Fitness encompasses extremely diverse elements to every individual. Growing up in Texas, sports and extracurriculars were quite serious! (I love my football!!!) I was a dancer growing up and an extensive side effect of being a non-stop athlete, especially in the dance world, is this constant strive for perfection, which is not necessarily a bad thing. More specifically, I am speaking to my issues with body image. Being transparent, my body is not built like this distorted image of “perfection” that is also seen commonly in media’s portrayal of women. During this period, I had wildly unrealistic goals not only for my future but my body as well. Fast forward a few years, and I was no longer dancing but was haunted by this unreasonable body image. I found Beachbody home workouts and honestly, I had NO IDEA what I was doing! I used these workouts as a punishment for my body, rather than appreciating what it was capable of, and truly enjoying it.
Once in college, this ideation followed me and I was adamant that I would not be like everyone else finding a “freshman 15.” A girl from across the hall in my dorm, (which is now coincidentally my roommate) had told me about group fitness classes through the gym on campus. As someone who knew relatively zilch about how to workout, this sounded like a marvelous idea. I soon formulated how to get at least one class in my daily routine.
A few weeks into the school year, an instructor approached me and asked me if I was a new member of her sorority, which I was (also absolutely clueless about Greek anything). She introduced herself, and unbeknownst to me, she would become a vastly influential people in my collegiate and fitness career. We ended up talking before/after class, which turned into sorority events, and before I knew it I had a lifelong friend that I could always count on. She soon encouraged me to become an instructor. I remember thinking “I have NO CLUE what I am doing, and they would want me to be the one standing up there ??? NO WAYYYY GIRL… love you but that’s crazy talk.” To say the least, I ended up going through the training workshop, and am now a certified instructor in Piyo, Turbokick, and Yoga (most recently adding certified personal trainer). It took a great deal of not only time and devotion on my part, but support from all the beautiful people around me, fueling my inner flame of passion.
From beginning to now, I would NEVER have imagined I would be such a decorated and successful influence in the fitness community. With this background and knowledge, I seek to bring my experiences, stories, and positivity, to broader horizons and more beautiful faces just like yours! I am merely an ordinary college student. I study tirelessly, set my goals high, and fight like hell until I achieve them. I am dedicated to staying true to myself and who I am, because I am like you, and together we will be amazing.
Stay beautiful
-MM
