Meet my FXB Instructors: DJ Thunder

DJ Thunder: a.k.a. Andie

When someone says “DJ”, most people think of a disc jockey—you know, the kind you’d find at the radio station, in a club, or at a wedding. A few of you that attend the Columbus FXB location might think of a certain instructor named DJ, but it’s not his turn yet (I can’t give him a nickname that includes his actual name . . . that’d be too obvious). A few of you cool kids might be thinking of this DJ:

In Andie’s case, I’m talking about the kind of DJ you’d find in a club. My research shows that the characteristics of a good DJ can be boiled down into two primary categories:

1) Music

A good DJ not only puts out a great musical mix, but they are also willing to take a few calculated risks. Like most of our instructors, Andie can pump out a good mix for the workouts. However, she’s the first instructor that I’ve had put on Buffett during kickboxing (at an amped up pace of course). While it was a bit distracting—I wasn’t sure if I should be kickin’ the bag or back with a margarita—it certainly energized the group. I mean, it’s kind of impossible to not smile at a Buffett song. She doesn’t stop at Buffett either. She can throw together the most random of songs, at least from a workout perspective. From Margaritaville to What does the Fox Say, somehow Andie makes it all work.

2) Crowds

A good DJ is able to energize a crowd. They perform with gusto and aren’t shy about engaging with their peeps. All of our instructors walk the mat during the kickboxing classes and are energetic—that’s one of the reasons why they’re instructors after all. But Andie takes the challenge to the next level. She engages in a way that sets her apart from most instructors. Her level of energy is not frantic or overpowering. It’s set at the perfect level for Level 10 motivation. She also engages by doing things such as running from one set of feet down in a six-inch leg lift to another, pushing them even lower.

That covers the DJ aspect of my nickname for Andie. What about the Thunder, you ask? Well, for those who do not have the privilege of attending an FXB location, ‘thunder’ is what we call the sound made by kicking the bag.

BOOM!

Andie has this unique ability to make people want to bring down the thunder. In an Andie led kickboxing class, the thunder can be heard loud and clear even near the end of the 45 minutes—the point at which many people are barely clearing the base of the bag in any non-Andie led class. This ability probably stems from the whole crowd engaging talent I mentioned above. It could also have something to do with her ability to inspire thunder through her own demonstration:

It’s like thunder and lightening. The way you kick the bag is frightening . . . Sorry, whenever I hear or say the word ‘thunder’ Knock on Wood gets stuck in my head! And I think this last pic of Andie is kind of appropriate for Amii Stewart’s video for the song!

Thanks, DJ Thunder, for keepin’ the crowd performing at a Level 10!

~ Carrie

Overexposed

You may have noticed that I’ve been missing from the blog for a while. I’ve been posting quick updates to my Facebook page, and I’ve been keeping up with the Meet My FXB Instructors series, but it’s been 2 months since my last personal blog post. So what’s up with me?

Well, I’ll be honest—I’ve been struggling.

I know that I’m moving in the right direction; however, it’s taken a significant emotional toll on me. I mean, here was this thing that I’ve been hiding for years. This thing that I’ve conditioned myself to be ashamed of. It was the one thing I didn’t want anyone to know about me. The circle of those who were in the know was very small.

While I’ve been blogging about my journey for over a year, I haven’t been open about my Binge Eating Disorder until recently. Suddenly, I’ve put it all out there for anyone to read. I’ve been ripped from my comfortable shadows and thrown into the bright light. 

The best way for me to explain is to ask you to take a moment to consider the one thing in your life you wouldn’t want people to know about. We all have something. Now imagine that everyone found out about it. Kind of scary, right? Yeah, it is.

I’ve never felt so exposed in my life. I didn’t take the proper preparations to deal with how I’d feel after exposing my monster to anyone who wanted to read about it. I felt I was ready to open up and decided to jump for it before I lost the courage. And I was ready. I just wasn’t ready for how it would make me feel afterward.

My mind suddenly became a scary place to be. Everywhere I went I thought, “Have these people read my blog? Do they know about my secret?” The added stress opened the door for my binge monster. Suddenly I was feeling like a failure in all aspects of my life—wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, author, coach... My binge monster took control while holding a lit F-bomb in each of these areas of my life, ready to throw at the first sign of difficulty.

I needed to regain control, so I’ve had to take a step back. I’ve had to let go of several things so I could put all my energy into not blowing myself up. I shrank away, coming out of my shell only when necessary.

I’ve slowly been getting stronger. It’s become easier for me to say that I have Binge Eating Disorder, even outside of blog posts. A few times I cried as I said the words. Every time my heart raced and my palms got sweaty. And, unfortunately, each time after I said the words I had to fight to not recede back into the shadows.

