It’s All About Those Pants

This is my first blog of many to come.  I feel that it would be fitting tell you a little bit about how I ended up in this field.  My personal story is very common amongst fitness professionals.  I once was sedentary and overweight.

As I grew up my parents owned a pizza shop, which we also lived above.  Can you imagine!  Unlimited supply of pizza and subs all day long!  Sounds heavenly doesn’t it?  Well, I won’t lie…….it was.  Unfortunately, the combination of this amazing food (I still can’t find a pizza that can beat it!) and an inactive lifestyle (my big weekend plans consisted of a large pizza, a couch and a tv) caused the inevitable.  My weight began to balloon.  Heck, my sister called me curtain butt on the account of how my shirt draped over the old gluteus!

It wasn’t until my 8^th grade year that I decided to do something about it.  Sadly, I will admit that it was to fit into a pair of pants for the 8^th grade formal.  Those Dockers were pretty sweet!  You should have seen them, pleats and all!  Unfortunately, they didn’t have them in my size but I just had to have them.  I vowed that I would fit in them for the dance…and…you know…actually be able to move in them without busting out the seams.  So I started to run.  I basically did a Couch to 5k, before Couch to 5k existed (I should be a millionaire!).  I ran a little, walked a little.  Each day I ran further and further until I was able to run 2 miles without stopping.  With each step I took, the curtain became less and less prominent!  My sister eventually had to find something else to make fun of me (don’t worry, she had plenty to choose from!).  And then it happened.  I decided my progress warranted a dress rehearsal to see if I met my goal.  I slid on those sleek, pleated, Kahki Dockers and to my surprise, they fit like satin Isotoners!  (ask Dan Marino how good those feel!).  Not only did they fit, they were a little loose!  I tucked my stonewashed jean shirt in, put on my leather braided belt and pegged up (tight rolled for you Midwesterners) my pants.   Damn…….I looked good!  I was ready!

Something that started out as an aesthetic mission, actually turned into an athletic one.  You see, I was never blessed with amazing athletic coordination (don’t believe me, throw something at me and see what happens).  As it turns out, I was ok at running.  Never great, but good.  At the end of my 8^th grade year, after I rocked it out on the dance floor in my pantaloons, I went out for the summer track program.  I also started to lift with those old plastic encased cement weight sets in my basement.  I started to feel capable and confident.  I went out for the cross country team and track team in high school.  In college I ran track and power lifted.  In grad school I was a graduate assistant coach for the cross country and track team.  I also started to work at a local gym as a fitness instructor.  I wanted to learn more about helping people reach their potential.  I became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and then have amassed multiple other certifications and specializations.  I pursued a professional career in the field and have been here ever since, learning, exploring, and evolving so I can better serve my clients.  It was like a domino effect.  One thing led to another and my path to my career was laid out.  It’s funny, I owe my career to those pants!