Welcome to my life, my world, my passion. I am a wife, mom, personal trainer, entrepreneur, business owner, actress, fitness coach, and instructor. My life is amazing, full, and hectic, but I always find time for my family. However, finding time for fitness and a healthy lifestyle, well, that can be a struggle even for the best of us! Let me tell you a little bit about myself and quickly take you back to when my passion for fitness and inspiring others began.
As a child, I grew up doing martial arts, playing sports and always being active. I don’t think many people would have described me as a “girly girl”. While other little girls my age were getting their leotards on and heading to ballet, I was getting my Karate Gi on and earning a new belt. Growing up, my dad had a basement full of dumbbells and gym equipment, so I’ve always been very familiar with weightlifting and physical fitness. When I was freshman in high school, I was beyond excited when I saw a sign posted in the hallway from a local gym. They were looking for a student to come in and clean the equipment in exchange for a free gym membership. It was like winning the lotto to me! Totally normal behavior for a fifteen year old girl, right? I had my mom drive me over to the gym immediately after school, which turned out to be the beginning of my fitness career.
I started weight training several times a week after volleyball and basketball practice, as well as taking aerobic classes. I picked up on the classes and an eight-count beat extremely fast; before I knew it I was creating my own routines and teaching twenty minutes of a class every time I went. I absolutely loved it! I loved getting people to move, while entertaining them at the same time. I realized I was able to get the members to sweat and work out at a level that they had never gone to before, all while having fun. But most of all, I loved that I was helping them change their lives and learn how to enjoy working out. Shortly after, I was permanently added to the class schedule and filled every class I taught. I continued to teach all throughout high school and college, even while playing volleyball at a collegiate level, and I have been an instructor ever since. A few years later, I became a Certified Personal Trainer and have now taught and trained all across the country.
I am now a mother of three beautiful daughters, and let me just say no female body is ever the same after giving birth to another human being! Each pregnancy was so unique, and my body responded completely different to every one. With my first daughter, I put on about 28 pounds, and was able to teach kickboxing until I was seven and a half months pregnant. I was back to a size four 6 weeks after she was born. Not bad for a new twenty-something year old mom! With my second daughter, I had put on closer to 45 pounds. I was sick as a dog for the first four months, and then had issues the rest of my pregnancy and couldn’t exercise AT ALL! It definitely took longer and was more work because I now had to learn how to train a body that had given birth to two babies, was sleep deprived, and was chasing a preschooler around and nursing an infant. My body was not the same. My muscles were not the same. My hips, ribs, and joints were not the same. I had to learn to love, honor, and respect this new version of me. No book warns you of these changes or teaches you how to move through this process. It was something that I had to learn over time and I had to do it for me, and only me.
By the time I had finally lost all my “baby weight,” you guessed it, I was pregnant again. This third one surprised me a little as I thought I had more time to prepare, but she had other plans. At this stage in life, I was neck deep in kid activities, playdates, school, teaching at the gym, working out, training clients, and keeping a household together. I had no time for morning sickness, but yet again the universe had other plans for me. I was sick for almost five and a half months this time around, and the only thing that made me feel halfway decent was greasy foods. Yes, I sent my poor husband to Burger King for their chicken sandwich. With this pregnancy I put on, wait for it… 60 pounds! This is not a typo. Eating to help with the nausea, taking care of two little ones, and having Braxton Hicks very early on in the pregnancy made working out and staying physically fit very difficult. Before I knew it, I weighed more than my husband. This was not the proudest moment of my life. However, I knew that I had lost the weight before and I could do it again. I had logged and tracked all of my workouts from my first and second pregnancy and knew exactly what I needed to do. The problem was just trying to find the time and energy. I started out by walking or jogging whenever I could. This time around, I waited to workout until my youngest was seven months old. Then I hit the gym hard. I had to time my workouts around the baby’s nursing schedule, and when the other two kids were in bed. I had a very small window of free time, so I had to make every second count. There were many times when I was up in the morning before the rest of the family, or I stayed up after everyone was in bed. But I was determined to not lose myself in motherhood. I did not want to have my kids be an excuse or the reason why I wasn’t in a bikini in the summer time. Over time, I had come to realize that my body was absolutely incredible. I embraced the fact that I possessed super powers and could grow and sustain life inside of my body. I knew that if I was capable of that, then I was capable of anything. I was determined to not only gain my strength and previous figure back, but to improve it and be even better!
Due to my limited time and availability, I was only able to train so many clients in a day. So, I began to create and implement my own personal fitness programs for my clients. This way I was able to coach my clients to workout at their own convenience. The results have been astonishing! I’ve learned over the years that the key to success has been accountability and support, and that, my friends, is how “Busy to Bomb Fit Mom” was born! Trust me, I know what it is like to have a busy schedule and barely have enough time to take a shower. I get it! But if you have the support, guidance, and group helping to hold you accountable for your actions, or lack thereof, you will make it happen! But just as importantly, I’ve coached and taught busy moms how to be mentally fit as well. I believe it is crucial to fall in love with your fitness journey and yourself, regardless of how long it takes or what the scale reads.
My experiences, whether success or failure, have helped me truly understand how fat is burned, muscle is built and how the body responds overall to physical fitness. I would not be Health/Fitness Coach, or Lifestyle Consultant I am today without all of those hours spent in the gym personally and professionally helping others. So, now is the time for you to decide! Do you want to make a change and live a healthier lifestyle? If the answer is yes, then please check out www.busytobombfitmom.com
You are worth the time, energy, and the effort!
CREDENTIALS
AFAA, Certified Personal Trainer
Athletic Fitness Association of America’s
AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor
1st Degree Black Belt Tae Kwon Do
