My ephinany turkey hunting this last weekend

This past weekend I went wild turkey hunting with my dad in South Dakota. I know a lot of people think that it should be easy to get a wild turkey since they are all over the place. Well, it isn't. Those things have super sharp sight senses and seem to know how to avoid danger plus you can only shoot 1 adult male turkey it is illegal to shoot a hen or more than one. So you really have to not only find the turkey but also the perfect shot. Anyway, back to the story. The first day we went out it poured on us and we tried calling the turkeys in but they didn't gobble back but instead they would sneak up on us and see that we were waiting for them and then they would run and disappear like ghosts into the woods. We chased them all over that day and it was pouring rain. I even fell partway into a creek. By the end of the day I was soaked, tired, and turkeyless. Day two I started out sitting in a turkey blind braving the howling wind which really sucked. My hands were numb and I was freezing by 6am(we got up at 4am to get to the blind). No luck so we set out on foot into the hills to find the turkeys. We did find the turkeys and after an hour of crawling, spying and postioning to get the perfect shot I ended up missing a shot and the turkeys once again got away. Our hunting party regrouped and decided to cover another area of the ranch. I was starting to doubt if I would bag my turkey and thought I'm going to be out here until dark and have nothing to show for it. I was getting negative in my mind. So I set out with our guide down a ridge. We passed over two hill and came to a ridge and I looked over the ridge to see a huge Tom turkey strutting around. I quickly ducked down and came up with a plan to sneak up on the turkey. So I creeped along the upper edge of the hill staying out of sight. I was able to get behind a tree and slowly peeked over the ridge. And there it was... A perfect shot and this time I did not miss. I nailed a trophy sized turkey. I was so pumped and it immediately erased the other stuff that happened prior to getting the turkey like getting wet, being super hungry, freezing my butt off. As I was cleaning my turkey it came to me why I like hunting so much. It is not about killing things. It's about a goal and the hunt is the exciting journey to get there. It is much like many things we come up against in life. We have a goal in mind such as losing weight and the goal is like the turkeys tricky to get and many times so difficult that we feel like quitting. However we only fail if we decide to quit! We might have setbacks and challenges but those things are what shape us and give us character. Believe me when I was chasing turkeys in the howling wind and rain a part of me wanted to say screw it and go warm up in the truck. I'm glad I didn't. I accomplished my goal and it reminded me that the best things in life come from working hard and persevering. We are your guides in life's "turkey hunt" when it comes to fitness and weight loss. Don't give up! Good things will happen as long as you make the conscience decision not to quit. Here's my challenge to you. If you are someone who is struggling with your fitness program or weight loss right now , we will offer you an opportunity to come in and do some goal setting and strategic planning free of charge from now until May 15th. So here's your chance to get some free help and leave with a solid plan of action that makes sense for you!

Highlights from the rock wall challenge last weekend

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Banding together

Nine brave souls came out for Beth Dean's "Banding Together Class" challenge for the Jumpstart and Summit participants. The reviews were great.Most people don't realize that you can get a great workout with a rubber band. Here are a few highlights.

Even a 2 year old can do it!

Jumpstart and Summit challenges are not that scary! People get intimidated from hearing the word challenge. Well here's a little video from our strongman/woman challenge the other night. Jumpstart and Summit participants showed up to work out with one of our trainers. As you will see it's about getting together to get healthier and have fun. Check out my 2 year old daughter mixing it up in the challenge! It's not too late to get involved in Jumpstart or summit just go to our website at www.puravidafitness.com to find out how