Resilient & Radiant

Steps to Becoming a Personal Trainer

I wanted to become a personal trainer after doing my first bodybuilding competition because I fell even more in love with exercise and learned a lot. I had been studying nutrition and exercise on my own for years before my first show, but that first show helped ignite my passion for fitness even further. During my prep I ordered my books to study and got after it! Now I want to share how I did it and some tips for those of you looking to get into personal training!

First step is getting certified. Choosing your certification is pretty simple, but can depend on where you have studied or where you want to work. There are many awesome certifications out there. Some of the most widely accepted are NASM, ACE, ISSA and ACSM. There are several others that are certainly fine as well, these just came to my mind first. I chose NASM as it is a widely accepted certification and well known. They also offered a nice payment plan I could afford easily at the time and several other elective courses that helped me in other areas of training.

The second step, is getting some type of experience. Here’s what I did that helped me build confidence. In the time between purchasing the study materials and taking the test, I had hired a few different personal trainers for myself to see how they ran their businesses and their workouts, etc. What type of questions did they ask about my history, what type of goals did I have, and so on. I learned from how they worked, and then put my own personal spin on things. I also observed one of my friends who was a personal trainer, and how she coached her clients at the gym. Getting some education or observation experience from others was the most helpful thing for me personally, and sometimes you can gain some super helpful tips on exercises you might not have already known. I try to continue always learning more about the gym and nutrition so I can better serve my clients with the most up to date information and variety.

Step three is to just start! Find a job and go! This is probably the scariest part. It took me a year after getting my certification to feel confident enough to train. Yes, an entire year. I remember being so nervous for my first ever session! And of course, it was not bad at all. It went great, I just freaked myself out thinking I wasn’t good enough. You can do this and experience is the only way to learn and improve! Nobody ever starts anything as a perfect expert.

Some tips: every client you’ll meet is a different person, with different needs. Don’t make the mistake of being a cookie cutter trainer, and giving everyone the same plan. That doesn’t work for everyone, you need to find ways to fit their needs. You also will be a different coach than the next trainer. Not every client will be a perfect match for you and that’s fine, you’ll eventually find your groove and a strong client base that works well with your style of training.

If you are considering becoming a personal trainer, shoot me a direct message and I’ll help you get started! I’ll give you my basic questionnaire and recommended foods list so you have a place to start. It’s always nice to have a helping hand when starting a new career. I had lots of help and want to spread the goodness 😊

Common Barriers to Weight Loss (pt. 1: Lack of Education & Awareness)

Lack of proper education & awareness of our current habits could be one of the largest barriers to losing weight or getting healthier. The reason for that is, we don’t know what we’ve never been properly taught, and therefore we cannot make the best informed decision for our health. There was a period of time when I was younger that I was working out really hard, but not losing weight. I was so frustrated, when my best friend finally probably got tired of me complaining and mentioned that I ate like a garbage truck. She was right. Haha, and I’m forever thankful for her honesty because that’s how I learned more about nutrition.

Nutrition is a large portion of weight loss, muscle gain, and general health. Certain foods boost our immune system while others can cause detriment. Some foods help us build muscle better than others, and although a calorie deficit is the most important in weight loss, we can certainly feel more satisfied filling those calories with high protein and veggies than we can with unsatisfying potato chips and chicken wings. Learning about the nutrition facts labels that go into everything you eat will help you become more aware. That sugary coffee you pick up each morning might have as many calories as 3 whole eggs, but which one is going to keep you full & satisfied? Which one will cause you likely to end up eating more to compensate for your hunger later? Becoming aware of what we consume and how it affects us is the first step to making progress. Don’t turn a blind eye to what you eat, it might be the single most important reason you aren’t making progress!

Lack of education ties in with this. All I really remember being taught from health class in school was that we should eat about 2,000 calories per day. However that number is actually completely different for each individual based on their height, age, current weight, activity level, and goals. We are never taught to determine our personal needs, and therefore some people could be seriously overeating OR undereating depending on their lifestyle. Taking nutrition courses, reading books, and getting certifications has really helped me understand the basics of nutrition I was never taught, which has led to me creating much healthier habits. A few of the things I learned to do consistently are get my fruits and vegetables in, eat a higher protein diet, drink a gallon of water each day, and limit processed foods.

