30.. never felt so weird

March 22nd.

Marks my birthday & this year, I am officially 30. I crossed over to the middle aged adult category, no longer considered “young adult” & with added responsibilities that I didn’t ask for. Single. No kids. Working on a career path that seems to hit dead ends at times and not without friends or family, but not yet feeling like I’ve made the connections I have prayed about. Year after year, I have put off many things because I was young and had plenty of time — there was never a rush order on needs, wants, goals BUT since hitting 30; I feel like I haven’t done anything I have put off and have only continued to use excuses to not do it. Why? part of me feels like this is the age I should have everything figured out, and there shouldn’t be a question as to what I do, who I am, where I want to be… it was mapped out in college, brought to life in the early 20’s, remapped in the middle 20s and I should have been steadily moving up this “societal ladder” that brings me great achievements. Not me, no, instead I got caught up in waiting, avoiding, and ignoring all the things that would now be considered important for my future, and instead I woke up realizing that not only am I 30, but I am 30 and not happy — not quite anyways.

People tell me there is still time to do whatever I aim for, there is still time to be who I want to be and that everyone blossoms at different rates (this is true) but I can’t help but think about all the mistakes and wrong paths I took that led me to this dead zone, this internal black abyss where I feel lost and insecure with my future; where my present doesn’t add value to my life, and where my past is to blame but I can’t fix what has happened then, so I have to find a means to make things worthwhile now. It is all confusing when you hit 30, it is like I am taking more steps backwards than I am forward and I feel myself cringing at the thought that a whole year went by and nothing has changed besides my hormones and my tolerance level — LOL seriously.

I suppose I am blessed to have made it to 30. Thankful, yes, because I am alive and in relatively good health. I am with food, water, shelter, transportation and most of my needs met. I have been lucky enough to have most of my wants & having a job that helps provide so that I don’t go without. Yes, I am thankful, for that I am very thankful.

I don’t want to call this a “midlife crisis” because I don’t believe this is what I am going through (yet). I am reflecting on my life. I have lived deflecting for so long…

Shay-lon Moss

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Post Arnold Classic Fitness Festival

Happy Saturday!

Last weekend was the Arnold sports festival here in Columbus and I had mentioned in a post that I would be creating a meet up event for it for like minded individuals who enjoy fitness, wellness, sports, etc and I did happen to create that meet up event. I went on Sunday & stayed for a couple of hours, and wanted to share my overall thoughts on this year’s Arnold festival.

++ First and foremost, I am so happy for all the athletes that competed, win or lose, you all were champions and amazing to watch and I was honored to be able to be there to support.

For starters, ticket prices were more expensive than the years prior, and I cannot account for parking because I was within walking distance — but lots that offered parking, were charging high rates from what I could tell on the signs.

For I’d like to say that my gym didn’t feel overwhelming by any means (especially knowing that it is a popular gym due to the close proximity of it to the convention center & how many athletes they get coming through). On that note, I did not attend the Arnold Fri or Saturday but was told it definitely wasn’t as full as the years prior (those days being the busiest of the all normally). Sunday was not busy & I was there around 11am — typically it is hard to walk without being pushed up against someone but I had so much space to walk that it was unbelievable! LOL #notcomplaining

Sunday’s are also known to have more discounted merch, more freebies than usual and lines are not as long — while there may have been discounted merch, I chose to not purchase anything. I did happen to get some freebies (Reign) and try some pre-workout, protein and other fun goodies, it wasn’t a whole lot but take into consideration, I didn’t stand in EVERY single line available either. I happened to notice that there weren’t as many vendors as the previous year and some of the bigger and more popular vendors did not show up this year at all. Which makes a difference because a lot of fitness people have brands they really like and due to that alone, could effect the amount of people who attend the event.

Celebs? Pro-Athletes? Arnold was there, yes! However, I did not get to see him or speak with him this year, and I didn’t sign up for anything VIP or backstage passes, so while it might have been a cool experience, I have had the privilege years prior of seeing him and speaking with him and shaking his hand, etc so it wasn’t a huge deal for me. I did some background research on what athletes were attending because like many, I do follow some who I really enjoy supporting — but to my shock, very few guest appeared and NONE of which were ones I’d be interested in meeting (some I didn’t even know). That was a sad factor for me, because I love watching local athletes, yes, but I also go because I get to connect with the pros and talk to them or spend a few seconds taking pictures — it was always a fun time when I had the opportunity in the past.

