My Why: Fitness

Personal training was and wasn't my first choice as a profession. I've always had a love for being active and played team sports for as long as I can remember, so following a path in that genre seemed obvious. I thought.

Playing fast pitch softball in college didn't leave a lot of time to focus on much other than my commitment to the game and my school work, so I stuck to what I knew and was comfortable-- athletics and fitness.

My love of fitness and its positive contributions to ones life didn't just evolve organically, I was forced into it, to say the least.

As a freshman in high school weighing in at a solid 95 pounds and looking like I could blow away in a stiff wind (I was SO scrawny all growing up that people would ask my folks if they had wormed me that month) I stepped into the weight room for the first time. We walked into the basement under the cafeteria and I had zero idea what to think. I was so intimidated. It smelled weird.

Couple weeks after starting class we were told to find our 1-rep max for 3 lifts: bench press, back squat, and power clean. Our teacher was new to the school and ran the weight room like it was the military. Lots of yelling, loud music, plates banging-- everything that 14 year old me didn't know how to handle (but learned to love now).

It was my groups turn to find our max for Power Cleans.

I remember not knowing what I was doing. Watching people performing this huge power exercise and I couldn't even comprehend what the hell was going on. Asking our teacher how I was supposed to do it he said "just do what she is doing.." pointing at a girl in my group.

Like a good little student I jumped in and started my best copy cat impressions.

I felt so empowered. I loved how moving weight through the air felt. Catching the bar across my chest didn't bother me. I was doing something new and I (thought) was doing it right.

If you are unsure what a power clean is, it is a weight lifting exercise that starts with a barbell (loaded with weight in this case) on the floor and a person is to, all in one motion, high pull up to their chin and "catch" the bar on their chest. Sounds relatively simple, but it is VERY technical.

Lets be honest, the weight I was moving was relatively light, but for someone new and trying to learn the basics, it was WAY to much.

I had worked my way up to what I thought was my max, but was told to keep going. I "needed" to fail. I was given a weight to clean that was way more than what I thought was my max and I went for it.

I remember it being so heavy but I did it!

But.

I remember hearing a loud "pop" and pain, but it went away (sorta) after I put the weight down. A couple days had passed and I remember telling my parents that I had heard a "pop" in my back and i was really uncomfortable. I didn't understand the gravity of the situation until I had to go to the Doctor and gotten an X-Ray.

Broken.

The X-Ray reviled that my L4 and L5 vertebra had fractured and the anterior portions of the two had been chipped off (you could see the bone fragments in the X-Ray!). Poor form, virtually zero instruction and too much load created the perfect storm. Spinal injury.

The breaks in my lumbar spine couldn't have been more perfect (what?!). The type of break I sustained did not require surgery, but it did require a whole hell of a lot of Physical Therapy. I basically grew up at the clinic in my hometown. 3-5 days a week for at least an hour (a lot of times longer). Because of my therapist and his amazing team, I never had to take a season of athletics off (high school and college!). I owe them so much.

I don't think the severity of the situation really hit me until I was older. Being a college athlete and eventual weight room intern at a DII school, I was spending A LOT of time in the weight room and I think that is when I realized just how careless that teacher was.

I decided I needed to make a change.

After I received my Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science I got a job at a clinic and hoped to become a DPT. I became bored with the repetitiveness of the clinic (the clinic I worked at*) so I ruled out Physical Therapy. I knew the late nights and weekends that Athletic Trainers (I still kinda wish i went this route) worked and even though that was closer to what i wanted,  it wasn't right. At the time I was just ending a hiatus from lifting and exercise all together (cause i could-- I wasn't being forced to cause of softball) and realized just how much I missed it. I thrived in the weight room. The possibilities were endless. I felt like I owed so many people who helped me live my athletic career dream. I knew I needed to make this my profession.

So many people, including professors in school, told me being a Personal Trainer is a waste.

"You don't make any money..."

"The hours are horrible.."

"You're going to get bored.."

And I listened.

...For a while.

I obtained my Personal Trainer certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and dabbled in writing programs for friends and family all while working the jobs I thought I was "supposed" to. Some of the jobs I absolutely loved and some I couldn't stand. I was so scared to take the leap. But, after a lot of heartache and a lot of heart, those jobs all lead me back to the very thought I had so many years before. I was going to give being a Personal Trainer a shot.

I went to the gym one day and remembered how empowered I felt in there. How betrayed I felt by my careless teacher for not teaching me. How I could make a difference for other college athletes. How I could make a positive impact in someones life. This was going to be my way of giving back.

I quit my full-time "this my new career" job and took a part-time personal training job. The rest is history, and I've worked my ass off to build a clientele.

Being a full-time Personal Trainer is my dream. I get to interact with people who are completely entrusting me with the most vulnerable parts of their lives. Its a privilege. Its terrifying, but so satisfying.

My WHY is to help others. To be a light where they may have a dark spot. To be the person I needed when I was 14. To be the person to another young athlete that needs support after an injury. To be the role model to someone to go after EXACTLY what they want.

Thats my why.