Today we have the first of what I hope to be many guest posts from our champion lifter and my occasional stand in, Maria Moran.
This is Maria
Regulars in Wg-Fit will know her by her boundless energy and enthusiasm, and it’s fair to say she inspires a lot of my members, particularly the girls, to work that bit harder.
So that’s enough from me, over to Maria:
When Dave granted me admin privileges on the WG-Fit facebook page my immediate reaction was to post ‘Maria is the best and also my favourite. You should all try to be more like her’. I’m hilarious like that.
Also, I wasn’t really sure why he did it – I certainly am not knowledgeable enough to be answering the sorts of questions he gets on there: – Which awesome tune should I work out to? – Whats so wrong with kipping pull-ups? – I like the american swing and I’m vegetarian, can you help? – Why is my back so ouchy? – Look at this dudes awesome bike skillz Also, discount anything sounding vaguely scientific, or anything with numbers and percentages, and specific nutrition questions – hmm not much left.
He suggested I write the occasional blog and I thought – oh crap! I’m no super sports coach, full of endless information about why you should use this program or that variation. All I’m expert on really is myself, and what makes me tick– and there are times where that’s not even so clear!
I figured the best place to start is with an introduction. Inspired by a post Phil Greenfield put up saying ‘Don’t tell me what you’re against, tell me what you’re for – what you’re passionate about ….’ here’s the sense I’ve made of my world so far:
People start at 100% with me – it’s up to you to fuck that up. You’ll have to try pretty hard, I’m pretty soft. Or maybe be a little annoying for a really long time. If you do break it, it’s not easy to fix. I’m slow to forgive big hurts. Almost no one bothers to stay the course.
Work/life balance is a top priority. I’m not materialistic. I’ll never be rich but I have the freedom to do a lot of the things I want to do. I count that, and the really awesome people I know, as my fortune. All people really need in life is to feel loved, included and appreciated. It’s fairly easy to make these things happen. Often, it doesn’t take genius present ideas or wads of cash. Little gestures can speak volumes.
I rarely care about how I look. How I feel and what I’m doing is more importanter.
Buying presents for people: ugh, everyone has enough shit. Give your time. Make a memory – do something together. Buy consumables – especially if there’s a chance you’ll get to help them drink it!
People are important: you can’t do it alone, no matter how much you might want to. People really can fuck you up, but people also help put you back together. It’s ok to be broken and to be vulnerable. Make time for the people who have a positive effect on your life. Be sure to appreciate them, out loud in a way that they can’t doubt. Bin the ones that make you think in negative circles – life is short. You don’t gotta like everyone.
family, neighbours, karate people, WG crew – waiting to welcome me home after the Worlds – gotta have your peeps
If I can help someone, then I will help them. I try to be proactive about it, and no strings attached.
I like people to be straightforward. Don’t say one thing and mean another, don’t pussyfoot or walk on eggshells – just say it straight. I can’t be bothered trying to figure out the bullshit. If it doesn’t cause the world doesn’t spin off it’s axis and kill all of humanity, then really, we can probably get over it.
I love the words cunt, gick, geebag and sake!
Kids and dogs are more fun than most adults.
I love to move. I love a challenge. I love when I hear a voice in my head that says – oooh – I wonder if I could…… And then I try. I think you have to try, the little voice gets sad otherwise and eventually shuts up and sure then life is just boring and miserable. Follow the crazy, see what happens.
Being outside is just the best thing you can do for yourself. I especially like parks, that aren’t too manicured or organised, where I can’t see anything man made. I love the beach super early in the morning, I love big mountains, and I love forests. I think most humans have forgotten how vital this is. We need it.
We also need to move. In as many ways as possible, every day. Serious, structured stuff, and fun silly stuff. It doesn’t matter, just move. You don’t need the right gear, or the right weather, or a fancy instructor or an amazing plan. Just move. And try rope other people in. You’re not crazy if you have company.
With a gang of friends for Gaelforce West, I met them through Cycle Against Suicide and we’ve had tonnes of fun since – one even made me a super hero cape!
So, there you have it. Over the next while I’ll attempt to wrangle together all the randomness inside my head and present it to you in some mildly coherent way. I have learned a lot in the 6 years in I’ve been in WG, and there’s so much more to come.
I hope that there will be something in there you will find interesting or amusing or encouraging. Something that will help you tweak your training or your world view so that it’s all and tiny bit better. You’ll know my blog posts by their rambling nature, the lack of exercise specific advice, and the mushy feelings stuff.
I’m open to questions but do bear in mind that I’ll only be speaking from my own experience when I answer so apply reason and common sense. Chances are I won’t have bothered to do that.
Maria Moran
Right, me again.
Maria runs an Animal Flow class on Thursday mornings and an Indian Clubs class on Saturdays, as well as attending Wg-Fit pretty much every day to get her own training in. If you’d like to hear more from her, or learn from her in person, you know what to do.
You won’t be dissapointed.
Regards
Dave Hedges www.WG-Fit.com