Julie Parkes's Blog

My son loves the cartoon Ninjago. It was created by George Lucas and that really shows. For a cartoon it has some great values in it. "A razor sharp weapon is only as effective as a razor sharp mind". "The best way to defeat an enemy is to make him your friend". Then there is the theme of the whole show, for the Ninja to reach their full potential. Watching this show gets me thinking of my own life. Do I read and study as well as challenge my body? Am. I working on reaching my full potential? How about you? Maybe more of us need to watch more cartoons.

I am so excited. Today I talked to a psychologist/nutritionist Cheryl Butler that works with people who need to lose weight and together we are going to develop a program to help people change their lifestyles so that they can live healthy lives. She will work mostly on nutrition and issues in the head that hold people back from their dreams and I will work more with the physical strength movement and fat burn. This is an excellent opportunity to really make a lasting and long term difference in people's lives. So many people think that weight loss is really one dimensional. Change diet and exercise. But the reality is that food is often used as an emotional crutch. It can be used to bury emotions. True weight loss, especially long term weight loss can only be accomplished by getting to the root of the problem. Teaming up with Cheryl will help so many people in not just Battle Ground, but Clark County really become a healthier and happier place to live. One healthy person at a time. This is going to be GREAT!

This morning I took my NSCA certification exam. That was a REALLY HARD TEST! I was stressed going in and even more so coming out of the testing room. As I stood at the desk waiting for my printout of if I passed or failed i cant even describe the feeling. But now, two hours later, the waves of relief are starting. I'm glad to be done and ready to put this behind me and move forward. I am now officially a Certified Personal Trainer. I'm very excited to see what exciting adventures the future holds.

As of Saturday, it is officially Fall. But it doesn't feel like it. The weather is still beautiful. The sun is shining and I can still go out in shorts. This weekend I enjoyed going into the yard to rake leaves and mow the grass. The sunshine even makes picking up after the dogs more enjoyable. I plan on taking advantage of this sunshine for as long as I can because here in the Northwest, the winter comes with a vengeance. Still, I don't let the rain stop me. I still walk the kids to school and try to do things outdoors. After all, shoes and clothes will dry and a warm shower & a cup of tea does wonders when you are chilled. As I tell my daughter, you need the rain to make the grass green, the trees grow and the flowers bloom in the spring. So enjoy your sunshine as much as you can, then enjoy the wonderful winter days. Who knows what you will find in the rain.

I have recently been working on family history. It's been so much fun looking at our past generations; who they were. What they were doing. And the part they played in shaping this country. I was amazed to trace back my husbands family to the 1600's. His 11th great gradfather is William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth Colony. His family was part of the American Revolution and were pioneers in the Utah and Arizona Territories. They overcame so much to bring us to this point in time. They lived with sayings such as a stitch in timesaves 9. A Penney saved is a penny earned. And don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. I think back to yesterday. Last week and last month. I think of how many things I have put off. How many things I have let go. I watched TV instead of wash the car. I played computer games instead of read my book. I spent time on Facebook instead of play with the kids. How many things in your life have you put off??? Do any of these things sound familiar??? When it comes to fitness I hear people say all the time, I will start my fitness program after the kids go back to school. Or I will start my diet after the holidays. I will eat better starting Monday. My question is, what are you waiting for? And what are you missing.by putting things off? I missed hiking with my daught at Girl Scout camp. I missed teaching my son to ride a bike. I missed being able to do things just because I wasn't healthy enough to do them. I have turned it around over these past few years. last week I swam with the kids at a pool party. They even watched me go down the slide (which was a ton of fun by the way). I just spent an hour doing yard work with the kids. In 15 minutes, we are going for a bike ride in Salmon Creek. When we get back, we just might wash my car. All these new memories. All these new activities and memories we now share. So don't put off working out. If you start now, maybe you can take the kids or grand kids skiing over the Christmas holidays. If you start eating well, just tihink of the amazing figure you can show off at the Christmas parties. Or on a more serious note, why wait until the dreaded diagnosis before you decide that time to work out and eat well has come. After all a stitch in time...

