why & how i became a personal trainer

if you would have told me a few years ago that I would be a certified personal trainer I would have laughed straight in your face. 

aug. 8, 2015 ~ 5-6 months after beggining to exercise

here's the thing, i had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew it wasn't hospitality or accounting.  i started working out shortly after my i got my job in accounting.  before then I was able to pretend that since I was on my feet all day (just standing and leaning on the desk tbh) I didn't need to exercise. but once I got a desk job I had no excuses. so a few times a week i would wake up a little early and go walk and jog on the treadmill in the garage. over several months i started running more days during the week, and do longer sessions. and i started focusing on my nutrition and what i was eating more. lots of small steps. (and some definite over-training, but that's another day's discussion). but exercise definitely became something i looked forward to. I really enjoy(ed) getting to push myself every morning. I made lots of little goals, different speed goals and different distance per month goals. and once i got to hit those i could make new goals and that was exciting for me. 

sept.9,2016 ~ post workout 

and then once i was able to go to a real gym i realized there was more to life than cardio and started doing more weightlifting and kettlebell (i had started that before, but once i got into a gym i realized how much more i could do and i was able to push myself even more with different weights). and i was able to learn all sorts of new things that i never had the chance to do before. 

and that's when people really starting asking me for help in weight loss and working out. or people would come out to join me in my morning workouts. and i had a lot of fun helping people out and answering questions about how i did it but also i didn't feel totally comfortable in giving people advice because i didn't have all the answers and health and fitness is a personal journey and i didn't want to be responsible for giving someone bad/ wrong advice. 

nov. 3 2016 ~ got my study material for ACE PT exam 

and while all that was happening i was also trying to figure out what my next step was going to be, and what i wanted to do with my life. i went over a lot of different options and a lot of different ideas but kept looking at personal trainer certifications... and after talking with colt about it, i made the commitment to going for it. i realized that the gym is what i genuinely looked forward to everyday and getting to help other people figure out the gym was cool for me. and i was already doing a lot of research for me and other people so, why not have the actual certification? 

dec 2016 study session

was it easy? absolutely not. preparing for that exam took months of studying and reading and re-reading and note taking. it was so, so stressful. but thanks to many (MANY) hours of reading and studying and the un-ending support from col t i took the exam and passed it and earned my certification through ACE! 

it has been a long road to becoming a personal trainer but i feel so right about it. i already have gotten to help lots of people with their goals and i cannot wait to help so many more throughout my career! 

post-workout with awesome ladies

by the way, if you are interested in training (in person or online) send me a line!! i would love to work with you! (tiffnessfitness@gmail.com) 

beginnings & balance

being healthy can be hard. 

when i started out on this journey back in april 2015, i thought that i was making healthy choices. 

i was running and counting calories and losing weight.. and i thought that that was it. didn't matter what those calories were made up of, didn't matter how fast i was losing weight, and it didn't matter that was running myself to death. 

i started my health journey on my fitness pal. i tracked... and lowered calories... and tracked... and lowered calories... and on and on until i was eating 1200 calories according to mfp... but in reality, i was probably eating less than 1000 calories most days. definitely not enough food for anyone, especially not someone who was running 4-8 miles a day. 

Sept 2015/ about to go running even though i was over training to the point i injured my knee

 i was working out 7 days a week and if i missed a day i would feel terrible and try to eat even less. my "rest" days usually consisted of strenuous hikes up steep hills for miles... but since i wasn't running i didn't count it as "real" day. 

i was working out to "earn" calories. for way too long in my fitness journey i felt like i had to constantly restrict myself. i felt like i had to burn calories, otherwise i shouldn't really be eating. 

after time and a nice reality check from my partner, i started to recognize the issue and started focusing on balance. taking rest days and eating more and eating better. 

now i workout 5-7 days a week. not because i feel like i have to but because i genuinely enjoy working out. some days are hardcore hiit or heavy lifting and some days are just long walks or slow jogs and some days i don't do ANYTHING. and all of that is totally awesome. 

june 2 2016 - june 3 2017 / more food and less cardio, bigger muscles and a way bigger smile

breakfast on sunday, june 4. bagel breakfast sandwiches with ham, cheese, and eggs. lots of fruit and champagne. all on a rest day! 

and now i EAT. i worked my way up to eating about 2000 calories a day again. instead of counting calories, i focus on macro-nutrients (macros). this helps me find balance and focus more on eating foods that make me feel good instead of crap that's low calorie. but also now i get to enjoy all the food and drinks that i really like to eat. 

some days, all the great progress i've made goes out the window. i am far from perfect. bad days happen. some days you wake up and feel terrible and start thinking about cutting calories or carbs or adding all the cardio, but now I have the experience and the ability to step back and realize that bodies fluctuate and if i give it a couple days i will more than likely feel good again. '

it's all a process. 

but i am so glad that i have figured out what balance looks like and feels like for me.