The last element I believe is important to mention is that as humans we overcompensate our movement and under-compensate our food intake. Many people think the one workout in the day is enough movement, but we should really be taking more steps and standing more often than we do, especially in a society that allows us to take the easy route so often (ordering groceries and dinner to our front door, working at a seated desk, using an elevator vs. the stairs). On the other hand, we also don’t realize how much we are consuming. Our beverages, food sauces, and restaurant foods have higher calories than we would ever expect, and are sneaky ways our food intake adds up. As well as the seemingly harmless snacking we have all done here and there 🤪. These are just some examples of what we might be missing when trying to reach our goals without even realizing it. Mostly because, we’ve never even been taught to think about these things! The weight loss/nutrition course I am creating covers all of these topics in great depth, so you’ll be able to learn more soon, but that’s all for today!

My 5 Favorite Hikes in Colorado

#5) Lost Lake – Lost Lake is one of the first hikes we ever did when moving to Colorado. It’s not too far of a drive from Denver compared to some of the others I will share. The best way to get there is to type in Hessie Trailhead to your maps app, and make your way. It’s about 4 miles in and out and it brings you to a beautiful lake destination. It’s a rocky trail in the trees, and there’s some beautiful waterfalls along the way.

#4) The Castle Rock – Castle Rock is a fun town located about 20-30 minutes south of Denver, right between Denver and Colorado Springs. There’s a short & easy hike to their large Castle rock (you can see it from the highway), and when you finish the trail you can choose to climb the rock at your own risk. It’s a pretty easy climb and the views are spectacular at the top! It’s total distance is about 1.3 miles, and it’s definitely easy to find.

#3) Manitou Incline – the manitou incline is an incredibly challenging hike, but it’s totally worth the trek. You gain over 2000 feet in less than a mile, so it’s pretty steep, particularly at the top (I always feel like I’m climbing a ladder near the top). I’ve done this hike 3 different times and plan to do it again, it’s a kick butt workout. The way down is a beautiful trail as well, but the whole hike does take a good amount of time, so definitely try to go in the morning. It’s located in Manitou Springs, which is an adorable mountain town, and it’s close to Colorado Springs as well. So you will have plenty to do before and after hiking it! I also recommend checking out Garden of the Gods, Cheyenne Mountain, & the Olympic Training Center in CO Springs if you have time.

#2) Walker Ranch Loop – This hike is one of the most beautiful and varied hikes I’ve ever been on. There is SO much to see. It’s about 8 miles in total, so be prepared to spend some time and bring water and snacks with. There is a forest section, and a beautiful river, some incline & decline steps and beautiful mountain range views. It’s one of my personal favorite hikes and it’s a hidden gem. It’s about an hour into the switchbacks of Boulder behind the infamous Chataqua Park. Chataqua Park is a beautiful place to check out as well, and less of a drive as it’s right in Boulder, but if you have the time to take a trip a bit further, the Walker Ranch Loop will be worth every minute. It’s also at a pretty high elevation, if you aren’t used to that you might want to bring oxygen and/or take ibuprofen before hand.

One of the many beautiful sites of this loop!

#1) The Great Sand Dunes – the sand dunes National Park is located about 3-4 hours southwest of Denver. It’s definitely a trip to get there! However you can camp out or make it a day trip. We camped overnight in our truck, then woke up at about 6am (we actually were awakened by a Park Ranger because we didn’t have the proper pass to park where we were, oops!), and got hiking. I highly recommend getting to the dunes early, the sand isn’t too hot yet and there’s less people out hiking. It’s surrounded by mountains and at the right time of year there’s a small river running. You can hike anywhere, and you can even tent out overnight in the sand dunes. This one is worth the drive and I can’t wait to go back and do it again!

The Sand Dunes National Park

My 7 Favorite At Home Exercises

Today’s blog is going to be some basic full body exercises you can do at home and tips to make the exercises more effective.

#1 Squats! Squats are great for working pretty much every muscle in your legs, and there are many varieties to this exercise. You can do sumo squats, regular squats, jump squats, pulse squats, the limit does not exist, haha.

#2 Push-ups, either in normal position or in handstand position (up against a wall for support) for more of a shoulder press. If you’ve never tried push-ups or are afraid of them, try starting on your knees until you get comfortable.

#3 Single Leg Glute Bridges help strengthen your glutes, core, and lower back and are surprisingly challenging. Try putting your stabilized foot on a two-four inch elevation for maximum range of motion.

#4 Arm circles. You’ve probably done these at some point in your life in a fitness class. Make small or large circles with your arms, go forward first and then backward. Do these for 1-2 minutes in each direction without any rest, and they will be harder than you think!

