (given how much I've studied, I'd be mortified if I didn't...).

And once that's off my plate, I'm on to the next course. To become a PT. How's that for a challenge? The thought makes me grin and squirm at the same time. But the voice in my head that shouts "why the hell not?" is louder than ever. You may call me Wonder Woman, if you wish. I sure feel like it.

This Stockholm hottie wasn't copyrighted, so he'll have to illustrate just how badass I am 

Swirling around this are all the ideas and plans for how I want to use my new knowledge. And I will be letting them swirl for a while longer. Because I now know that things will eventually fall into place. I just need to have faith and patience. Two virtues that I never realised I had.