How I Got Introduced Into Fitness

I have found that a lot of the passions that I have in life, that feel true to my core, and that I can remember, were introduced to me during my elementary school years. As a kid sports were a large part of my life. I was introduced to wrestling at the earliest age of about 4 or 5, then soccer & t-ball, football followed around 3rd grade, baseball shortly after and then finally track & field. Activity was always around when I was young and that was where I made a lot of my life long friends. My association with fitness has always been a net positive for me but it is not the main reason why I choose this as my profession.

I grew up in a smaller town in West Michigan with both of my parents being public school teachers within the school system that they grew up in. And where my grandfather also taught. My father was a varsity wrestling coach first and foremost, a varsity football coach, and a varsity throwing coach for the track and field team. Hopefully you can picture the amount of time and attention that was committed to sports, coaching, teaching and community involvement. Over the course of my childhood, I heard about all types of kids that my parents taught, and all types of parents they had to deal with as teachers and my father as a coach as well. If you were wondering what teachers talked about outside of work, to their friends and too each other, its usually about the kids they are teaching. The good and the bad.

I’ve heard about kids overcoming immense obstacles, kids missing opportunities, parents being helpful, and parents being the problem. They would always discuss how they could help, provide support, how they could celebrate wins for their students and give praise to the parents. I could give thousands of examples here, but we will save those for another time. This was what I grew up hearing my entire life up until I moved away to college. But, throughout those years between then and now a past student more often than not, would seek out my parents and tell me how much their teaching or coaching helped them in other aspects of life. The joy on each face was impossible to miss and it always left an impact on me.

I chose personal training to continue on with that tradition of helping others realize the potential that they have in their life, and how having an active and mobile body can be a major advantage when it comes to living out a fulfilling life.

The motto of StoelenStrength is “Taking Back Control” You were given a body when you were brought into this world and to use it as a tool to make an impact and steer your own ship. I want to carry on the tradition of helping others steer their own ships and succeed in what life they want to live.