Let's start with that early 5am wake up that i was surprisingly able to do with no hesitation and complaints along with 2 of my other girls, followed by my breakfast berry and banana smoothie with toast and egg to keep me energized through out the morning. The gloomy and cold weather didn't exactly compliment our ready-to go mood and bright active wear for the day though, but we didn't let that be a downer since the event was held under cover anyways.
When we got there we were greeted with pink balloons, tents, free goodies and music already pumping. 10 mins in after settling in our spot and looking around, I could already tell this would be one of those days that would be a memorable one.
The day started off with introduction and motivational talks from Nutritionist Specialist and Phd, Dr. Libby Weaver followed by Lorna Jane herself. As they spoke, they touched on the current facts and statistics and emphasised the importance of an active lifestyle and sharing their words of wisdom and encouragement to have confidence to achieve goals. I was in Awe and knew i was in the right place and wanted to be there. Personally, i can never get enough of positive and motivational talks/speeches, even though i may have heard something before countless times, it's always reassuring, especially when it relates to you at the moment it's being said by someone you admire.
The workout session was run by personal trainers 'Base Body Babes.' After the warm up session, the workouts they had us do were strength and cardio interval training circuit style . We did two circuits of 5 or so exercises in each, repeating each circuit 2-3 times All was fun until it got to the dreaded Burpees. I could only do 4 each round :(
Everyone was focused on what they were doing, it was a judgement free-zone where we were all just concentrating, but it was pretty cool seeing everyone in-sync with one another and following each other.
The space was pretty large but it was packed out just a few minutes before we started so when the workout session started we had to make room for everyone so there were instances where we would be so close to kicking or whacking the person next to, in front or behind us! Pretty sure my form was a tad off when doing some push ups because i was being wary of my arm space to the people next to me Haha!
The workout session was then followed by yoga, stretch and meditation with 'Activeyogi' AKA: Yoga expert Katie Kendall! I love meditation and i do it whenever i get the chance but i've never done Yoga before until this day and obviously my balance and flexibility skills aren't as up to scratch as most people, but that wasn't going to stop me from making attempts. I nailed the meditation and most of the warm down stretches, but when it got down to the Yoga.. let's just say i couldn't hold in my laughter for some parts because of how much fails i was succeeding at, Haha! I was there putting the wrong foot out in front, my form was all over the place, I couldn't maintain my balance the whole way that i even cheated and used my friend as a leaning post.However, with that being said, i would try again. After all, Practice makes perfect right ?
When that was all over i felt very relaxed especially after meditating, inhaling-exhaling and all the namaste'-ing ;)
Whilst talking i got tongue tied and i was super nervous. I just had so much i wanted to say that i started talking with my hands. My words come out better on paper compared to in person so it just felt liberating to say some of those out loud for once and share my journey so publicly like i did. I just felt so much energy. Getting into an active lifestyle has changed my outlook on everything and i've become passionate about it because of the benefits and opportunities it has opened up for me. For a very long time i neglected my health and body. As i was speaking i made mention of Cerebral Palsy but my nerves got to me and didn't really explain it as well as i could have. In a nutshell what i really wanted to say was, as long as you are moving, then you are moving forward and making a change for the better no matter how big or small. Every step counts! Cerebral Palsy will always be a part of who i am but it took me ages to find ways to truly embrace that. It may make me a turtle but it gives me a reason to emphasise the Ability in "Disability." Hearing the other stories from that day made me realise the wonderful community of support that came together and i was inspired to share my own story because i felt proud, really inspired and blessed to where i was in that moment on that day. I had my moment of clarity.
Afterwards Lorna Jane herself came up to me to greet me and give me a hug!!! she pointed at my "make your own rules" shirt and said " I think i made that shirt especially for you."
(Watch Video BELOW - Recorded via: iphone: Blogspot has compressed the quality :( )
When i sat down again after sharing my story, I was still nervous! It felt like i talked for five minutes and i was replaying what i said in my head. I don't consider myself a confident public speaker and it's out of
character for me to be that openly public about my disability and my health. Personally to me, blogging/vlogging and writing about it is totally different to vocally talking
about it the way i just did.
I was overwhelmed and touched by the response as other people came up to me afterwards and told me how they liked what i said and were inspired by my story.
I wanted to meet Lorna Jane again afterwards but the line was long and my girls and i were starving so we ended the day looking at the market stalls, headed off to lunch, went shopping for awhile and then headed home.
Just a week ago, ( November 1 2015) there was a segment aired on 60 minutes interviewing Lorna Jane and they were showing footage from this years Active Nation Day and i managed to spot myself @ 6 seconds of the clip below. Seeing footage from this day just bought back all the emotions i felt that day: Excited, happy, zen and nervous.
Honestly, I think this has got to be ONE OF my highlights for 2015. It was incredible! I went in knowing i would be inspired by other girls and was keen as ever to workout but the positive vibe and energy was so contagious and strong, i was so moved by everything!
So, was my early wake up worth it ? Yes!!!! :)
Mentions on this post:
Active Nation Day: www.activenationday.com/
Lorna Jane: www.lornajane.com.au/
Dr. Libby Weaver: www.drlibby.com/
Base Body Babes: www.basebodybabes.com/
Kate Kendall: http://katiekendall.com.au/
No comments:
Post a Comment