My journey
I became passionate about health and fitness when I was 16 years old. I had been struggling with a weight problem that began in childhood and escalated shortly after my parents’ divorce. I turned to food for comfort; every time I felt threatened or heard arguments, I would stuff my pain using food.
I had become the “emotional eater.” Anyone who has been through struggles early on in life can likely relate to this kind of addiction.
My turning point
Before I knew it, I was sitting at 180 lbs on a 5’5” frame by the time I was 14 years old. The first year of high school is already challenging enough and here I was overweight, unfit and feeling depressed. It was my father’s “tough love” approach that connected me to a nutritionist to get educated on how to eat healthy and become fit.
It was the best decision I ever made and I was able to turn a corner for the better. That summer, with commitment, I lost 20 lbs and it felt great. I exercised 3 days a week and changed my eating habits. The weight came off quickly and I practiced weight training regularly at the YMCA. I felt incredibly strong and connected to my new body.
People in the gym offered compliments about my strong shapely physique. Exercise was my new best friend and became a form of therapy for me. It was vitally important in times of stress and battling difficult emotions.
Although I was very fit, I was still dealing with my former emotional demons of being the “fat girl” and carried with this with me into adulthood. My self-esteem was again at an all-time low and I was struggling with unhealthy relationships.
Second Wave
By the time I entered university, I had taken my fitness and dieting levels to the extreme. I starved myself on a low crab diet and hit a dangerously low body fat percentage. My hormones were imbalanced and my emotional state was off the grid.
I became obsessed with fitness while my friends were partying and enjoying college life. It was my summer job at an American golf and tennis camp that became an unfortunate trigger into a state of depression again.
I was paranoid about eating and gaining weight and things fell apart. When I returned home, weight gain and lack of motivation to exercise resurfaced. I needed to take a year off so I could rebuild myself. This time, it was my mother who guided and supported me unconditionally to help get my life back on track. The truth is that if you don’t deal with the root of your problems, everything always comes back to haunt you.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself
A new chapter in my life
My dream was to participate in a fitness modeling and figure competition. After many failed attempts of intensive training, I would get halfway through the program and then back out of it because of fear.Fear can be overpowering and I know this firsthand. It takes a great deal of faith, courage and hard work to achieve any goals in life. I. They only way to beat fear is to face it head on!
I realized after training for these competitions that the reasons why I was doing it was not fulfilling to me. I believed that stepping on a stage to show off my physique would inspire me. I was seeking approval from others because I didn’t love myself or my body. After a lot of soul searching, I found that my true passion is running and endurance events. I have always found joy in doing these physical challenges, pushing my limits and doing my best.
Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm
My passion for training
I have been in the fitness industry for several years now and am very passionate about what I do.
I think my journey has brought me to a place where I can help motivate clients of all shapes and sizes. With compassion, knowledge and a positive attitude, I can help push them to their limits and gain top results.I have been successful as a personal trainer and I work with everyone from college students to seniors. Through coaching I help transform peoples’ lives and have made significant breakthroughs on the psychological front that often hinders how we approach our goals.
I especially enjoy helping women who are facing body changes in mid-life and need a great program to keep them strong and confident. Whether it’s learning how to manage weight, body build, nutrition or getting fit, I can create a program tailor-made to suit your goals.
After all, a strong body promotes a strong mind. It’s important to remember that we don’t need resemble anyone in a magazine, we just need to be the best version of ourselves!
It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs