I’ve been with Four Seasons for over 3 years now – 2 of them as a Group Fitness instructor. My education includes certificates in both personal training and group fitness instruction, as well as WERQ, POUND, Buti Yoga, and Group Power. My passions are fitness, helping others improve their health, and empowering other women to be more and take charge of their life, health and happiness. Outside of the studio I enjoy powerlifting and strongman training, learning more about topics that interest me and spending time with my 3 children and husband.
The thing I love most about instructing is getting to know the people that come to workout with me and learning about some of the extraordinary circumstances that people deal with. From the great-grandparents that want to be able to keep up with their grand-babies, to the women that are struggling with some hardcore but invisible diseases (autoimmune and the like), I am inspired by everyone that joins me in the studio every week. We have such an amazing and diverse population at Four Seasons and it is that a reminder that our differences are what makes life beautiful.
According to the wonderful people who take my classes, my energy and enthusiasm makes me stand out as an instructor. Little do they know, it’s really just the insane amount of coffee I drink shining through! I hope that another thing that makes me stand out is my emphasis on just moving your body in a way that makes you feel strong, powerful, and happy as opposed to punishing it for extra calories or trying to force it to look a certain way. I try to make fitness fun and accessible for everyone because it’s so important to move your body, not just to look a certain way or lose weight but in order to live a long, healthy and happy life. Not that there is anything wrong with losing weight or building muscles, but I try to make that a secondary benefit in my classes. It’s more important for me that my participants leave with a smile on their face than it is for them to burn x amount of calories or feel “bikini ready.”
My favorite thing about Four Seasons is that it really is a family environment. Not just that families are encouraged to be active together, but that the second you walk into the studio on your first day of class, you’re part of the family and we’ve got your back. In almost every class I see one of our ‘regulars’ take a first timer under their wing, and every time it makes my heart smile. That is such a rare thing to find, not just in a gym situation, but over all in life. Most everywhere you go in life there’s competition and jealousy, especially among women. But at Four Seasons, both between the staff and with the members, there’s this huge every growing community that wants to see each other succeed. I also really love the facilities at Four Seasons I for being able to take my children to play in the gym or to swim. And I also love my Childcare ladies. Having started out in Childcare at Four Seasons, I have a special insight into just how special and amazing our Childcare workers are. They love my kids, and all the kids they have in their care, and it shows.
POUND is a movement experience unlike anything I’ve come across. Just the concept – a drumming inspired workout that puts weighted sticks in your hands and puts you through moves that work your muscles and heart but also releases your inner Rockstar- is completely different than any traditional workout I’ve ever come across. It’s this unique blend of cardio and strength work but it does it in a way that, when the class is over, your body is tired but your mind is craving more. The workout goes by so fast and you leave with wobbly legs. The benefits of it are crazy too. You get the heart health benefits of a HIIT style cardio workout, and the ever important bone building work of weight bearing strength workouts that one would expect. Plus, hitting things with sticks is such a fantastic way to release stress, and it’s a great way to improve hand eye coordination and strengthen your brain by forcing you to create connections between the movements and the rhythm. If you’re a science nerd like I am, there have been several studies lately that link drumming and improved Alzheimer’s outcomes. Since my main priority is helping people live longer, healthier lives this POUND perk is important to me, more so than the potential to burn lots of calories! There’s also just something magical about that first strike of each class, when everyone takes a breath, puts aside their day-to-day stresses and comes together to move their bodies and make lots of noise. That moment is what hooked me into POUND. The absolute best part of POUND is that it can be modified to fit your body. We have used steps, Bosu balls, chairs and more to make sure the benefits are accessible to everyone. No matter age, body type or level of fitness – POUND is for you!