When I enter the gym, and head to the group fitness room, I get all jittery and the nerves start to overwhelm me. I sometimes second guess myself and thing, “what if I don’t have enough energy?”, “what if I don’t push the class hard enough”. These are just some of the many thoughts that I come across. Then, it all changes. The mats are rolled out, mic is turned on, and the music starts to play. As we warm up and progress through all the various sections, I remember why I LOVE doing this.
Let’s take it back a little bit! Growing up, I was always involved with sports and would do anything that I could from swimming competitively, cheerleading, track, you name it. I loved being active, never realizing that in reality I was working out, but in a fun way. Fast forward to junior year of college when I wasn’t doing a single thing. I wouldn’t grocery shop, I was eating out(almost every meal), and I certainly wasn’t working out. I actually did not like working out at all! Cardio just wasn’t appealing to me. At the time, I didn’t know there was so much more out there! I noticed the scale starting to climb, feeling worse about my body, self esteem dropping even more. “When you eat like crap, you feel like crap” and boy was that true!! That summer, I had gained almost 20 pounds. Senior year, I started cheerleadling again and was dropping pounds but I wasn’t healthy by any means. I was not properly fueling my body. Heck, it was barely fueled by the way I was eating. There were also things going on emotionally that I was skipping meals, sometimes only eating once a day. BAD, Courtney!
A few months after graduating, in January of 2013, I K N E W it was finally time to make a change, and get healthy and not only look good, but also feel good. I started hitting up a local gym, meal prepping, avoiding meals out. I felt unstoppable. This whole process was starting to become addicting for me and I kept craving results. I had dropped 20 pounds since my heaviest, and my abs were poking through, something I thought I could only dream of! By tracking my journey through this blog, and on Instagram, I started to create a following. People were asking what I was doing, how to get results. I knew I had to take a leap of faith and P A Y I T F O R W A R D. Because of struggling financially, and searching for the right team, it took a while for me to fully commit but once I did, I haven’t looked back. In May 2013, I decided to join Team Fight to Finish and work as a health and fitness specialist. I wanted to help others, like me, that were struggling with their weight and body issues but needed guidance and plans. Anyone can go to the gym but you really have to know what you’re doing there, and eating properly, to see results of the time spent there.
So why do I do this? Simple. I want to inspire others to get healthy. I want them to think, “if she did, so can I”. I want them to know they are strong enough to take on this challenge, and BE successful, to know they are not alone. There are so many others that can relate with gaining college pounds, having self esteeem issues, and even the emotional abuse. It is so nice when you have someone else there to relate to. It’s those little text messages from friends that say they’ve lost 15 pounds by committing, for those saying they have increased energy levels. Or, like last night, when people say “You kicked my booty in class”, “I’m already wobbling, tomorrow, i won’t be able to walk!” during my weekly PiYo class. Its those little things that mean the world to me. I am helping to change peoples lives, from them to being healthier, dropping weight, or even seeing financial success. It’s a feeling I would N O T trade for the world. Lastly, I want to inspire others around me to dream big, and never give up. Did I ever think in my 20s, when I was barely getting by financially, I would be able to start and run my own business? Definitely not! You can do anything you set your mind to!!
Looking to spice up this recipe a little bit? Swap the apples for 1/4 cup of pure pumpkin puree. Top with a little nutmeg and pumpkin spice and you have yourself some healthy pumpkin pie
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