#5 Burpees, high knees, mountain climbers, and tuck jumps all get your heart rate up and help you feel that cardio burn!

#6 Lunges can be done in many variations so find your favorite and crush them! Lunges are great for the legs, and when done in a back and forth/circuit fashion with another exercise like one of the cardio ones above, it feels like a killer workout. Lunge variations are: forward lunges, reverse lunges, walking lunges, curtsey lunges, and diagonal lunges.

#7 Abs! Flutter kicks, bicycle crunches, vacuums, planks, and leg raises are all my personal favorites. Try doing 25 of each all in a row for a great core burn.

Ways to make it harder: If you have access to weights at home, you can add weights by holding them which will create more resistance. You can also move slowly through the up & down portion of the movement and pause for a second at the hardest part of the motion. Since your resistance will be lighter in general at home, do more repetitions. I would say do a minimum of 15 reps of any exercise without weights. You can also take a bag and fill it with water bottles or things that will make it feel heavy, and use that to add resistance.

Staying Healthy During Quarantine!

It only makes sense for me to start my first blog with tips about staying healthy! Some of my clients have expressed worry over not getting to the gym or getting grocery store items, which is definitely becoming a struggle for most. Here’s my best ideas for staying healthy nutritionally and physically while we are on a momentary pause from life as we know it.

Nutrition tips! So you might be wondering how to stay on top of your micronutrients, which help boost our immune systems to the max, without entering the grocery store every other day for fresh fruits and veggies. We have switched over completely to canned and frozen goods for this so we don’t have to go to the store so often! Don’t skip them altogether, canned and frozen is better than none! Another option you have is supplements. I’m not usually big on pushing supplements in general, because we should get our nutrients from whole foods whenever possible, but during these times it can be a little bit of a challenge. Supplements I recommend to get those nutrients in are your daily multivitamin (capsules are better than tablets by the way, the ingredients are more bio-available, meaning your body absorbs more of the nutrients instead of wasting them). A normal dose of vitamin D – be careful doing too much as it can be toxic, but Vitamin D helps support our immune system. Zinc for immune system support, and lastly greens supplements or reds supplements. Greens and Reds supplements give you veggies and fruits in a scoop, although we know it’s better to get this from actual fruits and veggies, we are in a weird time, and supplements are fine if you need them. It’s better than skipping out altogether! I’m not going to add anything in nutrition tips about weight loss because I don’t want anyone to stress about that during these times, however, if it’s something you would like me to address I am happy to make another post for that specifically!

Physical Tips! Although we are told to stay home, that doesn’t mean we have to sit on the couch and at our desks all day. And I know how easy it can be to do that, so plan time to take care of yourself and put yourself first. This will help you mentally too! Get up a few times a day and take a walk. If you’re blessed enough to live somewhere warm enough to go outside, try to go for a walk once or twice a day, even if they’re short, just to clear your mind and see the sunlight! If you live in a home or apartment building with stairs, do some rounds up and down the stairs for 10-20 minutes to get some movement in! There are plenty of bodyweight at home workouts you can do (tomorrows post will have some workouts with videos to follow!) and even just pacing around the kitchen or standing at your desk can help. If you have a dog, take them for a couple extra walks than they normally get when you’re gone at work, they’ll appreciate it and you will thank yourself later. Getting ourselves away from our phone and tv screens can be really helpful during this time.

Final additional tips! These tips are some easy things we can do, especially since we are already stuck at home. Get extra sleep and take advantage of living life without extra drive time each day if you can work from home. Sleep better and longer, cook some of your meals in advance so when you’re hungry and bored you don’t resort to eating the entire kitchen (like I have once or twice 😉), and take mental breaks from the news sources you’re reading. It’s a relief to just breathe, spend time with loved ones, read a book, do some yoga or take a bath. Realize the world is still beautiful in a mess that will pass us by in no time. Enjoy the slower moments as much as you can, before we know it we will be all systems go, all over again!

Resilience in Uncertain Times

About 10 days ago, my life turned upside down from the security and everyday lifestyle I knew and loved. This is not the first time I have experienced hardship, and although at first I was emotionally distressed, I turned my attitude around by remembering all of the times I’ve made it through tough moments before. I soaked in positivity from people I believe to be great leaders in our world, and found gratitude in what I still had going right for me, and what will turn back around in the future. Hard experiences shape us into the better version of ourselves, if we allow it to. In theses uncertain times, where some are fearful of illness, some are fearful of financial security, some are fearful of the unknown, we have to stand strong in our faith. Now, I am not particularly religious, but I still have faith that we have a loving creator and faith in humanity as a whole. We are all people that are talented, loving, kind-hearted, and giving to what we can extend, and together we will fight through hard times.

