"Looking back over a decade ago, who knew my quest to find a workout routine would turn into a thriving fitness business catering to men and women looking to fall in love with getting healthy. "
I admit, like a lot of people, I didn’t used to enjoy “working out”. I always loved playing sports, but hitting the gym?! No thanks! That attitude changed for me in 2008. I joined an outdoor bootcamp, in Arizona, and something wonderful happened—I discoveredI loved lifting weights and working out OUTDOORS: climbing stairs, flipping tires, playing challenging fitness games, running hills and making friends along the way. I gained a new outlook; working could be more than lifting weights in a gym, and hitting the treadmill with nothing but my own thoughts. It could actually be fun!
In 2009, I moved to California. I had two babies and gave up my job as an elementary teacher to be a full-time mom. In desperate need to get my body back and have a life outside of kids I went in search of a fitness routine that inspired me like the one I had found in Arizona.
Sadly, nothing spoke to me; so, I decided to create a program of my own. I grabbed my baby stroller and filled it with a few sets of dumbbells, a speaker, four resistance bands, a few frisbees, two stability balls, two sandbags, two medicine balls and a vision! I headed to the park, and I asked anyone who would listen if they would attend my classes. Word began to spread. I createdHappy Hour Fit Club, a place where women of all ages can find joy in working out and make friends at the same time.
In 2010 I became a certified fitness instructor. I realize now that while I was trained under the best of the best in the fitness industry, my real training came on the job.Each day I learned what worked well with my clients and I formed amazing relationships in the process.
Fitness is more than just working out and staying physically healthy. For me it’s a community and a support system, it’s about loving yourself and your body. These past 3 years have been incredibly challenging for me. I gave up alcohol, my 20-year marriage dissolved, and I am a mom to two teenagers whom I work hard to be present and dedicated to. It's been a wild ride! Today I realize, the fitness community I was building for everyone around me has become the reason I get out of bed every morning, hold my head high and believe in myself.
