FAQs
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I am constantly in search of new credentials to improve my services and offerings. ACSM requires 45 continuing education credits to renew certifications, so I maintain those as well as seeking new opportunities for certification.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
My entire life has been a fitness journey in some way, shape, or form. I started playing soccer at a young age and eventually progressed into Tae Kwon Do as soon as I was old enough to participate. Through high school, I was able to supplement my competitive Tae Kwon Do training with cross country running to improve my endurance in the ring. From the age of 15 to the age of 21, I was competing on a national level in Olympic Tae Kwon Do and was even invited to try out for the US Olympic Tae Kwon Do team. Realizing I was not ready to compete internationally, I switched my focus more toward coaching of competitors. This is where I discovered my calling. By the age of 21, I was so wrapped up in my studies at Georgia State University that I eventually decided to hang up my Tae Kwon Do journey in pursuit of higher education. I graduated with a B.S. in Exercise Science and attained ceritifcations through the American College of Sports Medicine as a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), Health Fitness Specialist (HFS - soon to be renamed Certified Exercise Physiologist), and the Level 2 Exercise is Medicine Credential. At this point I thought I had it all figured out. I was now armed with a competitive sports background and an education to back it up. I began to immerse myself in the world of weightlifting and personal training in several different gyms along my journey. I was promoting healthy active living and I seemed to be the poster child for it in my own mind. By 2012 things took a drastic turn and i really let myself go. I was fat and out of shape. I was depressed from stress at work and my outlet for stress relief shifted from exercise to junk food. Every day I was forced to take a handful of prescription medicine to be able to function from day to day. By January 2013 I had had enough. I joined a 3 month weight loss challenge at an unhealthy 212 lbs. Ten days into the challenge I had stopped taking all of my prescription medicine cold turkey. I knew as an ACSM credentialed professional that Exercise is Medicine and was bound to prove it. Three months later I walked into my annual physical at a healthy 192 lbs. to my doctor's surprise. I told him I was no longer taking my prescriptions and was determined to never need them again. This is where my real fitness journey began.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
I specialize in general fitness, body recomposition, total body transformation, and contest prep. Whatever your goal may be, together we will arrive at a personalized plan to meet your fitness goals.