Some of you might have noticed the new name change to my weekly articles, or perhaps the new designation before and after my name. I have been working on my doctoral degree for the past four years and am happy
Some of you might have noticed the new name change to my weekly articles, or perhaps the new designation before and after my name. I have been working on my doctoral degree for the past four years and am happy to say that it was completed this past month. The degree is a Doctor of Educational Psychology and the content was inspiring, interesting and useful.
The knowledge derived from the curriculum is helpful to me as a personal trainer, nutritionist and behavioral change specialist because it helps me better understand how people think and how they feel about issues. As I went along in the program, my skills as a writer improved and my ability to communicate clearly in both written form as well as speech was enhanced.
Over the past forty plus years as a personal trainer, I’ve kept up on all the new modalities of training, the latest information on nutrition and sorted through the sometimes bewildering and conflicting information that is presented as the “truth” about diet and exercise. Having been a competitive athlete myself, and nationally ranked in two sports – both women’s bodybuilding and women’s power-lifting —I understand the importance of keeping oneself abreast of the current information as well as the latest techniques in order to remain highly competitive. This strategy not only helped me stay on top of my game(s) for the over ten years that I competed, but it has helped me help my clients achieve the best results possible — be they competitive athletes, someone rehabbing from injury or someone trying to get in shape for their health.
So what does staying interested and involved do for anyone? It keeps you thinking! It helps you avoid Alzheimer’s disease. It keeps you actively pursuing goals and finding helpful supportive like-minded people along the way to confer with and be excited with.
In my opinion, it keeps you interesting because you are passionate about something. The most interesting people I know are excited about what they are doing and therefore they have a quest for knowledge as well as burning desire to make a difference in the world. This is a far more exciting existence than simply getting up each day and “going to work”.
I encourage you to develop your skills, get passionate about something, get interested in a cause or a project that allows to you be with other excited and committed people. That’s where life gets juicy! There are many opportunities to get involved with others who are passionate about fulfilling their dreams. Volunteerism is big on Kauai. We have a strong community that values individuals who give of their time and talents while developing them as well. There are also many opportunities to learn and grow that do not cost a lot of money but just take some dedication and time.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the course of my life here. I continue in my commitment to you to bring you the best in personalized fitness training, nutritional counseling, and behavioral change interventions as we move ahead. You can call or text me as always, or drop me an email, if you would like to improve your health. Thank you to all those who helped and supported me through these past years as I balanced my academic pursuits with the rest of my goals and duties. How fitting that one of my lifelong dreams has come to fruition on the Garden Island. Mahalo Kauai!
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Jane Riley, EdD. (Doctor of education) is a certified personal trainer, adviser and behavior change specialist. She can be reached at janerileyfitness@gmail.com or (808) 212-8119 and www.janerileyfitness.com
