Personal Info
How I Started
I feel like something just finally snapped inside me to get me back to where I want to be...it's like I've been putting it off and putting it off for no apparent reason.. But I just wasnt ready to be 100% committed I guess and I just let too many things get in the way.. Not any more though!!
A lil background on me:
I can't believe how far I let myself go but I am not going to look back...soooo ready to eventually reach my goal of competing one day!! I was always a fit kid, played tons of sports, and competetive in sports... I injured my back pretty bad in an accident like 12 years ago ( age 17) and went from active and fit to not being able to walk / barely get out of bed ...and all the docs were demanding a spinal fusion surgery.. Except one specialist who said I could try rehabilitate myself with exercise/ weights to try to avoid surgery since I was still so young! My dad had a back surgery that went wrong and I was so scared of the same thing happening that I kept canceling my appts.... It was then that I started getting out of bed no matter how much it hurt.. doing workouts at home to strengthen my core and back along with countless hours of physical therapy..I went from not being able to do one crunch to doing countless....and from barely walking 5 feet with assistance - to several miles all alone!!...Eventually I was strong enough to start going to gym..and I slowly attempted to get stronger...it took a long time and a lot of pain... But I worked my butt off in the gym to avoid surgery.. I read several magazines and went online to learn about differnt workouts. I saw such great results from pushing myself and to this day have not had surgery and my two herniated discs pulled themselves right back in! For the most part I have close to no pain unless I do something really strenuous with bad form... I continued working out for several years.. Saw amazing results (not only helping me recover from my injury..but physically I was in great shape) from training myself that I continued nutrition and kinesiology in college then became a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor and managed gym fitness programs to help others reach their goals! l was and am SO inspired by fitness competitors .. That I promised myself that ONE DAY...I would step on stage! In March 2011 I got in great shape for my wedding because I hired Kim Oddo (who is awesome)...I did a comp prep for my wedding and became very lean (however I did not continue it to compete...kinda mad at myself for that..but like i said -I'm not looking back!)...After we got married we went on a two week honeymoon which was nice and relaxing after a lot of hard work...BUT..it included a lot of drinking (which i rarely do)..throwing me into laziness ... anyways after that we got back, we got back on track for a little while... But then we built a new house and we both worked so hard to afford everything we wanted that I didn't make time to keep the fit lifestyle that I had just made for myself and that I WANTED... I was so tired all the time that I started eating whatever was convenient...which meant it was BAD for me and I gained what feels like a ton of weight back... I still lifted weights a few times a week, but I ate terrible and didnt do ANY cardio!!! Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into a whole year of gaining weight... We just finally moved into our house and are moved in and settled.. So I guess I finally feel at peace with myself to focus on my goals again!! I was so mad at myself for getting so far out of shape after working so hard to lean out.. But I'm over that now and just ready to start gettin my booty back in shape instead of telling myself that I'm gonna start over fresh week after week..and each week having to start over bc I didn't give 100%...Its time to get back on track...STARTING NOW!!!!
Why I Love it
BECAUSE...I'm HAPPIER when I workout! I feel good about myself...it takes away my stress... and in turn, it just seems to make everyday a good day!! Everything seemed to fall right into place in my life once I made fitness a part of my lifestyle...and I really notice the difference in my happiness when I slack off!!
I never regret a workout but I always regret missing one. - Unknown.