Filed on 7/20/01 - Updated 9/2/02

Career Highlights

Why did you become interested in fitness?
I've always been active, but ironically it was getting a "real" job after college that actually made me want to pursue fitness as a career. I hated being in an office all day, and ended up getting my Personal Training certification and becoming a full-time trainer. It was an extremely gratifying lifestyle change! Motivating my clients and seeing their bodies change also prompted me to get into even better shape.

Being very fit helps attract clients and makes me a better role-model for them, which is plenty of motivation to keep it up! I also got tired of hearing "you should be in those magazines," and decided to go for it! So far, so good.....!

When did you first start working out?
I started working out for track my sophomore year in high school, and just kept on going after that. Throughout college and in the years after I continued to run and lift weights, but did not get very serious about it until two years ago.

What other physical activities do you enjoy to stay fit?
like running (especially off-road), hiking, swimming, boxing, kayaking, and am currently training for an 18-mile, mostly-up-a-mountain trail run in September! Ugh.

What are your goals within the fitness industry?
To keep developing as a trainer and to become more established as a fitness model. Setting an example for my clients is great; I'd like to do the same thing on a larger scale. As long as I keep helping others and improving myself, my goals are being met. And, OK , a cover or two would be pretty nice too! My first modeling goal was to be in Muscle & Fitness, which is happening, so now it's time to re-evaluate...I'm definitely open to suggestions! I'd also like to do a Galaxy Competition sometime in the future...

 Additional Notes
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." - Aristotle

In the past couple of years, I've realized that in order to improve - to become "excellent" - you need to truly push yourself. Driving yourself, pushing your limits, and achieving what you may have thought impossible opens up a whole new, amazing world. It is incredible when your drive comes from inside, not just because you want to impress someone else, look a certain way, or fit into a certain size, but because you want do something you couldn't do yesterday, to move beyond your capabilities, and to achieve excellence. Fitness has taught me this, and it will always be a part of my life. I couldn't dream of a better job!