The thing that has made it possible for me to get to this point is the support I’ve received. So many of you have told me how proud you are of me. How I’ve inspired you. You’ve told me that you want to help. Some of you have spoken loudly without words, using hugs instead.

It’s so interesting to me because while this is the most supported I’ve ever felt, it’s also the most terrified I’ve ever been. I know I have to go through this part of my journey if I want to get to the other side. And I know that I’ll get there. I’m determined if nothing else.

I’m still here. I’m still fighting to regain control. I might be a bit quieter than normal while I endure the pain of exposure, but I’m not going away.

I’ve said it before, yet I don’t feel like I can ever say it enough—thank you. I don’t know what I did to deserve all this support, but every day I’m grateful for it.

~ Carrie

Meet my FXB Instructors: Hook

Hook: a.k.a. Jess N.

I’ll start by saying that I’m writing this post with mixed emotions. I had intended to ‘showcase’ Jess this month, but I didn’t know at the time it would be as a farewell post. Today was the last official day Jess will be instructing at FXB - Columbus (I say ‘official’ because she says she’ll be back from time to time). She’s only moving over to FXB - B-town, but since I never get over there she may as well be moving to Nebraska. In the short time I’ve known Jess, she has become a dear friend. She is an amazing person who makes me smile from my face to my heart to my soul. I will truly miss walking into the gym and seeing Jess standing at the counter in the midst of some animated story. While this may be a farewell from FXB - Columbus, it’s not a farewell from my life! Love you, Jess.

Now that the mushy stuff is out of the way, let’s break down the Hook.

The most obvious reason I’d call Jess Hook is because she delivers one kick-a punch. There is no way I’d want to be the bag in one of her workouts! But that’s not the reason for her nickname.

The first time I had Jess for an instructor, this is what she looked like:

It was the first Freaky Friday I had experienced at FXB, and Jess made a very convincing (and intimidating) pirate. I remember thinking, “Man, she even added a killer tattoo to complete the look!” It wasn’t until I had her as an instructor for a non-Freaky Friday class that I realized the tattoo was all Jess. I knew then and there that she was a true pirate at heart.

But it wasn’t just my first impression or her tattoo that solidified her name. Let’s look at my research about pirates. If you’ve been following along on these posts, you should know where I’ve gone for justification: urbandictionary.com (as always, click on the link at the risk of your innocent sensibilities). According to the top definition:

The Pirate is an oft misunderstood individual who can be seen absolutely pwning everyone around him/her. Well versed in the arts of cheekiness, deceit, extortion(sp), theft, blackmail, smarmery, and crazy acrobatic sword and or knife fighting. The pirate always lands on his feet, and always wins, even when you think not. naturally hates the ninja, as ninjas are overated far too serious for their own good. 

Uh, oh. The Ninja better watch out! They appear to be good friends, but maybe it’s really a ‘keep your enemies closer’ kind of thing . . . I see that look, Brittany!

Anyway, for those who don’t know what ‘pwning’ means (this would be me—I thought maybe it was a typo), here you go:

Pwn is a leetspeak slang term derived from the verb own, as meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. The term implies domination or humiliation of a rival, used primarily in the Internet-based video game culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated

OK, so let’s pull out all of these ‘facts’:

• Pwning - I don’t think anyone will argue that Jess dominates the mat when she’s in da’ house.
• Cheekiness - Only someone as cheeky as Jess could have her own hashtag: #CuzJess.
• Deceit - There are times when Jess acts as though she’s sorry for making everyone work so hard. #NotBuyingIt
• Extortion - Jess is a master at extorting a Level 10 out of her class!
• Theft - See entire section below
• Blackmail - “Give me a Level 10 or I’ll make you do burpees till you puke!” OK, so she’s never said anything like that. But she could totally pull it off!
• Swarmery - I’ll be honest, I have no idea what this is. But it sounds like something Jess might have.
• Crazy Acrobatic Sword and/or Knife Fighting - I think she saves this for her fans at home.

Above I promised you an entire section on theft. Her ability to steal is the primary reason for naming Jess Hook. So, what does she steal?

Your Breath

A Jess class is far from easy, no matter if it’s kickboxing or bands. She pushes you to work hard, making you fight for every breath in the process.

Your Bands

Jess has a natural way of encouraging people to band up to that next color.

Your Excuses

In addition to instructing, Jess is an amazing coach. She has this ability to practically see into your soul, and in the process she helps you strip away your excuses for why you can’t progress.