Public participation events? I didn’t part take in competitions this year at the Arnold and I didn’t take part in any of the “mini games” or events they allow the crowd to participate in either. There was one which looked to be tug-a war in a different form and they had some activities that were smaller scale for the public to try but nothing on Sunday seemed like a huge deal as far as getting the crowd worked up BESIDES the USA powerlifting, bodybuilding and Strongman comp (all of which normally are very popular to watch anyways). Some of the activities were moved to the fairgrounds this year, so many activities and events were no longer showing at the convention (which could explain the lack of people).

Food vendors, were the same as the previous years, I used the food court and had subway for lunch. Nothing special.

Things I didn’t see that showcased: pole dancing, smack contest, dance, just to name a few. I didn’t know anything about the smack contest until someone mentioned it to me at work the day after and it sounded crazy! something new they introduced this year that is gaining popularity. I haven’t yet watched it myself but might decide to YouTube it just to see what it is all about.

Typically, I’d say that the Arnold Sports Festival is a good way for trainers to network with likeminded individuals but the more and more I go, it becomes harder to do so and that could be because of many factors that are out of my control or lack of preparation on my part as a trainer trying to promote myself; either way, I didn’t even give it a thought this year to do so. With this all being said, I had a good time with the people that accompanied me and they enjoyed it as well — which really is all that matters at this point.

I would love to hear from you if you attended this event! leave comments!

Shay-lon Moss

WonderWomanFitness

#FitnessWonderWoman

Went From Talking to my wall to talking to real life people… LOL

Don’t get me wrong, I still have conversations with my wall, pillow, myself, and other objects around my apartment — but I did something these past couple of weeks, and that was put myself in a situation to communicate with other humans (besides work). Now most of you will probably find this funny, and I do too! because you would think after living in this new city for a year now, I would have found new friends and a social group but NOPE, I failed to really put myself out there in fear of judgement, and so my house was my comfort zone and when I would leave the house, it was to people watch or explore someplace that didn’t seem too busy at the time. After awhile, I started to think that if I want to make the most of living here, I need to start taking a step outside my comfort zone and meet people & even if it doesn’t land in success, it might help build my social skills and allow me to network and grow my confidence living here.

I had downloaded an app (which I had signed up years previous but never actually utilized) and decided I’d use to find things that interest me that others are interested in as well. My first event I signed up for was a board games night at someone’s house & while it sounds crazy to make my first appearance meeting people at a person’s home that I do not know, it was a lady’s event and I went with my gut. Thankfully the app gives you the names of the people who all plan on attending & pictures of the person, so I was able to use that to my benefit if need be. Turns out, even though I started off as a social mess at this meet and greet with board games, I ended up staying longer than I intended because I was having so much fun talking to people. This past weekend I had used the app again to attend a meet up with the same group of ladies & new faces for a bowling outing & it went over very well. Busy establishment, but I had the chance to meet some new people, and see some familiar faces from the board games night — all went over well & I got invited out after bowling to hang out at a local spot downtown & I stayed out way past my bedtime BUT my only regret is I didn’t do this sooner.

Would I call these ladies friends? not quite yet, as I am very slow to put titles on things because I like basing my friendships on much more than a hello and a few drinks or a game, however, I could definitely see this growing into a possible friendship– but if for whatever reason, it doesn’t, that is okay too! no pressure either way. I don’t have plans this weekend, but I was thinking about creating a meet up within the group to see if anyone would be interested in attending the Arnold classic with me this year. I have been debating on whether I’d like to go this year, because I have gone previous years prior to Covid and enjoyed it, but now that I live in Columbus, I think it would be a whole new experience (and saves me money on hotels). We shall see, it will be this coming weekend — so I shall let everyone know how this pans out if I do decide to create the event or go it alone or not at all. Mystery.

Happy Saturday!

Shay-lon Moss

Balancing on Ice

Good afternoon readers!

Hopefully, everyone’s weekend is off to a good start. I don’t know how many of you had to endure a snow storm the previous weekend, but I did (here in Ohio) and it was horrible — perhaps not the worst but definitely made me hesitant to drive. I missed a weeks worth of gym time (3 days due to the storm and condition of the roads) & the other days due to a massive belly ache — ugh! I know some places here in Ohio either experienced more snow or more ice — and where I live in Columbus we got sleet, frozen rain and snow (mostly tons of ice!!!) and were put on a LEVEL 2 emergency. I called off work when I realized early Thursday morning going out to my car, that the ice was so thick on the ground, I was literally sliding around the whole parking lot to get to my car & eventually fell, but thankfully no serious injuries. That my friends, is a sure sign I need to stay my butt at home! LOL I commend those who were out on the roads on their way to work, because I like to think if I was a driver on the road at the time, I would have been careful enough to drive safely to work BUT we all know we can’t control other people’s driving & that is what scares me when it comes to weather such as a snow storm.

