The Best is Yet to Come

::The two most important days of your life are the day you are born, and the reason you find out why::

Hello Everyone-

Happy Saturday to you!! I hope that you are all doing well. I wanted to thank you for your support and encouragement. It means a lot to me that you read my blog, and take an interest in my passion.

I only have five school days left with my second graders, and I am very sad that my time in this school and in this classroom is coming to an end. I have learned so much, not just as an educator, but about myself as well.
Before you read on with my current realization, I want all of my fitness family and friends to know that I am by no means bashing their dreams. I am not taking away what you have achieved in this industry, but I have simply learned from it…and know that God has a different plan for me.

The past (almost) 3 years of my life have been wrapped around the inaccurate idea of what “healthy” “beautiful” and “success” are. I had the fire inside me that earning my IFBB pro card was the most important part of being the best version of me. I made incredible sacrifices, and put my body in more danger than I thought at the time. I was constantly trying to make changes to meet the criteria of others. “Sara, your legs are too big. Your upper body is too small. You aren’t lean enough. You aren’t pretty enough. You didn’t work hard enough. You have no symmetry…and the list goes on…” Those are the words I heard every time I looked in the mirror, every time I was in the gym, every time I opened up the refrigerator. I pushed loved ones away, and was in my own, lonely little world trying to change myself to meet the needs of others.
Looking at that now…I think to myself…are you kidding me? Since when do I care about what others think about me?

There is more to life than being “stage ready”. It it NOT healthy to do 3 hours of cardio a day, plus lifting, and only eat 500 calories.  I am going to be completely honest; I have no desire to compete on stage any time soon anymore. My priorities have changed, and my outlook. I want to love my body, and accept myself for who I am right now. Just because it does not meet the criteria of the NPC, does not determine my self worth or value.

Progress. Progress was a term that I was driven by in fitness…to the point where it made me sick. Every day I was so concerned on the progress I was making in my body and self image. Am I lean enough? Can you see my abs enough? Are my legs getting smaller? What kind of attitude is that? Definitely not one that I want to live by anymore.

I am not going to stop working out, or stop eating clean, because it is my lifestyle, but there is a new kind of progress I am concerned about. I care about the progress of whether or not Johnny is meeting benchmark and meeting his reading level. I care about the progress of whether or not Susie can subtract from one hundred. I care about the progress of my level of teaching and ability to meet the needs of the diverse learners in my classroom.

I truly know my purpose in life, and that is to make a difference in the lives of my students, and to inspire others with my passion for helping others.

Take it or leave it....but this is me...and I am not changing for anyone.

MAKE EACH DAY COUNT

<3 SJ xo