“MY FITNESS JOURNEY BEGAN WHEN I WAS 8. MY DAD, WHO WAS A PERSONAL TRAINER IN HIS YOUNGER YEARS, WOULD WAKE US UP EARLY AND TEACH US HOW TO DO PUSH-UPS, LUNGES, AND ANY OTHER FORM OF “HARMLESS TORTURE” HE COULD THINK UP. AFTER OUR BREAKFAST, WE WOULD READ A FEW PAGES OF WHATEVER EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL WE CHOSE, ALL BEFORE A 2 MILE WALK TO SCHOOL. I REMEMBER ALWAYS WANTING TO IMPRESS HIM AND WOULD DO MY BEST WITH WHATEVER HE THREW MY WAY - GANGLY LIMBS AND ALL.

WHAT I DIDN’T REALIZE WAS HOW MUCH THESE MORNINGS AND THIS PHASE OF MY LIFE WOULD IMPACT ME. IT WAS THROUGH THESE FORMATIVE YEARS THAT I LEARNED THE VALUE OF DISCIPLINE, HARD WORK, AND STRENGTH - BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL. AT 15, AFTER MY FAF LEFT, I FELL UNDER THE PRESSURES OF ADOLESCENCE. I STRAYED FROM HEALTH AND FITNESS AND BECAME CONSUMED BY THE DESIRE TO FIT IN, ACTING REBELLIOUSLY AND SEEMINGLY PREFERRING ONLY THE UNHEALTHIEST OF CHOICES, WITH A SIDE DISH OF DISTANCE FROM MY FAMILY.

BY 21, I FOUND MYSELF IN A PLACE FAR DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I HAD IMAGINED AS A CHILD GROWING UP ON AN TROPICAL ISLAND. UNHEALTHY, UNHAPPY, AND LOST. BY THE TIME I “GREW UP”, I HAD REALLY MADE A MESS OF THINGS, ESPECIALLY WITH THE PEOPLE WHO MATTERED MOST - MY FAMILY. IT WAS AT THIS CROSSROADS, AFTER YEARS OF LIVING IN A HAZE, THAT I HAD A WAKE UP CALL. THE MESS I HAD CREATED COULD ONLY BE CLEANED UP ONE WAY - THE WAY I HAD LEARNED ALL THOSE YEARS AGO: THROUGH FITNESS AND SELF-DISCIPLINE.

AND SO BEGAN THE JOURNEY, SLOWLY AND DAILY. I KNEW THAT IF I WAS TO TRULY CHANGE, I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH. THIS MEANT NOT JUST TRANSFORMING MY BODY, BUT HEALING MY MIND AND REPAIRING MY SPIRITUAL CONNECTION. I BEGAN BY NOURISHING MY BODY WITH CLEAN FOOD, MY MIND WITH GOOD BOOKS, AND LISTENING TO THOSE WHO HAD WALKED SIMILAR PATHS AND EMERGED STRONGER. ISSAC NEWTON SAID IT BEST, “IF I HAVE SEEN FURTHER, IT IS BY STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS.” EVEN THOUGH IT WAS MY DAD WHO INTRODUCED ME TO THIS WAY OF LIFE, IT WAS MY MOTHER WHO INSPIRED ME TO KEEP GOING, TO REACH HIGHER, AND TO DREAM BIG. THERE ARE OTHERS, NOT MENTIONED HERE, WHO ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN MY PATH TO BETTERING MYSELF - THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE. I COULD FILL A PAGE WITH THEIR NAMES, BUT IF YOU’RE READING THIS, I LOVE YOU. THE SAYING, “IT TAKES A VILLAGE” TRULY APPLIES TO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE, SO BE PICKY ABOUT YOUR VILLAGE.

THE CHANGE CAME ALMOST INSTANTLY. I FELT MORE ENERGIZED, FOCUSED, AND MORE ALIGNED WITH MY TRUE SELF. THROUGH DETERMINATION, FAITH, BUCKETS OF SWEAT AND TEARS, AND A COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS GROWTH, I WAS ABLE TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND BE PROUD OF MYSELF. I BECAME A LIVING EXAMPLE THAT NO MATTER HOW FAR ONE STRAYS FROM THEIR PATH, THE POWER TO RECLAIM IT IS ALWAYS WITHIN.

AS TONY ROBBINS WISELY SAID, “IT’S NOT WHAT WE DO ONCE IN A WHILE THAT SHAPES OUR LIVES. IT’S WHAT WE DO CONSISTENTLY.”

I AM NOW 8 YEARS INTO THIS JOURNEY OF PERSONAL GROWTH, 4 OF THOSE SPENT SERVING OTHERS IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL TRAINING. IT HAS BEEN THE MOST FULFILLING AND REWARDING WORK I’VE EVER DONE. HELPING OTHERS TRANSFORM THEIR LIVES BECAME MY PASSION. THERE’S NOTHING MORE REWARDING THAN WITNESSING SOMEONE’S GROWTH AND KNOWING I PLAYED A SMALL PART IN THEIR JOURNEY.

I AM NOW A FIRST-TIME MOTHER TO A BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, AND IT HAS BECOME EVEN MORE IMPORTANT FOR ME TO TEACH HER BY EXAMPLE. FOUR MONTHS INTO THIS NEW CHAPTER, IT HASN’T BEEN AS EASY TO WORK OUT AS MUCH AS I USED TO - MY TIME HAS NOW BEEN HIJACKED BY A TINY HUMAN WHO FARTS ON ME DAILY. I AM LEARNING NOT TO BE HARD ON MYSELF, REALIZING THAT I CANNOT MEASURE ACHIEVEMENTS WITH THE EXPECTATIONS I ONCE HAD. MY WORKOUTS NO LONGER LOOK LIKE 2 HOURS IN THE GYM, 3 DAYS A WEEK. INSTEAD, THEY ARE 15 MINUTES WHENEVER I CAN FIT THEM IN, SOMETIMES IN MY BEDROOM. AT THE END OF THE DAY, I FEEL SO OVERWHELMINGLY GRATEFUL FOR THIS LIFE THAT I HAVE, AND I KNOW IT WILL NOT BE FOREVER. PART OF THE JOURNEY IS LEARNING TO LEAN INTO THE PRESENT AND WORK WITH WHAT YOU’VE GOT. THE NEXT BIGGEST LESSON IS TO LOVE AND LET LOVE CONSUME YOU; IT’S PROBABLY THE ONE THING YOU CAN NEVER DO TOO MUCH OF.

I AM ENJOYING MY TIME AS A NEW MOTHER, BUT MY PASSION FOR HELPING OTHERS HAS ONLY DEEPENED. AS I CONTINUE TO GROW INTO THIS NEW CHAPTER OF MY LIFE, I AM REMINDED THAT TRANSFORMATION IS NOT LINEAR - IT’S ABOUT PROGRESS, NOT PERFECTION.”