Give My All 4all

It is a rare occasion when I write 2 blog posts in a day. But this???? It was too fun to pass up. I got an email, and it had a challenge enclosed. I'm taking that challenge. So, I'll post the email, then I'll post my response. If you want to jump on this band-wagon, feel free. I just couldn't resist. :)

 

Dear Charlie,

We’d like to invite you to join us in our search for Team 4all!

Are you an early rising, sun saluting, net charging, lunch packing, carpooling, super(role) model blogger? If you play for guts, glory and fun, then you have what it takes to be part of Team 4all!

4all is holding tryouts for Team 4all, ten blogger brand ambassadors who will receive the latest 4all news and products and access to exclusive brand opportunities throughout the year.

Think you have what it takes? Tell us why you should have a spot on our roster. What or who inspired you to start a fitness/sports routine and how are you planning to gain power in the New Year?

To apply: Write a blog post answering the prompt above and post it to your site. Tell us about yourself and why you would be a great fit for 4all. Visit www.4allbyjofit.com for more information and please feel free to forward this email to any of your friends who may be a good fit. Good luck and please let me know if you have any questions.

-K.

ABOUT 4ALL

4all is an innovative golf, tennis and fitness apparel company that specializes in creating high quality performance apparel. 4all focuses on designing stylish clothing while providing a perfect fit for all women. The brand’s garments allow women to have a comfortable fit that’s also flattering as it slims, lengthens and performs.

Dear K and 4all Fitness Clothing Company-

I got your email about becoming an ambassador for your company via blog. And to be honest-

I laughed right off my chair and hit the floor.

To THINK that I would ever be invited to potentially endorse anything sporty and/or fitness related is pretty darn hilarious.

Because you see- I am not, nor have I ever been, a lettered jacket kind of girl.

Except the one I got for choir. Which was a really really high C. I nailed that note. EVERY TIME.

Looking back on this journey, I wonder- what could THIS girl have represented as an ambassador?

TV Watching

Oreo Dunking

Napping

Stretchy Pant Stretching

Couch Holder Downer

Pants Pee-er

But as you know, (because you at least checked out my blog briefly enough to click around and get my email addy) I am not that girl anymore. I am this girl.

I am ambassadors of much grander things now.

FlyBaby Cleaner

Inch Shrinker

Mile or 4 Runner

Weight Loser

Boot Camper

Water Aerobiciser

Pants Pee-er (Still holding onto that title, apparently)

To be honest with you, I can’t think of a worse person to wear your clothes and pretend like I am a tennis racket wielding, golf club swinging, country club attending kind of chick. I’m not that girl at all. And if that’s what you are looking for to represent you- then I must humbly decline.

Because of all the things I am, those are the things I am not.

But of all the things I’m not- I suppose there are lots of great things that I am.

I AM AMBITIOUS.

There is this side of me that is extremely competitive. I like to play to win. Mostly I just play with myself (Oh, that sounds wrong on sooooooo many levels) but I'll explain!

My greatest opponent is ME. I spent years stopping myself from getting in the game. Any game. I figured since I was feeling like a loser, what was the point in trying? But something inside me changed back on January 1, 2009. I snapped. I decided to jump into the dieting game. Win or lose, I was in.

To my surprise, I learned the rules, I played a few rounds, and I started winning. (Or is that whining? Perhaps..) Regardless, I managed to eek out a few wins in my mental chess game with my evil scale. And I have got to tell you- WINNING feels so much better than losing. And now, I’m happily winning a lot. Or losing a lot- that whole "losing to win" bit gets confusing. Let’s just call it winning. WINNING. On the scale, perusing my career as a freelance writer and becoming the person I want to be. I am winning at making the outside match the inside, and vice versa. I’m far from done yet. I’ve got a ways to go. But my ambition is getting me there, one pound, one truth at a time, one silly blog post after the other. I really like that about myself. Maybe you will too!

I AM HONORABLE.

I know, my blog talks a LOT about boobs, bellies, periods, the occasional hemorrhoid, and other crazy stuff. But that’s my way of keeping it real. If you are looking for a girl with every hair in its place, then look somewhere else. If you are looking for a girl who admits to the random hair on her chin and bellybutton, well then… keep reading!

The journey I am on hasn’t ever been glamorous. There were hopeful moments- but they don’t last long (if I get any glamour at all, that is). I’m a gritty sweaty stinky fitness (un)enthusiast who does what she has to do. I put on my big girl panties with the control top and do it. Sometimes “IT” is mucking up messes from sewers that back up in my basement. Other times “IT’s” showing people the look under the lycra- the flabby stretchmarky truth. Or sweating my cans off trying to run a flipping 5K. This business of losing weight isn’t pretty. I refuse to pretend it is. That’s why I’m so darn honorable! I admit the reality. It is what it is. And I think this is possibly why people love reading my blog! All 6 of ‘em. This type of raw- soul bearing- mistake admitting- honesty is hard to find nowadays. You get a whole new perspective on life when you enter Charlie’s land of the triple B. Big Butt Blog. Mostly, you will be thankful your life isn’t as adventurous as mine. And I’m totally cool with that.

I’VE GOT GUTS.

You think it’s easy to talk about stuff like crapping your pants or having a “pad malfunction” when people you know are reading your blog? People you WILL SEE later that day? There have been many a man who was unable to look me in the eyes the next time he saw me, because his wife was laughing so hard at the computer that he asked what was so funny and she made him read my blog post and that man was schooled on something he had quite happily been oblivious to before BUT NOW it’s all he can think about and he associates that particular thought with my blog and is therefore unable to look me in the eyes when he sees me in person. I know, that sentence is grammatically incorrect, and a huge run-on. But it’s the gospel truth. (What’s even more hilarious is that men secretly start reading my blog on their own after that happens. I know they do. And I love it when they are brave enough to leave a comment.)

Out in the blogosphere there is a happy epidemic. People pretend like their lives are perfect, their houses are perfect, and they only post pictures of themselves that have been photoshopped appropriately.

Me? I spit the truth out there and don’t give a flip. Well, I suppose I do, but that doesn’t stop me from my goal or the pursuit towards it. I’ve got MOXY. My pictures are real, my weight is real, my struggles are real. I am who I am, and who I am is what you get. Even if you don’t like me, I’m still pretty darn entertaining. Just ask the menfolk. They are the ones looking at the floor when they see me…

And that’s my last point. I AM FUN.

Say what you want, but when I get comments like “I just peed my pants reading that” or “I’m choking on my Crystal Light from laughing” I know I'm on to something. And that makes me feel great!

So am I a good candidate to be an ambassador for your company?

I have no clue. Honestly, if you have any business sense at all, you’d probably say no. I know I’m not the typical or safe choice. I’m the wild card. If you like adventure- then pick me. If you want your company associated with someone who gives it everything she’s got- then pick me. If you aren’t afraid of taking a chance on a girl who barely took a chance on herself 2 years ago- then pick me.

Oh, I’m supposed to answer who inspired me to get fit. That first girl. The horrible picture up there. She was the reason. She was so unhappy- so lost- so broken- it was for her. My ambition, my honor, my guts (quite literally, oddly enough) and my sense of fun… I risked EVERYTHING for her. And ya know what I found out?

She deserves it. She deserves a win. And she’s getting it.

And there’s my entry. That’s why I should (or possibly shouldn’t) be an ambassador for your adorable clothing line. If you don’t pick me, could you at least send me an outfit? Just for funzies?

(I’d like to wear it during Fat Girl Yoga and feel legit.)

Warmly-

Charlie Hester, a thinny in progress