Practicing What I Teach

There’s something a little vulnerable about being a coach in the health and fitness world.

People often think that because I’m a trainer, I must have it all figured out. That I always eat perfectly, never miss workouts, always feel confident in my body, and wake up excited to meal prep chicken and vegetables like some kind of fitness fanatic.

I promise you… that is not the case.

There are still days when I wonder why anyone would want to take my classes or trust me as their trainer. I still have insecurities. I still struggle with self-doubt. I still fight that all-or-nothing mindset that tells me if I can’t do it perfectly, if I don't have all the answers that I must be failing.

And maybe that’s exactly why I do what I do.

I don’t teach from a place of perfection—I teach from experience.

I know what it feels like to skip meals because the day got busy, only to end up starving later and making choices from exhaustion instead of intention. I know what it feels like to under-eat protein, to struggle with consistency, to avoid grocery shopping because life feels overwhelming, and to tell yourself you’ll “start fresh Monday.”

I know what it feels like to be hard on yourself.

That’s why I talk so much about consistency over perfection, about choosing the next right thing instead of starting over, about appreciating what our bodies can do for us now, not just when we've reached our goals.

I talk about enjoying the hard work and how it makes our body and mind feel, and recognizing how lucky we are to have the body we live in when there are so many who can't do what we can.

We spend so much time focusing on what our bodies look like that we forget to appreciate what they allow us to do. To lift, hike, work, carry kids, recover, heal, show up, and keep going.

There are seasons when we can train hard and push ourselves, and there are seasons when we’re recovering, sick, overwhelmed, or simply trying to get through the day. Both matter. Both deserve respect.

Some people would give anything to move their bodies the way we can. That perspective matters.

Since March 1st, I’ve been working on practicing what I teach. I've been focusing on more consistent nutrition, balancing work and rest, working on my mindset and inner dialogue. And, most challenging of all, giving myself grace when it's not perfect.

I started paying attention to my meals, especially my protein intake.

Not because I was trying to be perfect, but because I knew I wasn’t giving my body what it actually needed.

Like a lot of busy women, I was skipping meals, under-eating during the day, and then wondering why my energy, hunger, and cravings felt all over the place. I was teaching classes, training clients, hiking, lifting, staying active—but not always fueling in a way that supported that.

So I started tracking, just enough to collect honest information.

And what I found was simple: I needed more protein. More consistency. Better preparation.

Not a complete life overhaul—just better support.

Since then, I’ve worked hard to increase my protein intake, stay more consistent with meals, and stop treating food as an after thought.

The difference has been bigger than I expected, profound even.

My strength feels better. My recovery feels better. My energy is more stable. My workouts feel stronger. I feel stronger.

I have long since struggled with body image and I don’t weigh myself.

That’s a boundary I’ve set because I know how quickly that number can mess with my head. I usually get on the scale backwards at the doctor’s office for exactly that reason.

But recently, while registering for an MRI, my weight was right there on the screen next to my date of birth.

And I had that immediate reaction so many people have—panic, judgment, shame, and the urge to fix everything immediately.

That old voice showed up fast and I had to stop myself.

I had to pause and think logically instead of emotionally. I’m strong, I lift weights, I teach classes, I hike and I move constantly. I am not the same person I was years ago when I tied my worth entirely to a number on the scale.

It was a reminder that mindset work never really ends.

One thing that I noticed during this journey is that I am so much more successful with my nutrition goals when I grocery shop and meal prep. I am terrible at both of these things! So I have made a concentrated effort to go to the grocery store once a week with a list and a plan. And it helps, a lot. Still not perfect, but the practice is helping me create habits that will stick over time.

Sometimes I still skip meals and realize at 3 PM that I’ve had coffee and a banana all day, that's real life.

But what has changed for me is that I recover faster. I don’t turn one off day into a lost week.

I grab the rotisserie chicken. I buy the prepared salad. I keep eggs, yogurt, and meat sticks around so I don’t have to rely on motivation. I choose better, not perfect.

And the more I practice that, the easier it gets.

When I made the decision to become a fitness professional I told myself that my advantage was that I am passionate about helping people, that I genuinely care about their success, that I know what it's like to struggle with weight, nutrition, body image and exercise. I told myself that because I am not the "typical" version of a fitness professional that I would be approachable, inspirational.

But yet, I still have days when my old inner dialogue gets the best of me. When I think I'm not good enough, thin enough, smart enough, strong enough, perfect enough to be teaching others how to care for their bodies. I get down on myself and absolutely hate to have my picture taken or to watch videos of myself. That's when I have to take a step back and think about how I would coach a client who was thinking those same thoughts.

Still learning. Still practicing. That’s really what I mean when I say I practice what I teach.

Pausing when the all-or-nothing mindset starts creeping in.

Reaching out for support instead of staying stuck in my own head.

Reminding myself that one meal, one weigh-in, one picture or one hard week doesn’t define anything.

Giving myself credit for all the things I'm doing right and how far I've come, and giving myself grace when I fall short. That’s the work. That’s what I teach my clients. And that’s what I keep teaching myself.

Because progress doesn’t come from perfection. It comes from learning how to keep showing up, keep trying and moving forwad, even when it doesn’t come easy.

Especially then.