Your Scale

If you’re too dependent on the number on the scale, she’ll steal the source of negative information right out from under your feet. Just ask Steven.

Your Friends

Speaking of Steven, she’ll even steal your friends!

Aye, we will all miss Hook. But a new treasure awaits her in B-Town. I just hope they know what they are in for . . .

~ Carrie

Meet my FXB Instructors: Boss

Boss: a.k.a. Taylor

Don’t let Taylor’s age fool you. Even though I think she’s our youngest FXB instructor, there is no question in my mind that Taylor is the Boss. Part of it is because of her no BS approach to getting things done. If a Wacky Sock Wednesday photo needs to be taken and there’s only 30 seconds left before class starts, well you best get your crazy socked feet on the mat. We’re there for a reason, and Taylor will make sure we don’t get far off track. But it’s more than that and, as usual, I’ll attempt to defend my theory.

First up are the 7 Personality Traits of a Great Boss, as outlined by salary.com

Honesty

Taylor doesn’t sugarcoat things on the mat. If you need to do more burpees, she will tell you. If you need to kick a little harder, she will tell you. Some might not be able to handle her level honesty, but that’s OK. She can just tell them to toughen up.

Integrity

Taylor definitely walks the walk. She works at the same level on the mat as she pushes everyone else to achieve.

Commanding Presence

Um, yep.

Optimism

She may not always want to admit it, but I can see it in her eyes. She’s an optimist, even if her honesty tries to bring her down from time to time.

Supportive

Taylor was one of my coaches during my 10-week challenge. She was a huge support to me then, and continues to be the same today. I know I’m not the only one that can count on Taylor to be there in a time of need.

Inspirational

Just watching Taylor out on the mat is an inspiration. She pushes hard, even when she might not be feeling all too well.

Sense of humor

Taylor can be on the quiet side, but when you can get her talking the laughs are sure to come. Besides, she has to have a very good sense of humor to put up with many of us at FXB!

Next up for justification is my favorite: urbandictionary.com. According to this legendary site, Boss is a term used to describe something/someone that is “supercool, fly, awesome to the max.” Check, check and check!

Finally, we have RBF. Taylor herself will tell you that she has classic RBF. For those of you not in the know, traditionally RBF stands for Resting Bitch Face. However, in Taylor’s case, that’s not the definition.

RBF actually stands for Resting Boss Face.

Bottom line is that Taylor gets it done—like a Boss. And I, for one, am grateful!

~ Carrie

Clarity, Courage, & Endurance

“Please give me the clarity to see the path in front of me, the courage to take it, and the endurance to stay on it.”

This was the prayer I said back in May of 2013 when I first started my leave from Cummins. I was about to embark on a journey that was new to me—a stay at home mom. I was also trying to once and for all find a solution to my health and fitness issues. I couldn’t clearly see the path in front of me at the time, but I knew it was there. I just had to find it, take it, and then stay the course.

For my career, I saw the path before me but I was scared to take it. I had to take a lot of deep breaths, but I found the courage to write and publish my novels. The endurance for me to stay on this path is connected to my courage to even write. It’s still hard to me to say out loud that I’m a published author without it coming out sounding like a question rather than a statement. But I’m getting there.

For my health and fitness, I didn’t see the path at first. I had planned to tackle it on my own, using the knowledge I had gained from all the previous programs I had been a part of. But then one day my husband called to chat and asked me if I had ever considered doing Farrell’s. The call came at a time when I didn’t know how to move forward. Suddenly, my path had been shown to me and I started my 10-week session the next week. I’ve built up my endurance over the last year for the workouts, and I’ve got that down. Most of the time people have to convince me to take a break. It’s the nutrition part that I’ve got to overcome. I have to address my binge eating disorder. I don’t like how it makes me feel, not just physically but emotionally too.

Now I’ve been given another path. A path that I know will help me because I can feel it in my soul. It took me a while to find the courage to take the path, talking myself out of it every other day. But then finally I did it—I reached out and asked for help. If you’ve been following my blog then you might remember that I have difficulty doing that. Now I have to find the endurance to stay honest and true. I have to continue to let go and stop trying to do this alone. I have to trust those around me and let them help me.

Back in 2013 when I first said my little prayer, I thought I was going to be answered with one path. What I’ve discovered is that what lies before me is a series of paths that interconnect. This is now a constant prayer in my life.

With the start of the new year approaching and goals being established, I’d like to extend this prayer to you. Even if you don’t believe in prayer, let me extend it to you as positive energy.

May you all gain clarity to see the path before you, find the courage to take it, and have the endurance to stay on it.

~ Carrie