INSPIRISTA'S FITNESS JOURNEY

Today I will be sharing my own personal fitness journey along with transformation pictures of how I

have changed over the years.

To start this off I want to first say that I have been pretty active my whole life (gymnastics, softball, karate, cheer, dance), so my transformation isn't dramatic or this crazy miracle weight loss story, but once I got older I was noticing how unhealthy my routine was...eating out basically every night and only getting my exercise in through dance or cheer.

When I came to college in 2007, the first 2 years I did nothing but party, eat a ton of fast food, and sit on my lazy butt. In 2009, where I am going to begin this journey, is when things slowly started to change. I tried to be a bit more active (still eating out and drinking regularly though) by joining a dance team and taking fitness classes...occasionally. I wasn't that in to taking pictures or flaunting my body...well not in a healthy "wow look at how hard I've worked" way, but more like "hey look titties..." not very reflective of who I actually was personally, just more to explain the different ways of flaunting your body.

2009

As you can see I definitely had a gut going on there, which was by far the hardest thing to get rid of (still to this day it will sometimes come back depending on my what I eat), and not until I changed my diet did I start to see actual ab definition; although it did flatten out once I started working out heavier and more frequently. However, these changes didn't take place until 2011 when I started getting much more serious. Unfortunately, in 2010 you could see the effects of partying and drinking taking their toll on my body. The pooch remained and I had very little muscle tone or even strength for that matter.

2010

I didn't think I drank that much at the time, but once I started looking back through these pictures I realized I was drinking pretty regularly. This is what kept the pooch alive...soon I started to feel sluggish and tired all the time. Having that constant feeling is when I knew I needed a more drastic change in my routine. Luckily, I had my roommates at the time (all boys) who were all really into Insanity (it's this high intensity fitness routine, that follows along a schedule - I'll explain more about it another time) and I ended up joining in with them every time they worked out. I found myself becoming swifter, lighter on my feet, and able to keep up with the professionals in the video...it was at this moment my love for fitness began. I also became more consistent with dance and it was during 2011 when I started teaching my Hip Hop classes at UCR's Rec Center with one of my best friends Gabe.

2011

From 2012-2013 I started regular working out, still not changing my diet though, as well as not really lifting heavy. I pretty much stuck to cardio, light weights or machines, and the occasional fitness class. Also, I was still teaching dance classes, but again that falls into cardio so I could see muscle definition, however had hardly any physical strength.

2012-2013

The last 3 years have been my most active within the fitness world. I have really grown my passion for exercise and healthy living, which I think ties in very well with my interests in sustainable design and environmental impact. I also gained more confidence and learned just how capable I really am...like I used to watch videos of women doing these crazy yoga inversions or curling a 30lb dumbell and now I'm one of them. Currently, I weight 135lbs (as of today...I usually fluctuate between 125-135), am about 5'7", and I've never felt better!!! Feeling strong and confident is one of the best feelings and I think it is what has a lot to do with my daily positive energy.

2014-2016

Well that's my journey so far and as you can see it is definitely a slow process...so don't get discouraged!!! Keep trying and pushing; I promise you will start to see results if you really dedicated yourself to the practice as well as put in the effort, and then some. This wasn't easy for me either and I think the hardest part was switching up my diet, but now that I have I couldn't imagine going back. Of course I treat myself, I mean don't get me wrong I freaking love bread and deserts, but it really is all about balance...just as anything in life. I'd like to hear more about others fitness journey's. I think it's fascinating learning where people have come from and just how much they've grown.

Here's me featured on the cover of UCR's Rec Center Magazine...never would I have thought I would be on anything like this, I mean I know it's not a well known magazine or anything, but it is still an accomplishment to me!

I'll continue with the workout tips and demonstrations with the hopes of inspiring others to get out there and achieve the results you want. There's no use whining about it anyways....GET OUT THERE AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!! Remember, you are the only person who can change your life or your routine.

ESCAPE THE ORDINARY!!!