: Amy Moreland
: Too Fat to Be Fit (And Other Stupid Things I've Been Told)
: Ballast Books
: 9781955026758
: 1
: CHF 10.70
:
: Biographien, Autobiographien
: English
: 189
: kein Kopierschutz
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
Believe in yourself-even when no one else does. It's hard. We are told so many things throughout our lives. People form opinions that make us think we are a certain way, and when we are told these things over and over, we start to believe them. But we need to remember that when we hear that voice, it isn't our own. It is the voice of others projecting their impressions-accurate or not-upon us. It does not define who we are. We define who we are, and we can be so many things: silly, smart, kind, and so much more. Too Fat to Be Fit shares my journey of overcoming the onslaught of negative opinions that chased me from childhood to adulthood and from my family life to my fitness career. This book explores my struggles, my feelings, my acknowledgment, and my breakthrough-and it wasn't a straight line to get there. Like everyone else, my path has had many twists and turns, but I have discovered my true value along the way. Join me on my journey to recognize your own self-worth and potential for success!

CHAPTER 1

The Moment that Changed Everything

The first fitness convention I ever participated in was hosted in Chicago in 2012. Two years earlier, I had opened up a fitness studio in my hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in order to teach Zumba. A year later, I was developing my own kettlebell-based workout program called Kettlebell AMPD. That program was extremely popular at my own studio and was even gaining interest from other trainers and studios. This felt like the perfect time to try to take AMPD nationwide, and this convention in Chicago was a big step toward doing that.

But I wasn’t a big-shot fitness guru like Shaun T or Jillian Michaels. I was a no-name in the industry, and as such, they put my booth out in the hallway instead of inside the main room. As a newbie, I was just thrilled that I had been accepted to participate in the convention, so I gladly took whatever spot they gave me. I was told I had to “pay my dues” and earn my position. I get it—we all have to do that. So, I was eager to get started on that journey.

In my years as a Zumba instructor, studio owner, and fitness program creator, my husband, Tadd, and I had seen so many amazing results from our participants—or, as we called them, our fitness family. Our programs were designed so everyone from a first-timer to someone recovering from an injury to a hardcore fitness obsessive like myself could get a great workout in and feel better and healthier.

I was initially drawn to fitness as an escape from the challenges and stresses of life. It was an hour during the day when I could get out of my own head and enjoy myself. Plus, I was improving my mental health as much as my physical health. God knows I needed it!

That’s what we were providing for our participants at the studio. I don’t mean to be hyperbolic, but we were truly changing people’s lives in Pittsburgh, and I wanted to share our AMPD program with as many people around the world as I could to make an even larger positive impact. So, instead of dwelling on the fact that I was stuck out in the hallway, I rejoiced in the knowledge that I was going to get to tell more people about Kettlebell AMPD.

Wearing my black workout tank top adorned with a glittery gold kettlebell and a pair of tights, I looked almost exactly how I looked every day teaching our classes. At first, I was brimming with hopeful energy. I was so excited because, in preparation for this convention, my studio had come together for me and really helped me. They were my models, my testimonials, and my biggest cheerleaders. Of course, I loved being able to show them off as well. They were a huge part of why I was doing what I was doing.

Unfortunately, that enthusiastic buzz started to dwindle as I noticed there wasn’t much foot traffic by my booth. Well, actually, there was. It’s just that everyone who walked by me was on their way out of the convention. I was one of the last things they were going t