Carmen's Journal.

I participated in the first wellness pilot projects of the Survivor Leadership Coalition.

My Coach was awesome!

Not only was she a thorough professional, but she was a very good listener. We were able to develop a great working relationship very quickly.

There are two things that stuck out of my experience which gave me a feeling of autonomy and co-creation.

The first experience was journaling. Before we went to the gym she gifted the participants with an exercise log book for me to take notes. I was able to record the name of each exercise, how to perform it, record my weights and any other notes that I thought that would be helpful for me.

The second experience showed me how to determine what weight I might use. In order to figure out whether I should add more weight my coach gave me a question: "Can I do two more reps while maintaining good form?" If the answer was "yes" I could add weight. However, if the answer was "no" I should keep the weight where it was. This seems a very simple and obvious situation. But, it took the mystery out of the practice.