Jenna Albert, NASM-CPT

uh huh, that's ME! i did it. woop woop.

so now for a little back story. i've been SERIOUSLY studying for this test for about two and a half months. and SUPER SERIOUSLY studying for this test for about a month and a half. it has been my life. i even got to the point where i DEACTIVATED my facebook account, deleted the app from my cell phone and stopped blogging so that i could focus on this test and this test alone. i've skipped nights out, i've skipped workouts (only a few, but my booty has noticed), and i've been a royal mess the past week or so.

however, today was the big day. the first day of the rest of my life. i was so nervous. i honestly had no clue what to expect. i read discussion post after discussion post about how the test tries to trick you and the practice test is NOTHING like the actual exam and if you don't study hard and fully understand the material then you'll NEVER pass. this resulted in me crying on my drive home from my final barnes & noble study sesh. so here i am, whoa is me, big baby jenna, crying while she drives home. instead of calling someone and bawling to them i took the bull by the horns and said "jenna, why are you crying?" ok - i just thought that to myself. but i then i started talking out loud in my car. i said "life happens. no matter what happens tomorrow, you will learn and grow from it. you didn't put hours of studying and hardwork into this for nothing. it is your future. you will pass the test." and then i felt a lot better.

the whole time i've been studying for this test i've been comparing it to training for a half marathon. i was never EVER good at studying in college or high school. i honestly just didn't have the patience for it. but this test was my future so i knew i needed to learn to be successful at studying. i just figured you put in time, you prepare, you live it and then you succeed. just like with running. it doesn't happen overnight, and you can definitely OVER do it, but be patient with yourself and success will come. and that it did, my friends.

do you want details of my testing experience? well, it was in carlsbad. i got a good night's sleep last night and then got up and drove out there. grabbed a cup of coffee and reviewed more material for about three hours before the test. i got to the testing site, hands shaking, heart racing, and the lady that worked there was so personable asking me why i chose this route and blah blah that it helped me relax a ton. she was so sweet that by the time i started testing i was definitely in the right frame of mind. calm and confident. so, like i mentioned earlier, i was treating this test like a half marathon. my plan of attack? start slow to build confidence, then finish strong. so i look at the first question, Zone 3 Heart Rate Percentages? umm EASY! (86-90% for those of you that don't believe i passed). haha.. but yeah the first five questions were so easy. i kept clicking through and marked the ones i was unsure of. i think i left three blank my first run through the 120 questions. i marked about 20. i went back through the marked ones and double-checked my answers. i had finished the entire exam in about 25minutes. WTF??? they give you TWO HOURS. so i was like crap, i either studied like a champion or i'm WAY off. so i went through the entire 120 questions again.. and then AGAIN to make sure i was confident with my choices. (yes, that means i STUDIED LIKE A CHAMPION). but yeah so i went and told the proctor i was finished and she clicked on a few things and says "well congratulaitons" and i go yessssssssssssss!!!!!!!! haha. i am a nerd. i wanted to jump up and down and give her a hug but i held it in. she gave me all my stuff and i told her if she ever needs a trainer to holler at me... and was on my way. NOT without doing a weird run-jump-hop-skip all the way to my car with probably the biggest smile on my face EVER.

of course my momma is the first person i call.. "AHHHHH I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" everyone says "i told you i knew you would" and i appreciate it all. i appreciate everyone for being so stinking supportive of me all the time. i am so very grateful to have such amazing friends and family in my life. without them, i wouldn't be able to accomplish all these wonderful things.

so i have to say so far my 2012 is on the right track with my motto:

MAKE.THINGS.HAPPEN.

(yes, a 2012 resolution list will be on its way in the next few days!)

oh and PS, for some reason FACEBOOK is making me wait an ENTIRE 24hrs to reactivate it, lame. so i'll be back tomorrow, which is when most of you will read this.

i'm signing off with my new title,


Jenna Albert, NASM-CPT, TRX Certified

has a cute ring to it, no? ;)

 honestly, who wears make-up to their CPT exam? NOT this girl.. as you can see.

yes, i blacked out my address, stalkers.