Guess what arrived today?
My personal training study materials (and Sadie’s paw, apparently).
My NASM textbook, also known as the most expensive textbook in all the land, arrived as I was working late this morning. You know a book is expensive when you have to sign for it. Fancy!
Or maybe the whole “signature required” think was to ensure that this little gem made it to me safely:
What 27-year-old female doesn’t want a brand new backpack? I can never say no to a little more mesh in my life.
It shall never leave my side. 
The textbook came with a Quick-Start Guide to get me moving. I have 180 days to prepare for the exam.
I plan to take some time today to page through the textbook and formulate a game plan. I’ve always been fairly decent at motivating myself to study but I need to create a plan of attack first to prevent me from feeling lost. (If you’ve gone through the NASM personal trainer certification process, any advice you may have on how to approach studying for the exam would be greatly appreciated!)
Let the games begin!
Lunch
Today’s lunch started with a small bowl of sweet potato chips that I snacked on while I prepared the rest of my meal.
On the stovetop, I sautéed a quarter of a sliced onion, chopped Portobello mushrooms and yellow squash in olive oil before adding steamed broccoli and chicken sausage to the mix.
After topping the bowl with a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese and stirring everything together, lunch was ready!
Time to continue plugging away on an article!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Have fun! The textbook can be intimidating but the info is super interesting!
I love a mix of chicken sausage and veggies. so good!
Good luck with the studying! That’s something I’d like to do one day… maybe. 🙂
Love those chips by the way. I buy the TJs version, and they’re addicting!
That must be so exciting! Good luck girl I’m sure you are going to ace the exam! Sweet potato chips are the best! Good luck on the article
You’ll do great!!! Can’t wait to pick you’re brain! lol
You’ll do great with it, and yes its the most expensive book to date for me too. It sucks because i was certified a 5 years ago, and my husband is doing it now, and they changed the text books! So we have 2 which equals over …well you know the cost!
Study wise, know your physiology pretty well.
My husband is having a tough time with all this because he isn’t a science guy. As a bio/pre med a lot was review for me so I am having to explain in normal terms since we feel they leave out a lot of details that would help you better understand.
If you need help or have questions please feel free to ask!
He is taking his practice exam tomorrow (I think).
thank you so much, taylor! i may have to take you up on that! 🙂
Oh isn’t that backpack a stunner!??! Lol when I was in primary school, picking out a backpack was probably one of my most important decisions for back to school. That, and whether I should print or handwrite my name on my notebooks of course. 😉 Happy studying!
woo hoo!! way to get started on that fitness bucket list of your’s right away! i was just looking into group instructor certs last night – eeek!
Lunch looks good, and WOOOO re. the NASM! That’s super exciting! Way to go after your goals. 🙂
Congrats on taking the plunge! Six months seems like a lot of time to study, but I’m sure it will fly by!
i’m really hoping to take it sooner!
So fun! I may be in my 20s but I still get excited about new stationery!
Studying for a personal training exam sounds like fun. I’m sure you’ll learn a ton. BTW, what brand of chicken sausage do you use? Is there any particular brand you favor?
i love alfresco chicken sausages! the apple chicken sausage is my favorite.
My fiance passed the exam this year and found a few websites that had practice exam/quizzes that you could practice with closer to the test date.
I bet it will be easy to motivate yourself to study because the material will be so practical and applicable!
that is exciting stuff! I hope to get certified someday! I think it will be interesting stuff to study! I was just browsing the website and wondering which package you chose to do, the first one doesn’t give you much to work with but the last choice is the priciest. I didn’t know if you had heard if one package ended up being better then the other for anyone.
i did the second cheapest one. 🙂
Good luck to you! I’m sure you will do great and learn a ton of information in the process 🙂
YAY! SO exciting! Knowing your physiology real well will definitely help ya out 😉
Good luck!
I took my certification about 2 months ago and only studied for about 7 weeks which was more than enough (for me). To make you feel even better – I have a degree in journalism so no science background for this girl : ) You will do great!
that does make me feel better! the science stuff makes me a little nervous, but i’m also very interested in it, so hopefully that will help!
I plan on getting certified on day, probably after things quiet down a little for me. Lol.
Eeeeek! How exciting! I want to do that too! I’m scared though! I’m a Registered Nurse so I love all the physiology stuff, but I get so nervous for tests! Good Luck! I’m excited to follow along as you go through it!
That is so exciting. Way to follow your heart and get involved in something you love and are actually interested in!
Most expensive textbook in all the land haha! It’s awesome to see you totally going after one of your fitness bucket list goals!
can’t wait to read about your preparations and studying. i’ve been thinking about doing this for the last 6 months or so but haven’t threw the cash down yet. Now that they have a payment plan though I may be signing up sooner rather than later. good luck!! 🙂
Yes it is not a cheap cert by any means!! I read each chapter, watched the video, filled out the guidebook (in pencil) then took the practice exam. If I was unsure of a certain topic I would go back and make sure I knew how to answer each question correctly with the different answer choices. (make sense?) Then I would repeat through the next chapter. After each new chapter I would go back and take the practice exam to keep that chapter fresh!
