Wednesday Warrior - Courtney
Inspiring Growth
Courtney's story is inspiring and warms my heart to the core. I have known and worked with Courtney since she was 16 years old. She has shown great growth in all facets of life in the passed 5 years. Figuring out how to manage her lifestyle away from home to discovering how she can help others through her education and experience. I look forward to her next chapter from a client to a colleague.
Courtney's Story
My drive to learn and love to exercise resulted from many factors over the years, almost like a domino effect that eventually led to what felt like an impossible fix. All throughout elementary school and into high school I always felt like the chubby girl surrounded by very skinny friends, who could also eat whatever they wanted and never put on any weight. Sound familiar? I played sports and was relatively active, but never knew what it meant to have a physically activelifestyle. In my first year of college I exceeded the Freshman15 by putting on at least 25 pounds in my first semester. Over the next 3 years my weight was like the ultimate rollercoaster, going up when I was at college, and going down when I was home on break. There were days when I would just cry because of how I felt about myself. During this time I was studying to be a PE teacher and I could not stand the fact that I was being trained to go into the school system teaching about healthy living and not living one on my own. This amongst other things, really motivated me to start living differently.
It wasn't really until my last year of college that I slowly started to lose weight (and keep it off). I was changing what I ate and how I exercised, finally feeling like I could re-stack those dominos and reach my goal weight. Since then, I have met my goal weight as well as slowly become stronger and more lean (I have lost almost 35 pounds since I was at my heaviest in college and have been able to maintain this weight now for over a year, the longest I have gone since entering college without putting on weight). Additionally, I felt like other aspects of my life have become more balanced and well-rounded.
One of the most important things I've learned through all of this is that eating well and being physically active is not fixed in just a few months and then it stops. It is a daily commitment for a lifelong investment. I have learned that even though I do feel better about my weight and how I fit in my clothes, I have also effected my future - to be able to continue to move and be active well into old age. This change has now led me to continue my education and work to get my Masters in Kinesiology as well as studying to become a Certified Health Fitness Specialist, enabling me to work with and inspire others to meet their goals and hopefully help them live a healthier and happier life. The fitness world these days is innovative and creative, always coming up with new and fun ways to stay fit and I love that I get to be a part of that.
