I knew from a very young age something was “wrong” with my body. I developed early and was a little bigger, a little softer than kids my age. I wasn’t overweight but I was given much praise each and every time I restricted my food intake in order to shrink my growing body. I grew up becoming an overweight then obese adolescent, teen and adult, having a dysfunctional relationship with food, going through the same restriction and binge cycles for years. I was successful in losing weight over and over again, going as far as to lose 80lbs at one point. Each and every time I lost weight, I would gain every pound back and then some. In 2020, I reached my heaviest weight of 260 lbs. I was unhappy and unhealthy but then I came to the realization that there was a much larger issue. We were in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, and I realized that if my health continued the way it was, I would die if I got Covid. I was 260lbs, with an Autoimmune disease and asthma that had gotten so bad I got winded when walking to my mailbox to check the mail; I was only 37 years old. I looked at my daughter and knew I needed to do something. I started immediately. I went for walks in my neighborhood and started making changes to my nutrition. I did not go on a “diet”; I made reasonable and sustainable changes I could live with. I was able to lose about 30lbs on my own but what I really wanted was to get strong! I knew to get strong meant I needed to lift weights and lift them heavy, but I needed someone to teach me how to do it safely and properly.

I stopped into Maryland Strength and Fitness mid-day on a whim and met my coach (Bryan) who just happened to have a break. He gave me a tour, did a ‘No Sweat Intro’, and we discussed my goals of wanting to powerlift. We got started right away on September 24, 2020. I trained twice a week for 30-minutes each session and worked with TRX straps and body weight movements before I graduated to dumbbells and kettlebells. Eventually we moved on to barbell work which opened up a new world for me. To me getting “healthy” was no longer about shrinking myself or even survival, it was about getting strong both mentally and physically. It worked; I have gotten strong, stronger than I even imagined was possible for me. I am physically strong but more than that my entire life has changed. In February of 2021, I came to Bryan and expressed that I was contemplating leaving my job of 6 1/2 years to become a Personal Trainer and in that moment, my Coach became my Mentor. By the first week of May 2021, I had passed my Personal Trainer exam, completed a nutrition coaching course, and hit the 100 lbs. lost mark. What a difference you can make in less than a year! My goal in life now is to help other people. Those that think they are too busy, too sick, too weak, too stressed, too old etc., it’s time to make change! Don’t wait until Monday or the new year or even until tomorrow; the perfect time will never come. The time is now, go out and make changes.