A Little Bit About Me & My Fitness journey
I was the second to the youngest born into a mixed family of 10. After leaving the city at the age of six, I did most of my growing up on a farm where I worked and played hard. And like a lot of kids in the 70’s snacks weren’t everywhere. You ate breakfast, lunch and then dinner. Maybe you had a snack after school – but that was about it. Playing, working and eating three meals a day, kept me at a healthy weight as a kid – actually most would say I was skinny and my nickname was tiny (I am only 5’1”). Growing up out in the country far from a town with fast food, and having a farm with an orchard, a garden (that I was expected to work in), chickens for eggs and animals to eat meant we had very little need or access to processed food, treats or snacks in our house. When we did, they had to be shared with all the kids and they didn’t last long.
Things changed in about the 6th grade when I started eating school lunches and participating in after school activities like Brownies, a type of Girl Scouts. These activities seemed to always be structured around snack foods such as cookies, brownies, etc.. It was also in the 6th grade when one of my “friends” called me fat…. Wow – me fat? Was I fat? No not really, but my body was changing and because of the added processed foods I was starting to gain a little weight. It was at this time that I began to have a complex about my weight and how I looked. I also started to pay attention to what I was eating and what foods or eating habits caused me to gain or lose weight.
Most of my teenage and early adult life, through playing every sport offered and keeping my calories low I was able to keep my weight and body fat at a healthy level. I was always interested in the study of diet and exercise – constantly reading food labels. I learned from a very young age that shopping the perimeter of the grocery store was ideal for health. STAY OUT of the MIDDLE – one of the things I teach my clients today.
I started working part-time for the state when I was 21. That job and later my education took me down a path of becoming an IT manager. I’ve been working for the state since 1992 having much success; however, I never lost my love and drive for fitness and in 2009 I certified and began working part-time in the fitness industry. First as a spin instructor, 2nd a personal trainer and then a nutrition coach.
My first motivation came from knowing that if I was in front of people teaching I would be motivated to look good (who wants to follow an instructor who doesn’t look good herself, plus all those mirrors). I quickly fell in love with encouraging and challenging others to take good care of themselves – to be fit. The mission of motivating others became way bigger than myself. I fell in love with helping people and building communities of people focused on improving their health – My 5:45 morning spin class became a place where people came because of how they felt when it was over…. I would say to them “remember this feeling, remember how good it feels when you’re done.”
Some of my fitness accomplishments include, training for and summiting Mount Rainer, qualifying, training and finishing the Boston Marathon with a time of 3:19 – the year of the terrorist attack no less and my ability to kick butt in spin classes.
I named my business All About You, because I truly believe – it’s all about you and because of my annoyances with those in the industry who get polarized around one diet or exercise philosophy. In my opinion, the best diet or fitness routine is the one that works best for you. Period end of story
I invite you to come work with me – Schedule a free consultation