Level 1 CrossFit trainer
BLS/CPR
Registered Pharmacist (happy to help you with your healthcare questions)
I have been a group fitness instructor since 1989. I fell in love with fitness with the Jane Fonda workout. Do you remember her? Yes, I am old-ish. I began working in a women-only gym and was filing workout cards in my first week. It was a Monday at 5:30 p.m., and it was the busiest class of the week. At least 60 women were waiting in anticipation of burning off the weekend splurge, and the instructor called in sick. The owner of the gym said, "Hey Linda! You've taken classes before, right?" I responded, "Uh...yeah...a couple." She tossed some music at me and said, "You gotta teach the class." I momentarily panicked, then cranked the music loud and started to move. That's when I fell in love with fitness and teaching group fitness. I "inherited" a gym when the previous owner bailed out overnight. Suddenly, my landlord's father was stuck with 6 unoccupied units. In a flash of inspiration, he knew my love of fitness, so he helped me refurnish it with new gym equipment and viola—I was a gym owner. I continued teaching classes at my gym and became a certified personal trainer. Did I mention that I am also a pharmacist? I have been since 1989. I am passionate about helping people minimize the use of drugs because of their side effects. I aim to reach the people who WANT to make the changes in their lifestyle to reduce the use of medication. I want to help people age well and move well. In my profession, I am a daily witness to the results of not prioritizing your health. Day after day, week after week, year after year, I read their obituary. Heart disease is a silent killer.
One day, my workout partner (Jennifer) convinced me to try CrossFit. Before that, I taught at least 5-8 classes a week, including everything from kickboxing to step aerobics to yoga. Of course, I was in shape, right? The workout was written on the whiteboard and was ONLY 12 MINUTES!!! What kind of a ripoff is that??? I'm paying good money for an hour class, and the workout is only 12 minutes?!? Explain, please, and I want my money back. The coach began the warmup. After the warmup, as Jennifer and I lay gasping on the floor, we looked at each other and said, "THAT WAS THE WARMUP?" It was love at first, WOD. That was in 2012. Over the years, I have suffered some setbacks from injuries that, oddly enough, were not CrossFit-related. Did you know that when you trip and fall on hard pavers, you can try to break the fall with your arms and tear rotator cuffs? Check your flip-flops. Did you know that when you jump up high to yell about how amazing you feel, the slipper can break, and you can land on a twisted foot and break 5 bones in your foot? Seriously, check your flip-flops. The beautiful thing about CrossFit is that I could work around my injuries. When I broke my foot, I could wheel around on my kneeling scooter for a few rounds to warm up. Focus on training what you CAN move—ring rows on 1 foot, seated dumbbell work, abdominals, flexibility, etc. Scaling is not failing. After tearing my rotator cuffs, I could still CrossFit without lifting my arms overhead for two years! Just show up and dedicate that 1 hour to yourself. Every movement can get modified to something you can do.
Living life is like riding a plane. When the air mask drops, you put it on yourself first so that you can help others. Show up for that one hour daily to care for everyone else in the other 23 hours. My motivation is to avoid ending up like many of my pharmacy customers. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 20 years? My passion is helping you create that vision of yourself. Over the years, I have been able to help several of my diabetic customers eliminate their medications and go on to live more healthy and vibrant lives. Imagine if I could convince them to try CrossFit. Find a reason beyond "because exercise is good for you" that will get you out of bed and in to work out on days when you want to roll over and go back to sleep or when you would instead go home and crash on the sofa after work. Do you want to be able to keep up with your kids? Your grandkids? Do you want to be able to get out of a chair without assistance when you are 80? Do you want to be able to walk across the parking lot without a walker? CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity. What exactly does that mean? What does that have to do with you? Squats--so that you can get on and off the toilet without assistance Farmers Carry--so that you can lug all the grocery bags in the house in one trip Deadlift--so that you can bend over to pick up a sleeping toddler without throwing your back out Push Press--so that you can get that heavy box onto that shelf in your closet Burpees-- I've fallen, and I CAN get up! Whatever you do, find something that you enjoy. At ENG, we plan for you. It's like having a personal trainer at every workout. You can join a traditional gym and wander from machine to machine, hoping you use it correctly. "I'll just hop on the treadmill because that looks like something I can figure out without looking clueless." Do you know what you're doing? Do you have a plan? Are you doing that movement correctly? Can you push yourself, or are you just coasting through each workout? If you're anything like me, you know you won't. When you walk through the doors at ENG, people greet you like your friends. You are not walking into a roomful of strangers, each plugged into their headset. The people around you are training hard. There is no way you will stand there. The people around you cheer you on when you want to roll over and stop. The people around you become some of the best friends that you ever had. As a trainer, I am here for you. I am here to guide you to achieving better health and fitness. That is my wish for you: Live long and live well.
