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I was active and athletic from a very young age. Sports and fitness have been a big part of my life since I was a little girl playing soccer. Chasing the ball around, running my little legs up and down that field, kicking, jumping, laughing and playing! Soccer was really my "main" sport for much of my life. As my legs grew longer and the strategy behind the game increased, I loved it even more. It was so fun for me to work and move my body with the intent and purpose of playing the game, stealing the ball, scoring a goal, stopping the opponent, and ultimately winning! As my years of playing soccer dwindled away, I started running and attending fitness classes (like step aerobics, kickboxing, bootcamps, zumba, etc.) to keep in shape and to clear my mind as college and adulthood took its toll. As a young adult, fitness was a way for me to stay "skinny" and to help manage my emotional and mental health as I dealt with the pressure and stress of life. In the times that I was unable to stay active, I struggled with depression and low self esteem. And often, when I was staying active and fit, I felt that I was not thin enough or in good enough shape.
Fast forward to my thirties. I became pregnant with my first daughter, and all my personal perspectives of food and fitness changed. I became aware of the fact that another little life was dependent on me for her well being, not only as a baby, but the woman she would grow to be. My mindset shifted and the reason behind my love, enjoyment and NEED of fitness was no longer to look a certain way or to give a certain impression, it was to BE healthy and strong and confident so my daughter would hopefully SEE and BE these things as well.
I continued running and doing mostly at-home workouts after my daughter was born and it worked. I lost the baby weight and felt healthy when I got pregnant with my second daughter. After baby number 2 was born, I tried to pick the running back up, but it just didn't work this time. My body did not respond like it had before and I began experimenting with different fitness modalities to get my body into a strong, healthy shape. I joined Beachbody and started learning as much as I could about functional fitness, strength, endurance and nutrition. Shortly thereafter I joined a gym and began perusing professional education in the realm of personal training and functional movement patterns and training. Today, in my forties, I believe very strongly that our bodies change as we age and our fitness routines will too - and that's ok! I also believe that our bodies need a combination of strength building, endurance enhancing and mobility training to be "fit" in a real life (functional) way. Our fitness experience should also be one that builds us up, motivates us and is enjoyable (in one way or another). It should not be a form of torture or punishment because we are not satisfied with ourselves. In our six-week Faith Fueled Living Program (to be released soon) we dig deeper into this topic of caring for our bodies and our minds in a healthFULL way, because you are loved, valuable and precious!
Our bodies were designed to benefit greatly from cardiovascular, endurance and resistance training in conjunction with flexibility, mobility and stabilization. Varying your workout routines among different modalities and intensities has many positive effects on overall health and wellness. Christa and I have experienced this firsthand over the years and hope to encourage others to try different fitness modalities and hobbies to see what works for your body during the current season you are in. This is also why we offer a variety of classes through Faith Fueled Fitness and why the partnership that Christa and I have can be so beneficial if you choose to take advantage of ALL of our offerings.