Health is everything.

At the core of everyone’s life – whether they know it or not – is their health. When they have it, they are rocking life. When they lose it, life seems out of synch and, frankly, harder. Harder to manage the day-to-day, maybe harder to find peace and balance or even perhaps harder to enjoy physical activity. How do I know this? Because of my own life experiences.

Let me tell you my story

I was a heavier kid. A kid with red hair and freckles at a time when ‘ginger’ wasn’t a thing. A kid who was picked last for every damn team there was. A kid who wasn’t in the popular crowd. And a kid who just always wanted to fit in.

Synchronized Swimming

In high school, I found synchronized swimming and swam after school for a competitive team. We traveled almost every weekend and we also won some age group national titles. Being part of a team taught me early on how consistent habits yield results, it taught me sacrifice, it taught me life isn’t full of wins. And it taught me confidence. There was something about moving the body to music that was powerful and freeing. All of a sudden I wasn’t that kid any longer that had to fit in. I was a kid that the other kids wanted to know a bit more about because of the uniqueness of what I was doing.

Jazzercise Franchise Owner | Parenthood

My desire to continue to just ‘do me’ blossomed and I found joy in being a student of Jazzercise. After awhile, my desire to get on stage and lead classes blossomed into owning and operating my own Jazzercise franchise which I did for over 8 years. I’ll never forget that first class when we had over 70 students there hooping and hollering. What a rush. I taught at night after work and on weekends. I taught through both my pregnancies and finally sold the franchise to continue working in Corporate America and raise my two kids. I cried after that decision because all those students became friends and were so dedicated to showing up every class.

Endurance Running

It was after I sold the franchise, that I discovered I could take my swimming endurance to the road and began the simplicity of running. What better way to stay in shape than to throw on some running shoes and hit the road or trail! And oh my – the stress of life seemed to just be left on the trail. What a perfect match for my life (or so I thought).

Stress | Hormones | Thyroid | Weight Gain | Experimentation | Mindset

The demands of corporate life and raising a family (and age) began to take it’s toll. With the added hormones and stress which, in retrospect, I wasn’t managing (other than running), so did my weight. Despite eating ‘healthy’ and running 20-30 miles/week, I was still gaining weight and I had no idea how to fix it. I felt like a frumpy older woman and I didn’t like it a bit. About that same time, I diagnosed with thyroid disease. I tried traditional western medicine and nothing worked. I then discovered naturopathic medicine and dense nutrients. After experimenting with different foods and protocols, I began to learn what worked well for my body.

Weights | Online Coaching | Mindset | Meditation | Tribe

In parallel, I began to explore the world of strength training and soon discovered a shift in my body. I depended on my past of consistent habits, kept a champion mindset, and never gave up. Soon, my high school body was back and so was my wellness, self-esteem, and a feeling of euphoria. I felt balanced again. Yes!

60-Day Challenge Winner

In 2014, I was selected as a 60-day Challenge winner for Lori Harder’s Mind | Body | Soul program. What an honor to find that the kid who was heavy, the kid never picked for a team, and the kid who wasn’t in the popular crowd could be that girl. Icing on the cake was being selected at my age. I’ll never forget that day reading my name online and tears streaming from my face with the emotion of disbelieve and sense of pride in my accomplishment. I was conquering things that most women my age wouldn’t dare to do.

Pearl Izumi Champion Running Team – 2015 and 2016

Then all of a sudden, more positive things began to appear and align in my life. In 2015, I was selected to represent the Champion Running Team for Pearl Izumi. I look at my role as a representative of the sport and love to show others that anything is possible if you say yes, are consistent, seek the advise of those that are experts in their field, and never give up. As of 2015, I’ve run 10 full distance marathon distances (26.2 miles) and countless half marathons and shorter races. It fills me up with life when I get outdoors, experience the air filling up my lungs, and the strength of my legs one step in front of the other. December, 2015, I was selected to continue to represent PI in 2016.

Wellness is an Infinite Program

I now empower and coach other women who are interested to shift they way they look at things to get to new goals and to live life to it’s fullest – especially in the prime of their life. I can tell you right now, you won’t be able to change (or sustain) a healthy body if you’re mind isn’t in the right space. For me, health is everything. I’ve learned a lifestyle that is for infinity and am now in complete control of my life as I trust my inner guide because I’ve gone on a journey with myself to get there. Enlist the help of those that have gone before you but trust yourself as the expert to be your guide.

If you’d like to learn more about my story, reach out. I’d love to hear from you.

Karen