From a very young age, health and fitness always played a major part in my life.
Coming from a competitive gymnastics background I didn’t really have a choice but to eat well and train hard. I spent hours upon hours in the gym learning new skills and continuously getting ready for the next competition. I quickly fell in love with the entire lifestyle I had developed. Of course, there were also times I hated it.
Missing out on a social life, being told “NO” to junk food from my trainers, constantly having to be somewhere (at the gym), when all I wanted to do was be a normal kid. When I wasn’t training, my parents did a very good job of creating balance for me. They always made sure I was building good friendships outside of the gym, allowing me to eat sweets if I wanted them (I hated junk food until I hit puberty) and to just live like a normal kid. As I grew older and my interests changed and they decided it was a good time to end my gymnastics career. To this day I miss it so much.
Fast forward to high school. I was very involved with soccer and always had a gym membership that no one really knew about. I always admired the students working out on their lunch break as it was something I would have loved to do but was too embarrassed. Looking back now I realize I was so worried what others would think. Because I didn’t fit the gym junkie look I was scared they would think I was lying or wasting my time. I guess eating cafeteria cookies post breakfast and vending machine chocolate bars post lunch didn’t help me fit “the look”. If only I knew then, what I know now.
I cannot pinpoint the year but I will never regret picking up my first Oxygen Magazine. I had stacks upon stacks in my house. It was a staple gift from my parents for every single occasion. I would read every single article over and over again. Admiring the fitness models wishing I could look like them. I used to take the magazines to the gym and try different workouts. Or at least that was my intention. I’d get too scared to go into the weight room and end up in the cardio room once again. I was a true cardio bunny. I had enough knowledge at this point from reading fitness magazine after fitness magazine to know that I needed to start lifting weights if I ever wanted my body to change. This is when I hired my first personal trainer. Everyone has to start somewhere and I cannot encourage this first step enough. Working out is an investment in yourself. Why not make it the best damn investment possible. Working out with a trainer lit the spark that I needed.
While working out with Dan I learned A LOT about nutrition but there was still something holding me back from getting to the goals I wanted. And that thing was my social life. I knew what I had to do but I wasn’t quite ready to take things to the next level and because of that I still didn’t look the part. This broke my heart. I work my ass off in the gym and the only one to notice anything was ME. Im not even sure if I noticed the physical changes. It was more about how I felt. The energy I now had. I felt amazing! Like I could do anything until I decided to go traveling…
Long story short, I took my first trip abroad and I got bit with the travel bug hard! I couldn’t stop nor did I want to. Those 4 years were the best times of my life and I do not regret any of it. With traveling brings lots of yummy food, way too many alcoholic drinks and not enough sleep. Not going to lie…I got FAT! And I felt AWFUL! Thankfully I knew what I needed to do when I got back to Canada and I did not waste any time.
6 years later, living in a different Province with the best support system a girl could ask for. The encouragement and like-mindedness from my partner made getting to my goals that much easier.
Here I am FINALLY comfortable in my skin and so proud of the confidence I now have.
If any of my story can help you change that’s all I could ever ask for. If your looking for guidance and advice don’t hesitate to reach out to me for a free consultation.
Or if your ready to make the change jump into Club Sweat’s 28 Day Transformation Challenge and learn healthy habits and build the body you want and deserve.
