Back in 2015, I found myself at a crossroads. I wasn’t going anywhere fast in my career as a veterinary receptionist and I was ready for a change. But which direction to go? I wrote down a Pros/Cons list for my top two options: apply to grad school for my MFA in Creative Writing or start studying for my personal trainer certification. In the end, I did both, but the journey wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.
It all started with San Diego…
It doesn’t help that I was making these decisions in the middle of a record-breaking winter. Dreaming of endless days of 74 degrees and sunshine, I applied to the MFA program at San Diego State University.
The thing they don’t tell you about graduate level programs is just how much havoc stress wreaks on your body. Or maybe someone at some point did tell me, but I was too busy being enchanted by the whole situation to pay them any mind. After all, what word nerd doesn’t jump at the chance to spend three years fully immersed in writing and literature?
Unfortunately, that also meant three years hunched over books, notebooks, my laptop, and student papers. Don’t get me wrong, I still made it out for the occasional trail run through Balboa Park or spin session at the gym, but my body took a backseat to my mind (and incredibly packed schedule). During my program I got to experience a lot of unhappy firsts. First migraine, first panic attack, first experience of stress-induced insomnia… Looking back, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. But it was my body that took the brunt of it.
But after school, I had more time to take care of myself. Right?
The week after graduation my partner and I packed up our cars and made the 2-day trek back to Portland. Turns out I was meant for the PNW after all. A month later, I started my First Real Job® as the Content Director for a local marketing agency.
Already accustomed to long, busy days, I dove into my new career head first. I had the luxury of working from home, which meant more often than not my partner would get home from work and find me:
- Still wearing sweatpants on the bottom and business casual on top
- Sunken eyed and slack-jawed, staring at my laptop
- Surrounded by takeout containers of various shapes and sizes
The pandemic only exacerbated things. Suddenly, freed from socialization and my usual outlets, I had even more time to work. I even considered myself lucky to have a job that allowed for 10-12 hour days when so many of my friends were struggling or being let go.
This went on for almost another three years. While I was still exercising for mental health, I was often trying to fit a whole day’s worth of movement into an hour or less after work. Because I crouched at my desk like a literal gremlin for 8+ hours each day, my body wasn’t primed for intense movement and I started noticing more and more nagging injuries. Shin splints, a pulled hip flexor, a randomly swollen wrist. I assumed this was all just the cost of getting older. Everybody hurts all of the time, right?
Eventually, something had to give.
When the effects of stress and sedentary living caught up with me, it was exactly the kick in the ass I needed to make a change. I started reading up on injury prevention and progressive strengthening techniques. I began a mobility practice, committed to walking the dog more and longer, and I rediscovered my passion for movement.
I’m not saying you need to quit your job and become a personal trainer. But I think my background gives me a unique perspective on the importance of movement. Even as a lifelong athlete and exercise enthusiast, I’d lost my perspective on what “fitness” really meant: optimal health and overall well-being.
Enter Resilient AF Training
There’s a lot of information out there right now about the “best exercise for this” or the “worst stretch for that.” But none of it is tailored to you specifically. And most of it is packaged up with anti-fat, capitalistic, misogynistic, and gendered rhetoric. I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of trying to read between the lines of that bullshit.
I started Resilient AF because I wanted to provide training that’s anti-diet, body neutral, and focused on function. I want to work with you to develop goals and programming that’s optimal for your overall well-being. And, hopefully, we’ll have some fun along the way.
I’m so excited to have you on this journey with me and I can’t wait to see how we can grow together. Ready to become Resilient AF? Get in touch to schedule a free 1:1 consult so we can see if we’re a good fit.
