Was I a healthy, fit kid? 

Actually, no. I had an undiagnosed autoimmune gut issue. It always made me exhausted, inflamed, and overweight. My brain always felt foggy, and I was easily injured and didn’t heal very fast. Sports were really hard for me, and I was usually one of the last kids chosen for sports. I was so ashamed of my body as a teenager, I wore baggy clothes 3x my size to hide myself away. I was always trying the newest diet, or not eating enough, which led to binging. 

What was my first turning point?

When I moved away from home and started learning to cook, I began to learn more about nutrition. Then I discovered working out for myself, opposed to a team sport. Since I didn’t have to be competitive about winning a game, then I fell in love with exercise! I learned that biking, hiking, and lifting weights was fun and made me feel great. I loved the lack of pressure of a team of people watching me. It was so liberating! I started losing weight and felt so much better about myself. 

Eating disorders and over-exercising…

I wish I could say that it was a “happily-ever-after” for my health…but unfortunately it was not. I got so much positive feedback whenever I lost weight, so I just kept taking it further and further. I started eating only 800 calories a day. I exercised even when I wasn’t feeling well. I had a taste of what it was like to have society accept you for how you looked, and so every time someone criticized my body, I would cut something out. I stopped eating meat, fat, dairy, I stopped eating at night, I lived off salads…I was constantly dizzy, sometimes I fell asleep sitting up. But if I slipped up and gained weight, people made comments. So I just kept going. 

Big Injury

When I was only 20 years old, I suffered a debilitating back injury. I was working 12 hour days, lifting too many heavy boxes, working out too much and undereating. This all culminated in a spinal injury, which was so painful I couldn’t sit up or even hold a purse in my hand. This is when I discovered massage and physical therapy! I hadn’t ever learned to use exercise as a therapeutic tool, I had only used it to burn calories. Using movement and massage in this way was a turning point for me. I was so excited, that I wanted to share this with the world! 

Massage school and Yoga training

I went and got certified in massage, and did my 200 hour yoga teacher training. I loved having a job I was so passionate about! At 21 years old, this was just the beginning. 

Finally diagnosed! 

I finally had a health-care practitioner listen to my concerns, and I was able to get my auto-immune condition diagnosed. Finally able to get my gut issues under control, I was able to feel better than I ever had. But I still had issues with disordered eating…and no one ever pointed it out. With my hormone issues I was never underweight, so no one ever thought I wasn’t eating enough, or was doing too much. 

Accepting myself, and learning what actual health meant! 

One day I realized I only worked on my physical health, and not the health of my mind, and my relationship to my body. Doing that work was life-chaning. I became aware of all the messages around me, telling me I wasn’t good enough. That it didn’t matter that I had a degree from a great school, a career I loved, traveled, or could hike 140 miles. The message I kept getting, is none of that mattered if I wasn’t attractive and thin. 

Once I was aware of the way this permeated our media, our world, the culture of the gym…I decided I no longer wanted to participate in that. And I didn’t want anyone to have to, either. If eating enough and feeling good doesn’t leave me with a six-pack, it doesn’t mean I’m not healthy. 

How I coach my clients: 

Everyone has a different journey, a different story, and different challenges. And our size doesn’t determine that. I want all my clients, regardless of what they’re going through, to feel their best, in whatever form that takes. I have clients that are disabled, that are 90 years old, who are pregnant, or who have injuries. I help advocate for them to their health care professionals. I make sure that my coaching is formulated for their needs, their body, not some idea I have that doesn’t align with what they want. And I have compassion and understanding for wherever they are starting from. 

What if I hate exercise and love chocolate?

I believe that all foods can be integrated into a healthy eating plan. If you hate your workouts, and hate the foods on your diet, you’re not going to stick with it. I create a health plan for YOU, that includes the foods you love. And we can discover movements that you enjoy! So that you’ll stick with it, and look forward to it. 

How can I begin?

Click here to book a consultation with me! We can talk about your options.