'You are stronger than you seem, braver than you believe, and smarter than you think.'
~ A.A. Milne
This quote comes from one of the most lovable and charming characters in the history of cartoon animation: Winnie the Pooh. He simply oozes adorableness and positivity. Not an inspirational athlete, yet reading this quote invigorates the hero in me.
Growing up, I was never an athlete. I didn't like sports or competitions like relay races and such. I was a child of the 70's and 80's- I ate sugary cereal for breakfast and had an entire cubby of nothing but snacks and junk foods within my reach at all times. That's just how it was. It was normal at the time.
When I went to college, I wasn't very responsible. I had no supervision and developed some pretty bad binge-eating habits. After college those habits felt almost impossible for me to conquer. I was diagnosed with chronic depression at 25. I nose-dived into a depressive darkness I wouldn't wish on anyone. Ever.
I made myself a promise to begin my 30s by changing my trajectory, one degree at a time. And I did – I cut the apron strings and let go of the 'old' me to create the 'new' me- DeAnne 2.0. Taking control of my body and my health was the first thing that I had followed through on in a really long time.
My secret sauce? Courage. Authenticity. Accountability.
Fast-forwarding to today . . . I've been a fitness professional for the last 16 years. I've helped hundreds of clients as an American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer, a Fitness Director, a Les Mills instructor (BodyPump & BodyCombat are my faves to teach)- among many other qualifications and certifications. I love working in this field because inspiring people to live healthy is my purpose. I know that change is really scary . . . and hard . . . and frustrating. Trying to instill lasting change by yourself (without courage, authenticity, or accountability) is damn near impossible.
So now you know that my life's not always been perfect. I wouldn't trade it, because I came out on the other side as the 'me' you see now. And if I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT.