...with Ernestina: Her honest and relatable fitness journey
My Background
I never thought or imagined I would want or even need a personal trainer. I thought personal trainers were for bougie people with too much money and time on their hands. Like really do you need all that attention? Just run, lift weights and eat right. Simple, right? Nooo! Not at all.
I’ve struggled all my life with overeating and lack of motivation to move my body (just out of sheer laziness). I was in this horrible cycle of emotional eating and then feeling worse about myself and repeat. Not only was I hurting myself emotionally but I was hurting my physical body as well by my horrible eating habits. Not a great cycle.
I’ve always held out hope that if I mustered up enough motivation and posted enough motivational quotes around me that I would just get healthy (like if healthiness would magically fall upon me). And maybe then I’ll be able to fit into those jeans (you know those jeans that are in the waayyy back of your drawer) that I’ve been saving for my #glowup. I’ve tried gyms, running on my own, YouTube videos with and without friends, group classes, and way too much to write about in this article. It would be great for a few weeks then I would fade away back into my old habits.
I eventually gave up and did not buy any new clothes for almost a year. I stopped looking in the mirror… not a way you want to live.
If this is you right now in this cycle, and if you take one thing away from this article, it’s don’t lose hope, and invest in yourself! I guess that’s two things.
Don’t stop reading because you think it’s cheesy or think you’ve heard it all before. Hear me out on why you need to get a personal trainer if you’re struggling in your health journey. I’m not saying a personal trainer will be the end all be all to your health journey, but it’s worth a shot (and the money!) especially if you are at the end of your rope.
My Experience with a Personal Trainer
I realized I couldn’t do it on my own and needed help. I said a little prayer to Jesus and asked for him to send me someone to help me on my health journey. I called Danielle who’s my ex-colleague because I remembered she became a certified personal trainer and because she’s fit and kind. I wanted someone who was kind and encouraging as a personal trainer. Not someone who evokes fear to get me to do 5 more reps since I knew fear can only go so far.
I asked Danielle to train me and she happily agreed. She conducted an evaluation and wrote down my goals. I knew I wanted to get healthy and strong.
To my surprise, after the first week of exercising I realized I’d been working out WRONG my entire life. Imagine that! Me working out all wrong—of course that makes sense!
No wonder I hated exercising so much and couldn’t find the motivation to do it.
It’s because you don’t have to kill yourself each time to get results. It’s all about meeting your body where it’s at.
Danielle showed me modified exercises that didn’t hurt my knees or neck. She showed me proper form when lifting weights. The best thing about a personal trainer is you just show up. All you need to bring is enough energy to meet your personal trainer, water, and a towel to wipe off all the sweat. They write a workout plan tailored to your body and fitness level. All their attention is on you for that hour. It’s pretty nice and very motivating.
Isn’t that amazing?! I’ve been doing it for a month and I absolutely love it. It has changed my life. I am so thankful for Danielle and her workout plans. I have self-confidence again. I bought new clothes. I feel beautiful and happy. I look forward to exercising now since I know what to do and have a workout plan to follow.
Thank you, Danielle! And for those on the fence of getting a personal trainer, just do it—you won’t regret it. You’re worth it.