Tony Robbins sent out an email to his subscribers a few days ago where I borrowed the quote below from. He also talked about something else important. I’m going to shorten the information for the sake of time. He talks about how each day we get in our cars and drive to work, or school, or the store. We get in our vehicles knowing well that there might be people driving drunk, texting and driving, or falling asleep at the wheel, that at any moment they could make a mistake and run us off the road. Yet we get in our cars anyway… why do we do that? Because we have faith. He says, “Faith is not learned, it is something we are born with. Faith is what fuels us through times of fear and uncertainty. […] Faith is knowing that at our core we are more than anything we will ever face, and we can handle whatever life brings us. We always have and we always will. That is the power of the human race.”

I am a firm believer that everything that happens to us, is happening for us. On top of that, I believe every “problem” we are handed in life is given to us because we are fully capable of handling it, even if we never have before. If we focus on our strengths, and all of the things we as individuals and as a team have gotten through before, and can quiet our minds from fear, we are capable of conquering anything that comes our way. Any failure we feel like we experience, we can bounce back from, and we almost always do. We are resilient, it is our nature to keep going. We are adaptable, strong, and move forward.

This time in the world might be different for each individual. It might also feel like it’s lasting a lifetime. What we can each do is use this time to find our own strengths. We all have our own inner hero, and this is a time where you may need to step up and be that hero for yourself, your family, or maybe people you don’t even know. Whatever we have been given this moment for, know that it too shall pass. We won’t be stuck in this moment forever, and soon we will be springing forward once again. Use this time to prepare yourself for what’s to come, whatever that means for you. What were you excited for before this all happened? Focus on that, focus on what you’re made for. You can still make progress towards your goals during this time. Don’t allow this to let you play small. Are you going to let what’s going on in the world cause you to contract or expand? Let’s all make a pact to expand. Let’s make Faith based choices over Fear based choices.

One final thing you can do each day to lift your mood is to take breaks from your screens, and notice 3 things to be grateful for in your day. Maybe you are grateful for your job, or your family, or your pet, or your favorite snack getting you through the day, or the ability to work from home. Whatever it might be, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, stop and look for gratitude in your life and ways you can feel empowered by faith.

***Big thank you to all of our healthcare employees, grocery store employees, production employees, janitors, etc. and those who have the ability to donate or help with financial assistance to those who can’t afford rent, etc. that will never know just how many people they’ve helped during this time.***

The Journey Begins

Hello friends! I have been meaning to start this blog for quite some time, and now that we are all being forced to stay at home, the time seemed fitting enough. The title and the quote of this blog were preset by WordPress, but also seemed suitable for the time we are going through, so I decided I’d leave it for the synchronicity. 😊

Although many of you know me for my health and fitness guidance, this blog is going to be a lifestyle blog sharing all things! Love & relationships, fashion and beauty, health and fitness, business and money, travel and pets, parent and baby stuff and more. I have always been an open book with those close to me, and I’m excited to share with you all virtually too. If you’re reading this, feel free to DM me, as I’d love to know more about you too.

A few quick things about me, I’m very driven to accomplish my goals, I LOVE hanging out with my people especially when we’re having snacks or dinner (I’m a big foodie!), and I work full time as a personal trainer and nutritionist in Denver, Colorado alongside my favorite hobby of bodybuilding competitions.

I got married two weeks after my 21st birthday to the best husband anyone could ever ask for (supportive, handsome, and hilarious – he’s all that and a bag of sour cream and onion chips 😉). We’re puppy parents to a sweet ten pound wiener dog named Penny, who is generally sweet, but can be grumpy to those she hasn’t met yet. We adopted her last fall and she’s been the best addition to our family 🐶

Lastly and honestly, I have been completely indecisive on whether I’ll ever finish my college degree to become a doctor due to my serious passion for preventative health with healthy eating habits and exercise… I’ll figure that out one day. 🙂

Now that I’ve done my introduction, it’s time for the fun stuff! My aim is to post uplifting and light-hearted fun information on this blog to keep happiness and laughter alive each day. Thanks for joining me on this journey and I can’t wait to get to know you too!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton