WHY “i AM fitness”? First and foremost, I chose the name because of my faith in God, who is also referred to as the Great I Am. My belief in God is the pillar on which I base my life; and God is my rock through all circumstances.
About a year ago, I listened to a podcast by Pastor Steven Furtick of Elevation Church which caught my attention. In the message he made a point that when there is something we cannot do on our own, we need simply to say to ourselves: I can, because of I Am (God). What this means is that God can do anything, and when we draw on His strength we can also do anything. So, if there is something I can’t do, it’s okay because I have God and He can. God is my strength, and because of Him I can do anything and be anything (well, maybe not 5’6” but I believe that God has given us exactly what we need to be great and to fulfill our purposes on earth). With God I am never alone, never without strength, and never without His love. When I think of strength I think first of God, so the two are synonymous for me.
A second reason I chose the name “i am” is because from experience I know that what I say about myself has an impact on my life. Life is a journey and on this journey the direction we take has a lot to do with our thoughts, attitudes, and the things we say about ourselves. If we are not careful with what we profess about ourselves we may end up limiting our potential.
Because I know that the things I think and say about myself are powerful, how I finish the statement “I am ___________” is critically important. My journey is one of constant growth and my list of “I AM __________” conclusions is constantly changing and evolving. As a mom of three young boys, I have often in the past uttered the phrase “I am JUST a mom”. Maybe you’ve said or heard this phrase too. I have had to continually remind myself that parenting is a pretty significant job, and there is nothing “just” about it. Along the journey called motherhood I lost a few of the things I knew about myself. It was like being a mother was the most important thing and trumped all the other things that I had ever been before. This feeling was one that I struggled with for a long time until finally, a couple of years after my youngest was born, I decided that I had had enough. It was time to figure out who I was NOW in addition to being a mother.
It has been a journey of several years now and still going – few things happen over night. I started with baby steps towards getting active and eating better, started soul searching to find what made my heart happy. I saw some small changes, and felt a little better which then led me to be more motivated to keep going. As I continued along my journey I was encouraged by friends and strangers alike to take on new challenges and I continued to push myself in a variety of ways. The lost and insignificant me was starting to disappear and I was beginning to see more of who I could become and what I was truly passionate about. This journey was an opportunity not only to revive my soul, but also a chance to make it shine even brighter than it had before.
Three years ago if someone had asked me who I was, I would have said “A stay at home mom of 3”. That’s it! Yes, being a parent is important and significant, but it’s not ALL I was meant to be. I can now say that my journey has taken me a long way – when I was “just a mom” I didn’t do anything exciting or challenging, and definitely nothing that made me marvel at the body I have and what it can do (aside from growing 3 amazing babies, obviously)!
I now have an ignited passion for helping people – I love motivating and encouraging people – and it is my hope that I can help a lot of people create many more positive “I am” statements about themselves as they grow and reach their goals. I can definitely say that I would have never in a million years thought I would be where I am today, and I hope that perhaps I can help many others to reach a place they didn’t even think possible. Dare to dream big! Over the last 3 years I have challenged myself with over a dozen Spartan races, including a 26K Spartan beast, along with other obstacle course races, 5k, 10k, and half marathon distance races, and other fitness and general health goals.
I am no longer “just a mom”! My list of what I am has changed. I am STRONG. I am FIT. I am HEALTHY. I am DEDICATED. I am PASSIONATE. I am BEAUTIFUL. I am VIBRANT. I am a MOTHER and WIFE. I am a TEACHER. I am SO MANY THINGS.
What is YOUR “I am ____________”?…… Whatever your answer today, you can change or improve when you make the decision to take action and move forward. Sometimes “I am” is not just a current state of being, but part of a your journey. I am STRONG, but I am also getting STRONGER. I am GROWING. I am LEARNING. I want to work with you and take YOUR “I am _________” list to a whole new level so you can discover who you truly are. It’s now YOUR opportunity to shine!
My hope is that, through following my page, you will be uplifted and motivated in all things big and small. I look forward to breaking a sweat together sometime and working on new ways to challenge you. It is a blessing to do something I am passionate about, and my goal is to have that passion shine on everyone around me! If you’re ready to start your journey towards a better life, let’s link arms and create some brand new “I am” statements together. What is your goal “I am __________” statement? Let’s go make it happen! It all starts with a decision.
i KNOW. i CAN. i WILL. i AM.
Yours,
Christy
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Fb: Facebook.com/iamchristyv
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