“Actually, I just woke up one day and decided I didn’t want to feel like that anymore, or ever again. So I changed…”

Have you ever gone from 0 to 100?
Fun, right? You’re on top of the world…

But what if you go from 100 to 0, slamming on your breaks while taking a sharp left at the same time?
Not so fun, probably some whip lash involved and your life flashing before your eyes…

Well, recently my life can be summed up by scenario #2

Confession 1:
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t have it all together all the time

In my last post I opened up a lot about my struggles through competing, and more specifically, post-show rebound. It didn’t help that I made the decision to prep for a photoshoot & crash diet again 2 months after.
Guess what happened? I rebounded even harder than the first time…
And guess who decided to make one hell of an appearance again? ED

Unhappy with my body, fluctuating weight, and overall mood… I decided it was time for a change.

Confession 2:
When I began my journey into the fitness industry, unfortunately, bodybuilding and being a competitor was my definition of “success”. 

I was ignorant to all the other styles of training because I believed that the only way I could “make it” in the fitness industry was if I competed.. and was good at it.

Now, as one of the most stubborn people you will ever meet… I am admitting that I was very wrong.

Over the last 15 months, I have found a whole new level of respect for functional fitness and the importance of finding a program (diet and workout) that is maintainable long term.

“Training for Life”

I see clients come in and out of our gym every day and it blows my mind that we can have 12 year olds and 80 year olds working off a very similar program and both continuing to achieve their goals.

Confession 3:
Competing is not healthy for me…

Please note that I said “for me“. This is by no means meant to bash the bodybuilding world at all. I have a huge amount of respect for anyone that can maintain this lifestyle day in and day out.  It takes A LOT of strength to be able to watch your body bulk up after the show is over. And although I might be a strong person, that kind of strength is not in the cards for me.

My #1 priority will forever be my health and my client’s health.  Unfortunately, competing puts all of that at high risk.  I was mentally the unhealthiest I have been in years, and physically I was putting my body through more stress than it could take. On top of all that, it was negatively affecting my role as a coach and positive role model for my clients.  I would get asked all the time “how do I look like you” and I when can’t give people a healthy answer… thats when I knew it was time for a change.

So what now…?

*Operation Athlete*

I joke at work that I’m training to be an athlete… but I’m kinda not really joking.  At 25 years old I am determined to be in the best shape of my life, both physically and mentally.  I need to find balance in the gym, with my diet, and in my social life.  I hopped on my 3rd Advocare 24 Day Challenge last week as a way to reboot my system and get my metabolism back on track.  So far I’m feeling great, ton of energy and improved performance in the gym.

Confession 4: I am not perfect

For those of you wondering why I haven’t posted in awhile… all the above confessions are your answer.  Ever since I stepped off the stage I have been trying to figure out what direction I wanted to go in.  I was too stubborn to admit that I was failing.. so I wanted to figure it all out before sharing that with the world.  Well… truth is I still don’t really have it figured out, but what I do know is that I woke up one morning and decided it was time for a change.  I am very happy with the path that I’m on right now, and I am determined to take as many people as I can with me.

Its never too late to make a change…