Seems not that long ago, I was very unhappy and completely uncomfortable in my skin. I was over 230 lbs; that was when I started to get serious about feeling better and through diet and cardio, I lost about 50 lbs. in a not so sustainable way. And when I say diet, it wasn’t healthier choices it was straight up calorie restriction, which lead me to food binges and an average of 3 hours of cardio a day. I now know why I had those binge episodes and that cardio for weight loss over the long term usually slows down your metabolism. No wonder I was up to 3 hours a day just to stay where I was at!

Fast forward a couple years and I was a Software Development Project Manager going through a very difficult and long divorce. My sanity was maintained by a trainer I met when I needed to get out of my house, away from the kitchen and work through my stress. I knew if I didn't I would regain the 50 lbs I had lost (I was already back almost 30). I learned how to structure things to actually see change and not be a cardio queen to just burn calories. That lead me into MMA, Muai Thai, Krav Maga and Boxing. While I always was naturally pretty strong, I could now bench 135 regularly and squat 225 with no problem.

Being strong changed everything about how I viewed my life and my confidence level. I found myself at work, reading about training methodologies and how the body works online, writing training programs for myself and others and realized I was getting all my energy from being able to workout and help others get strong and sitting in front of a screen 8-10 hours a day was killing me. So I made the switch and now love being able to help others achieve things they never thought possible!

I believe in finding the pleasurable side of fitness; and while there may be a sore muscle or two along the way, the benefits of fitness is worth the discomfort. Getting in shape shouldn’t be thought of as a punishment. It’s an amazing and empowering lifestyle decision that anyone can make.

Trainer at: Fortis Vita