Chapter 1: More Than Working Out
Growing up, I played multiple sports, but I was overweight through high school and felt trapped in a body I was ashamed of. My body could play, just not at the level my mind and passion were at. I had low energy, didn't move well, my joints hurt from inflammation, and playing sports always felt difficult. My senior year of high school, I started taking responsibility for my health and lost 25 pounds before graduation. While a lot of people put weight on their freshman year of college, I kept going and lost another 20 pounds, followed by another 15 pounds the next year. That's 60 pounds in two and a half years. The two biggest changes were the foods I was eating to properly fuel my body and reducing the intensity of my workouts to focus on movement quality and recovery. Both supported my wellbeing and college lacrosse career.
Did losing 60 pounds solve all of my problems? Of course not, but I felt much more capable, comfortable and empowered in my body, and I learned that getting healthier is what made the weight come off. I was moving without pain, getting faster and stronger, and I finally felt athletic in a way that matched my efforts. The results came from simple, consistent changes that I could actually stick with. Simple doesn't always mean easy, though. I had to continually remind myself why I wanted to change.
Toward the end of my college lacrosse career, I had a few nagging injuries. Losing the weight allowed me to move better, but I hadn't learned to control my body with the new athletic ability and speed. Working with the training staff uncovered some limited mobility, muscle imbalances, and lacking stability. I appreciated the personalized approach and attention to detail of the rehab process. My focus quickly shifted from losing and maintaining weight to optimizing my health and performance.
Chapter 2: When Life Got Busy
After college, I worked as an engineer in the automotive industry, continued to play competitive lacrosse and recreational sports, and coached high school lacrosse. Working in a stressful industry changed my priorities, my time, and my attention. I didn't abandon the habits that helped me lose weight, but I had to adapt them to make them work with my new lifestyle. If you're juggling a demanding job and a full life, you probably know that feeling.
Over the next few years, I lost some momentum, so I kept learning and adjusting to optimize my body and my life. I looked into and tried different workout approaches, functional medicine lab testing, supplement protocols, fine tuning my diet, mindfulness and meditation practices, yoga and mobility, journaling, positive psychology, and goal setting. In late 2020, I found a course through the CHEK Institute, which combined pieces of everything I had learned from those different sources together in one integrated system. By applying an integrated approach and building a plan that fit my life, I got to the leanest I have ever been (about 75 pounds below my heaviest), and I was in better shape than when I played college lacrosse. I had more energy, I was more productive at work, and even my relationships were better. Looking at all aspects of my life and intentionally focusing on what was out of balance allowed me to become the best version of myself.
Chapter 3: Finding My Calling
Through all of this personal transformation, I felt a calling to help others reach their potential. With so much information out there while I worked to improve myself, I knew there was a better way for people to get the results they were looking for. I pursued extensive professional training to become a certified CHEK Practitioner (Level 2) and CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach (Level 2), and I'm continuing my education today. As an Integrative Health Coach and a former engineer, I see the body as a system of systems. Creating lasting change comes down to getting to the root causes instead of just addressing symptoms. We work together to build a foundation that holds up to the times when life gets hard and build sustainable habits you can use for the rest of your life. With an extensive personal journey, years of self-study, and a proven integrative system from the CHEK Institute, I help clients achieve their own transformation.