I spent a lot of time studying for it but worked while doing so and took the exam with in 10-12 weeks. Please feel free to ask any questions. I was very nervous about taking the exam and would have loved to ask questions for others who had recently taken it. Good luck!
that’s the same boat i’m in, so that you for offering to answer my questions, sara! i really appreciate it!
AHHH GOOD LUCK! i just got my book back in April, I finished studying last week and take my exam July 19th!! It’s really interesting and it flew by for me. A little tip would be to make flashcards as you go-don’t wait until after the chapter. I have about 1,000 flashcards that took me 5 hours to make one night. So don’t make my mistake! 🙂
PS-I’m moving to Orlando in 3 weeks and I’ve totally been using your blog as a guide haha. It’s been SO helpful, so thank you!!
Hi Julie! I live in orlando and want to start volunteering. I was wondering if you knew of any places? It seems like it’s so hard to find something!
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time and am really excited to see you getting NASM certified! It’s so fun to me because my boyfriend and I are moving to California next week and once we make it there, I have been waiting to start my NASM certification! I am so excited to learn and get certified! Good luck to you!!! 🙂
I think the backpack just helps make learning seem so much more exciting! ahaha!
Good luck with your studying!
Lunch looks good! I love the broccoli and melted cheese combo. Yum. I’m looking into getting my personal training as well, so you’ll have to let us know hoe NASM is! I’ve been looking into a ton of different options, and want the best one possible. Good luck with the studying, I bet you’ll do great!
So excited for you! Getting certified is something that I really want to do as well. I’m hoping to start the program before the end of the year is over. How did you decide on NASM, ACE or ACSM? Good luck! I bet you’ll do great (plus it seems super interesting).
Have fun studying! It is so wonderful to be able to study something you love 🙂
Good luck!!! I’m studying for the MCAT this summer and it’s kind of fun to plan little study sessions. I also (strategically) study at Starbucks so that always helps 🙂
I got a new backpack today, too! Haha. I have nooo idea what I’ll ever use it for, but it’s a backpack from a marathon so at least it makes me look a lot more hardcore and legit than I am haha 😉 It also had an adult large shirt in it, which is just fantastic, since even mediums are ridiculously huge on me. Oh well!
Good luck with your NASM studying!!
Gosh, your lunch looks delicious!
BTW, I have done your Incline Treadmill Workout and 1000-Rep Workout the last two days (respectively) and they both kicked my butt. Thanks!!!!
i’m so glad you liked them!
I must not have been following your blog to closely, but what made you decide to get NASM certified? Are you having a career change or have you always been in the fitness field? I am currently an ACE certified personal trainer however with relocating to another state they are requiring NASM. Just wondered the background info to this test taking endeavour.
here’s the background info: https://www.pbfingers.com/2012/06/14/fitness-bucket-list/ 🙂
The NASM book is expensive! I actually ordered mine through Amazon and it was a bit cheaper. I kind of put it on hold for now, but I did become group instructor certified. I remember making tons of notecards with the NASM book – writing things helps me remember better, so I outlined each chapter and typed it up, printed it out, and stuck in in a binder to reference it.
Good luck!
That is so exciting that you will be taking the NASM exam! What a great certification. The best thing to do is to break it up into sections. All together it is definitely overwheliming, but if you focus on one secion at a time (i.e. anatomy, programming, special populations) it doesn’t seem as bad! Good Luck! 🙂
Hi! Just found your blog and I love it!
Very excited to hear your are getting your CPT through NASM. I’m planning on starting in September.
Can’t wait to hear all about it. Good luck!!
Btw, just printed off several of your workouts to do tonight. They look GREAT! Super excited to try them out!
i love sweet potato chips! i just got a bag of chips made from sweet potatoes and blue potatoes that is soo good!
I am not working for NASM, but I started grad school this past spring and I find that doing work everyday or almost (bc who wants to do schoolwork on saturday unless it is absolutely necessary) helps ALOT instead of having to do a bunch all in a couple days!
I take it you are fairing Tropical Storm Debby ok? My employer just sent an email saying that our branch in Ocala is closed “indefinitely” due to severe storm damage.
You ok?
The most expensive text book I ever had to buy was $1400. Yes fourteenHUNDREDdollars.
Eeeeeeeekkkk
Is it any wonder why I still have student loans?
Your lunch looks delicious! And I always have a game plan for studying, it helps me keep things organized and not feel overwhelmed
I’ve always loved backpacks! My favorite ever was a deluxe book pack from LL Bean that I used all thru HS/college. I’m 30 & I don’t need a backpack anymore, but they caught my eye recently in the LLB catalog – I was tempted to buy one. 😉
You’re going to be such a great personal trainer 🙂 just your blog motivates me! you’ll be great help working with people live. congrats
Are those the Terra sweet potato chips? I bought those at Costco one time several months back….addictive addictive. They haven’t had them since, which I guess is a good thing in my case:) I will be snapping up a bag when and if they return.
yes! INCREDIBLY addicting!
Well I am not a personal trainer so I don’t have any advice on that, but I am a Jazzercise instructor, so put the studying on hold and have a great time at Tropic Heat tomorrow!
woohoo! thanks!
Congrats girl! You will do so great with this new adventure!
Good luck on your test!
How exciting!! Good luck studying, I’m excited to hear about your journey to certification!