What I do and why I do it.

I spent the better part of 15 years dieting. Weight loss was almost always on my mind. If I wasn’t analyzing every detail of my last meal, I was thinking about my next one. If the scale went up, I thought I should have eaten less and worked out more. If the scale went down, I usually questioned why it wasn’t lower. The entire time thinking that hitting a certain goal weight would make me happy. It never did. I don’t want you going through life this way.

Many never get off the diet roller coaster. They may not always be actively trying to lose weight but they have a history of starting and stopping programs with the hope that “This is the one. This time is going to be different.” They think that if they muster up enough willpower they’ll be successful. People can stick with these programs for a few weeks, months or even a couple years - then something happens. A schedule change, a life event, anything that disrupts them being able to cram their life into this well packaged (and mass promoted) plan. People don’t “fail” because of diets. They fail because they never developed a foundation around their food preferences, their exercise capabilities and a positive relationship with themselves. You have to know what you like, what you can do and who you are before building the active lifestyle that’s right for you. That’s where Your Level Fitness comes in.

If you’ve spent years (maybe even decades) dieting you probably go between “I know what to do, I just need to do it.” and “I don’t even know what to do anymore, I might as well just give up.” Both statements are actually right. You’ve learned a lot about eating and exercise over the years. Some of it is helpful, some of it is slickly marketed garbage. You don’t even know what to believe because the info conflicts with itself. Instead of info, you should focus on building habits.

I’ve been coaching clients through the Precision Nutrition habit based model since 2015 and via one of their online coaching platforms (ProCoach) since 2017. With habit based nutrition being one of the hottest buzzwords around, I choose to use the tools and resources from the company that’s been doing this since 2005 and continues to evolve their program, resources and based on changing world we live in. If you develop the habits, you’ll have the foundation. If you have the foundation, you can build the active lifestyle that’s based around your preferences. If the active lifestyle is built around your preferences you’ll stick to it. If you’re able to stick to it, you’ll never diet again.

Your exercise routine, like your eating plan starts with your preferences. You need to find out what activities you like to do and how you can do them before you start setting goals and tracking progress. Virtual personal training (in home also available if you live in Union) can help with this. After an assessment & goals call we develop a plan that includes not only 1-on-1 workout instruction through video conference, but also everything you need outside of our sessions. Daily and weekly goals are centered around actions that you control, while progress updates are done every one, two or four weeks.

I’ve been certified as a personal trainer since 2011. In addition to virtual, I’ve trained clients in their homes and at a boutique studio. Beyond personal training I’ve taught group fitness classes, coached walkers (and runners) getting them ready for 5k’s & 10k’s, led adaptive group fitness classes for adults with disabilities (I myself have Cerebral Palsy) and started working in the fitness industry in 2004.

Outside of coaching and personal training I’m part of the #YLFcommunity on Instagram. A super supportive group of peeps ready to encourage you regardless of whichever eating and exercise program you’re following. Yes, we also have a Facebook group. :)

Thanks for reading! Happy to answer any questions you have.