School is out. I'm working at Snap Fitness and having a blast. It's so much fun to be working again and I'm loving my clients and all that they are accomplishing just in the short time we have been working together. Now I'm also starting to focus again on myself and my health. I was so wrapped up in school I lost focus of the reason I was there. So the time has come to renew. Last week I joined spark people and have been tracking my food, exercising and eating better. Although I'm not perfect, my food choices are much better. My weigh ins are Mondays. I weird in yesterday and lost 3 pounds. I expected a larger one being that it was the first week tracking and expected a big water loss, but still. 3 pounds is excellent. As with everyone on a weight loss journey, there are ups and downs. Gains and losses. It takes consistency, focus and work. But I know that I am close and can reach my goal. My prayer is that my journey and my work can inspire others that they can lose too. No one needs to accept the poor health and pain that obesity can cause. There is no better time than now to start down the road toward health and life.

What a Crazy and exciting week I have had. I started finals week by completing a Sprint Triathalon. I didn't finish first, but I did finish. It was an INCREDIBLE experience. Then I began Finals week. So exhausting. I completed my finals and was able to go to my daughters last day of elementary school. I was so glad I could spend that special day with her. Then on Thursday she was able to share a special day with me. My husband and children came to my Graduation from Clark College on Thursday night. As graduations are, it was very long but the speakers were Fantastic. Esspecially our keynote speaker JR Martinez. He was so sweet. After speaking, he stayed to shake the hands of every graduate. What a special guy. Now it's time to prepare for the certification Exam coming up on Saturday.

Today is an exciting day. I'm getting ready to leave for my last official day of Class at Clark College. It's bitter sweet. I know that I still have several days of finals to complete, a triathlon with my classmates tomorrow, then next Thursday is graduation day. But still this is sad. There will be no more sitting under the stairs sharing laughs and everything. No more stressing about papers and tests. As much as I looked forward and counted down to this day. It's still sad. But now the time has come to take a different road. In two weeks I sit for my NSCA certified Personal Trainer test. I have also accepted a position as a fitness trainer at Snap Fitness in Battle Ground Washington. I am so excited that I already have a job and I'm not even out of school or certified yet. I have sacrificed so much to get to this point. I have given up Fieldtrips with my children, volunteering, bible study, and even my work outs. All that shows in my weight gains and exhaustion. So now I can get more balance in my life. I am working on eating better and setting up a regular exercise plan. I am working on getting back into the shape I was last summer. I am going to play outside with my kids and I am going to spend the time enjoying life.

Im in the home stretch. Twenty three days until graduation. I'm completing the last five papers for the last five classes, then finals. Finally I see the light at the end of the tunnel. My brother/sister in law and their family are going to come to the graduation ceremony. This afternoon I have a job interview and next week is the job fair. It's time to start looking to the future. At this pointing not sure where I will be working, but the future looks bright and I'm ready.

Where to start???? I guess it's always best to start at the beginning. I grew up in San Diego California, the land of sunshine and beaches. It's funny that I ended up in Vancouver Washington, the land of rain. But it's ok. I enjoy rain and the colors that come along with it. I love the fall colors and the clean beauty of a winter snow. Even though I grew up in San Diego, you could never really call me a beach bunny. More like a beached whale. I fought my weight my whole life. At my highest point I weighed nearly 300 pounds. I had type two diabetes, borderline high blood pressure, acid reflux, and always hurt. My knees, ankles and back always gave me trouble. It's amazing to me that that was only about 2 years ago. September 2010 I began a project called a walking school bus at my kids Elementary School. I walked. My kids and some others to school every day. For someone who hang onto the shopping cart just to make it to the store, walking the kids the mile to get to school was torture. But I did. I was the only volunteer and they were depending on me. I had to. I'm so glad I had to. Walking helped me to lose ten pounds. Before long I was not only walking the mile to get the kids to school, I was walking another mile in the afternoon to pick them up. I started walking longer distances. I joined Weight Watchers and with my diet now under better control I lost even more weight. In the past two years I lost nearly 100 pounds. I have walked 5K's and 10K's. I ride bikes and swim with the kids. My health problems are all gone. I'm healthier and happier than I have ever been. It hasn't been easy. There were days that I didn't want to walk. It was cold, it was raining. I didn't want to freeze and get my feet all wet too. I'm not a kid. I was 47 years old when I started all this. In the summer when I walked along the road teenagers would drive by, moo and sometimes even threw water balloons out there car window at me. Then there was the food. Food has always been my friend, my escape, my addiction. Those donuts, cakes, candies and chips didn't just called my name. They screamed my name and they still do. Most days I'm better at holding off the cries of chocolate. But I still have my days. After all, no one is perfect. After all I've been through I have to say. I did it. I lost a lot of weight. I went from couch potato to training to be a fitness trainer. I want to let everyone know that If I can do that anyone can. It's hard, but if you want it, the power is within you to succeed.