My approach to fitness is unique and compelling. I believe in a three dimensional approach that includes the mind, body and spirit. This approach is extremely important because your goals can only be accomplished when you have all three elements at work for you. Each aspect affects each other and therefore works with each other. When a person is in great physical shape, they feel great, and can more effectively handle life and get the most out of their life. When a person is up, they feel more confident, have more energy, do more things, they accomplish and achieve more and the more successful they become. Being healthy is about balance. Just like everything in nature, we too are supposed to live a balanced healthy life. My underlying philosophy is that you live your best life when you are your healthiest – that is in your mind, body and spirit.
I have been an athlete my entire life and I have been trained in softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball by top coaches, professional athletes and former Olympic stars. I know what it’s like to have a passion for sports and fitness. I also know as a former collegiate athlete that it takes extra hard work and dedication to get to the top of your fitness level. For me, it all started when I was a teenager. In high school I landed into the path of a life changing coach. He saw my athletic potential and also how raw I was at playing volleyball. He took me under his wing as his ‘project’ and designed an intense workout program to train me to become a top volleyball player. His dedication and my hard work paid off and I was able to play Division 1 NCAA Volleyball, after just a year and a half of training. This dream would have never come true if he had not trained me and pushed me to step outside my comfort zone. Playing sports has forever changed my life and made me who I am today. Physical fitness and playing sports has taught me the important things in life, like the value of working hard, never giving up when it gets hard, dedication, discipline, passion, motivation and most of all – Your body can achieve whatever your heart and mind tells it can achieve. There is so much power in the body/mind connection that I want everyone I come across to feel that energy. Humans are meant to be active and physical, but everyone is wired to be that way at different levels and intensities. Today, more people work in offices, have longer work hours, use better technology and automation and move less on a daily basis. It has become much more important in today’s society to focus on health and nutrition than any other previous generation. Today, approximately 33% of adults are estimated to be obese. Our nutrition is being controlled by marketing scams telling us that the wrong things are good for us. We have become a “convenience oriented” society when it comes to eating and we are feeding ourselves and our children with toxic food. There is a lot of misleading information out there as to what are the right things to eat and the proper way to workout in order to achieve one’s goals. That is why I have made it my mission, my passion and my goal to help as many people as I can learn that they can become healthier and live a happier life.
After graduating College with a degree in Social Science, I worked as a High School History teacher and was also the Head Boys & Girls Varsity Volleyball coach. This is where my passion of teaching and fitness combined as one. I believe that through proper education, anything is possible! A good teacher can inspire anything! A great fitness teacher can inspire a balance of mind, body and spirit!
In 2002 I gave birth to my first beautiful baby boy. At the same time, my family moved from San Diego to a small town in West Texas. Although I was a young mom, my body had changed. My mind and spirit were in the happiest place they had ever been as a new mom. My body was out of balance. I made it my goal to get all three important life elements back in balance. I also saw the concern amongst other moms that getting back in shape after having a baby is one of the toughest things to do. So, naturally I took my background in fitness and education and created a Mom & Baby Exercise program, called Stroller Stroll. In just 3 months, not only had I lost the entire 46 pounds I gained, but I also helped other moms lose baby weight and gain more strength and energy, which is greatly needed while taking care of children. I immediately saw how when fitness can help someone lose weight and simultaneously help them gain confidence. More confidence and feelings of self-satisfactory is the key to life-long success and optimum health.
In 2004, I gave birth to my second beautiful baby boy. Even though I was in great shape prior to getting pregnant and exercised all throughout my pregnancy, I again gained a total of 46 pounds. Once again, I used my own training methods and eating programs to get back in shape and after just another 3 months, all the weight was gone.
Now that I had 2 children, my focus on fitness and nutrition grew very serious. It wasn’t just my health to worry about anymore. I began to educate myself on what is really in our foods and what was I feeding my little boys. I learned about how food is chemically engineered, what the chemicals are that make up what we eat and how unsafe our convenient grocery store food really is. So, over the past 8 years, creating a healthy, balanced and safe eating program for me and my family has been a huge priority in my life and I have been determined to share it with everyone.
In 2007, I gave birth to my third and final son. This time I gained 48 pounds and it took a little longer and a lot harder work to lose it all. It took about 5 months and it was during this time that I educated myself on what really happens to a woman’s body during and after having a child that makes it so hard to get back to ‘pre-baby’ weight. Nonetheless, through my own exercise and nutrition programs I accomplished my goals and have been able to share that with many other people.
As someone who has a huge athletic background in various sports, has a extensive background in teaching, has had 3 children and who believes in a 100% healthy life – I have so much to share with everyone I can! I have been professional trained by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and I am ready to help YOU learn to live a balanced and healthy life. Are you READY?