Fitness and nutrition are my passion. Through weightlifting, I found my strength. With proper nutrition, I found my potential. I learned what it takes to optimize my physique and athletic performance, but more importantly- I learned how to feel my best. now, I want to help provide others with the education to live a healthier & happier lifestyle.
A little bit more about my credentials, I am a Registered Dietitian licensed in the state of Florida. I completed my Dietetic Internship with Priority Nutrition Care after earning my second Bachelors of Science in Nutrition & Dietetics from the University of North Florida. In addition, I have a Bachelors of Science in Health Science from Saginaw Valley State University. I am also a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Why did I go back to school for a degree in dietetics? Simple, because I love to learn! I have always been passionate about all things health and fitness. Even after all the schooling, I enjoy spending time researching and educating myself on all things related to exercise and nutrition so that I can stay up to date on scientific findings to further help my clients improve their performance and body composition.
As far as my history with health and fitness, I had a lot of learning along the way. Growing up, I was very active and spent majority of my childhood dancing, cheerleading, and playing soccer. Once I reached middle school, I discovered my passion for being an athlete and joined the basketball, track, and volleyball teams. During high school, I chose to shift my focus to sports where I played soccer, volleyball, and basketball. Though at this point, I didn't know about the importance of nutrition.
Once, I reached college, things changed. I decided to focus solely on school, which meant I no longer had three-hour practices after class, late night games, or weekend long tournaments taking up the majority of my time. Between stress from a tough curriculum and a drastic drop in activity levels, I started to gain weight. For the first time ever, I started noticing how my clothes were tighter than before and began scrutinizing myself- I began to try just about every fad diet out there. I felt lost.
So, I turned to long distance running. Now, back when I was younger, I was the girl who would do anything to get out having to do the dreaded sprints at the end of practice, but instead of dreading running, I started to view it as a stress reliever. I started out small with just two to three mile runs. Eventually, I began running 5Ks and 10Ks. Then, I finally committed to running my first half-marathon. However, once I accomplished my goal of running a half marathon, I realized how much weight I had lost. I hadn’t fueled myself properly for running long distances. I definitely didn’t have the knowledge of proper nutrition for optimal performance. Again, I started to feel lost.
Running had definitely improved my stress levels and eased my mind, but it didn’t help me achieve the confidence I was longing for. So, I decided to try weight lifting. and began to research how to properly nourish my body to optimize muscle and strength gain. Within the first few months, I began to see my body transform in ways it had never before and I absolutely loved it. Not only was I achieving the physical results I had been longing for, but I also started to realize my strength and the powerful impact of proper nutrition. Being able to see my progression with my physique and the weights was extremely motivating. After just a few months, my confidence was radiating because I found a new passion that allowed me to feel both strong and beautiful.
Shortly after, I began weight lifting. I decided to set myself a goal of competing in my first NPC bikini competition to keep me motivated in the gym. This was when I discovered my passion for nutrition. I spent months learning about the macronutrients, how much was required to fuel my goals, and how to nourish myself to reach my goals. I spent hours at the gym training and even more time in the kitchen meal prepping. The hard work paid off because, I ended up getting first place at my first competition and became nationally qualified at my next one. I quickly realized that I had a passion for competitive bodybuilding and all things pertaining to weight lifting. I had a lot of success with competing and even though my competition days are behind me, I will always value the lessons they taught me.
These days I focus on living a balanced healthy lifestyle- to me that means nourishing my body with nutrient dense foods majority of the time, but also incorporating those nights out or sweet treats. It also means training to feel and perform my best, without pushing myself to absolute extremes- because let’s be real, there is nothing healthy about going to the extremes. Coming from an athletic background, It took me a long time to realize that training & nutrition should be a part of a healthy lifestyle- but it’s not the primary focus. That being said, I believe my history as an athlete combined with the lessons I learned along the way have shaped me into the coach I am today.
Now, as a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer, I aim to not only inspire their clients, but work one-on-one with them so that they can live a healthier & happier lifestyle.
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