I am in the process of rediscovering what I love to do and what abilities come naturally to me. I am grateful to have many things that interest me. I enjoy fitness (always have), interacting with senior citizens, learning about different cultures, understanding a person in depth, self discovery, decorating/re-purposing things around the home, gardening, and cook/baking.

The interest that keeps coming to mind, above all the rest, is fitness. Fitness has always been a big part in my life. So for now, I will take some time to reflect on this passion of mine.

From the time I can remember, I have always enjoyed being active. In primary school I would get excited for physical education days and playing outside during recess. I remember practicing tether ball and handball at home so that I could play better at school with my friends. I loved steal the bacon, capture the flag, freeze tag, etc. During the warmer months, you would basically find me in the pool or at the beach. I remember also doing gymnastics as a child, for a few years, but in the end I’d rather just be active outside with my neighborhood friends, Jill and Kaylee.

In junior high I joined the swim team of Placentia and began to compete. I joined mostly because some of my close friends from church did it and I wanted to swim with them. For me, swim practice was much more fun than competing.

During high school I ran cross country, swam, and joined the Track & Field team. Out of these three sports, cross country was my favorite. I enjoyed the long distance runs because I was with my friends and we could talk while we ran. Practice days were fun for me because we didn’t have to run fast, we just had to run at a long slow pace. I didn’t particularly look forward to our weekly race days because I also felt anxious about how I would perform. I feel it was during high school that I began to realize that I enjoyed running, just for running, and not for competing.

After high school, I went on to college to earn my bachelor’s degree in Physical Education. I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to do with it but I knew that the topic was what I was interested in, more than any other topic. While I was a freshmen, I trained and completed my first marathon in college, along with earning my best college grades that semester. Some of my fondest memories were running with my friend, Mary, as I trained for the marathon. The feeling of passing the 26.2 mile finish line was such an accomplishment and one I would love for others to experience. I felt on top of the world and discovered that mentally I was a lot stronger than I gave myself credit for.

After college, I continued to run and entered several other races, just for fun and have a goal to work towards. Since I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my bachelor’s, I pursued my Master’s in College Student Affairs. I’m not sure if this was the best educational choice for me to make right after college, but since I wasn’t ready to leave college life, I pursued this route. I do like all of the different services you could pursue in the college staff setting, so maybe down the road I will be glad that I still chose this specialize field.

Some of the student services I did work in were Admissions, Student Activities, and Alumni Relations. While working in the Alumni Relations Office, I was not feeling happy about being there. I felt I had more to offer and fitness work kept coming to mind. So, after many long discussions with my husband, we agreed to take a risk, quit my job in the university setting, and pursue my passion for fitness. After earning several certifications and making several cold calls and drop ins to community centers, etc., I built my fitness passion by specializing as a personal trainer working with people diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. I found this work to be enjoyable and fulfilling because of the relationships I developed with each of my clients, making a positive impact in my clients quality of life, and working in the field that I enjoy. It was a very rewarding job and one that I am proud to share with others.

As I reflect on my past, and the 8 years I have been out of work as a stay at home mom, I can see how my love for fitness, is still a big part of who I am. I can see that it brings me great joy! So whether it’s finding a part time job as a running coach, teaching fitness classes to senior citizens, or specializing in providing a fitness program for Parkinson’s Disease again, I am feeling like my passion for fitness remains number one!