Why I Am a Fitness Professional

Since puberty, I have always had a minor battle with my weight. Always bordering on the side of "thick", I gained and lost the same 10-20 pounds for years. I joined countless gyms, tried countless diets, and never stuck with anything long-term. I continued to gain and lose the same weight over and over, only I gained a lot faster than I lost.

In 2009, my world crashed down. My family was devastated by a tragic loss, my marriage was beyond repair, and I was in severe financial crisis. I gained another 30 lbs. On the morning of my brother's wake, I couldn't button my black pants. The button wouldn't even get CLOSE to the button hole. No amount of sucking in would do it, and on this particular day, being able to breathe was paramount. I drove to a nearby clothing store and bought the biggest pants I'd ever owned.

After I found my way back home, and started putting the pieces of my new life together, I decided to get serious about my health. The loss of our eldest sibling at such a young age made every moment going forward seem critical. I would not have a forever. None of us do. The youngest of our siblings has been a fitness professional for more than a decade, and so, I sought his advice.

He put together a workout plan for me based on my goals and the amount of time I wanted to spend in the gym. He made it simple to follow, and it was fun. It was something I was able to modify on my own as needed. Then I reconnected with an old friend who convinced me to train for a half marathon. In my new-found urge to improve my life, I embraced it. And I ran the More Marathon for Women in April 2010. I ran 13.1 miles in 2:20. I'd never run a day in my life before that. I got my body weight down more than 30 pounds, had muscles I'd never seen before, and felt stronger and more spectacular than ever before.

Then I began working with a personal trainer twice a week. My trainer pushed me past my doubts, showed me my limits were far higher than I thought, and that my body can do things well beyond my expectations. During that time, I lost my job. Tearful and anxious, I went to our session, told my trainer what was happening, and she said, "Why don't you do this?" She convinced me the idea I'd been tossing around for some time was a good one--that I was the right kind of person to be a trainer. I began the certification process, and here I am.

I am a trainer because fitness is the reason I have the quality of life I do today. Investing in my health in a serious way and for the right reasons changed everything for me. It made me a stronger, healthier, more confident, happier person--who happened to be thin and in good shape. "Getting thin" doesn't usually last. "Changing my life" makes all the difference.   Learning this was poignant for me, and it's something I want to pay forward to my clients.