A little me

My personal journey into health began when i was 17 years old.  I had just graduated high school and was trying to decide what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  I was not raised in an health conscious family so, needless to say, the exercise field was not my first option.  Looking back I can remember breakfasts that consisted of chocolate Poptarts, Lucky Charms with a small scoop of icecream (yes, icecream at breakfast), buttered white toast sprinkled with sugar, more sugar and then some cinnamon on top.  Lunch was not much different.  Sometimes it was the little ziplock bag of gummie bears that i carried around with me (we bought them in 5lb bags).  Other days I just picked at whatever the school was serving for lunch.  Snacks were Otter Pops (flavored popsicles with different otter characters) or Little Debbie snack cakes.  I even remember a number of times of eating cookie dough by the spoonfuls or drinking maple syrup straight from the Aunt Jemima bottle.  But at least dinner was always cooked by my mom and much better than the rest of my day.  Coincidently, i was a little more "chubby" than the rest of my friends.  So, here i was at 17 years old at a major crossroads of  my life. I figured the best way to get in shape and stay in shape would be to get a degree in an exercise field.  That was my only reason for choosing that major.  I was tired of being bigger than everyone i knew.  So, I chose the Exercise Science degree at UF and started teaching kickboxing at Gold's Gym.  After moving to Gainesvillle, Gold's gym closed and I started working at Gainesville Health and Fitness Center.  It did not take me long to realize that I could help others.  No longer was I "bigger" than my friends and family.  Now I wanted to inspire and coach others to regain control of their health. Over the past 13 years, I have not only become a Certified Personal Trainer, but also a Holistic Health Coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City,  a Pilates Instructor and Yamuna Body Rolling Instructor. My views have gone from becoming healthy myself, to extremist health freak, to where I am today.  Now I look at "health" from various aspects of life such as:  nutrition, love, laughter, personal/professional growth, finances, fitness and contribution.  Being healthy is not only what you eat or how much you exercise.  It is also what you do on a daily basis that makes a positive difference in your life as well as others.  My goal is for my clients to learn as much about being healthy as possible and to be healthier each year.  I want them to read books, listen to successful people, hire a professional, take school courses, attend workshops...whatever it takes.  Then decide what works for you.  It is perfectly fine, and strongly encouraged, to take little bits and pieces from everything that you learn and create your own strategy for your life.  It is your life, take full responsibilty for it and live proudly.
Robin