How many of you had a snow storm?! share your experience — and what you did during the storm!

So today’s post might be a little late for some (oops) but doesn’t mean it won’t come handy in the future — if you live someplace warm where snow does not exist, then count yourself lucky but still know balance is important & as we age, it becomes even more important. While this post is dedicated to icy terrains due to the recent snow storm, keep this post in your pocket for non-icy situations as well, because falling doesn’t have to be done on ice.

Raise your hands if you have ever fallen at some point in your life?! Okay, so I will assume that the majority of us have fallen at some point in our lives, if not all of us & regardless of the reason why — it was probably a scary experience, maybe even a traumatic experience or caused bodily injury. In a perfect world, falls only happen outside your home — but we don’t live in a perfect world & I am willing to bet, that again, most falls some have experienced have happened within their own four walls ( and that doesn’t make it any safer or less traumatic) — trust me, I know from experience.

What is balance? “The ability to move or remain in position without losing control or falling” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). This definition defines balance as both with and without movement. Important to keep in mind, because most people assume when someone loses their balance, it is due to their movement pattern, BUT one can lose balance just standing in place. One thing I do want to add to this definition, is knowing where your center of gravity lies within your body & positioning because this will become handy when doing the exercises I provide in this blog post. Some people lack self awareness — not necessarily in the sense of inner self (although important), I am more speaking on the physical (body alignment, gait, imbalances, strengths/weaknesses) etc. Others may lack environment awareness ( ice, sidewalk misalignment, sticks/rocks, toys, slippery floor) etc. basically anything that may cause you to lose your balance. You need both self awareness and environmental awareness in order to improve balance. With all this being said, the exercises/activities that I will provide are NOT “quick fixes”, they are meant to be practiced, challenged and/or challenging over time, and meant to help make one more aware of self and the environment around you. My list will not include every single exercise out there known to man, but feel free to ask me questions (I can send demo videos) if need be or provide a more advanced list of exercises if one feels they need more of a challenge OR modifications if the exercises listed are too challenging.

#1 RULE : safety first. Do these exercises in a safe area within your home or at the gym. You should consider having something to hold onto if you are new to these exercises or if you struggle with balance. Nothing to be ashamed of if you need to modify them to make it easier at first — balance is something that is a very slow gradual learn & each person will experience their own challenges. Balance is about consistency, if you do well with one exercise the first time, the goal is to do it again and get the same results or better until you are comfortable moving up and trying something a tad bit more challenging.

#2 RULE: focus. don’t allow distractions

#3 RULE: Frustration doesn’t help, it hinders. We all get frustrated with ourselves and I know some of us will get frustrated with balance because it can be a frustrating learning experience like other things. If you find yourself getting frustrated —- walk away for awhile from the exercise & come back to it later or perhaps later in the week OR regress the exercise and work your way back up again. Frustration can cause one to injure themselves & safety is the #1 rule.

BALANCE EXERCISES:

  • single leg stance
  • standing feet together
  • Sit to stand (some people lose balance doing the most basic movements)
  • In place marching (alternating legs)
  • Standing hip abduction stance (leg sideways)
  • Heel-toe walking
  • stability ball plank
  • T-Stance (moving or standing still)
  • Single leg hip extension stance

These exercises can all be progressed to make it much more challenging (adding weights, adding time, adding bands, etc) and again, practice makes better! so practice, practice, practice & implement more balance exercises within your workout programs. As a strength athlete, I find that I need to add more balance heavy workouts / exercises for myself because having an imbalance can hinder my strength gains and/or I risk injuring myself. Balance can make for a better overall experience when performing exercises, doing daily activities and will build your confidence when mother nature creates an obstacle using the environment.

Leave comments, share, and likes! let me know what you do for balance & tag me on IG!

Contact me for personal training, I’d love to help guide ya to better balance & help improve your confidence when walking and/or standing in place!

#FitnessWonderWoman

Shay-lon Moss

Banded Box Squats — PR’s

Saturday –

Woke up to the cold weather to make it to the gym this morning. I had a mission as always when I get to the gym — which consist of doing well, putting in my best effort & leave feeling really good. Today, I did just that! Down below I am going to post a banded squat PR (I had two personal records but didn’t film the first one, so this is basically me saying “HECK YES, I DID IT, I CAN DO IT, AND I MADE THE IMPOSSIBLE HAPPEN!” I recently posted this video to my IG account. Feel free to follow me & tag me in something you did today that made you feel good! (also use #FitnessWonderWoman or #MaketheImpossiblePossible)

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