My journey in fitness and mind-body wellness goes back to a fairly young age. I was kind of an overweight kid but at 14 I got bit by “The Iron Bug” (as it is called by many gym rats). My family chiropractor gave me a little bench and weight set. I began my training,practicing what I had learned from my copy of “Arnold Schwarzeneggers’ Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding”.I did train very hard in my teenage years eventually doing actual bodybuilding competitions. Two years in a row I competed in the A.A.U. Junior Olympics in bodybuilding. Even earning a silver medal in my first year! During my years of bodybuilding I studied feverishly. I read all the different magazines and learned about training,nutrition,and supplementation. By age 19 I began working at a personal training studio. I got my first client shortly after that time. Her name is Carrie Fountain. She is one of my greatest success stories and consults me to this day on training advice.
I got my first Fitness Training Certification at 19. Over the next 5 years I worked primarily with bodybuilder preparing for competition. And regardless of what your personal opinion on bodybuilding is there is a great deal of work and detail that goes into the competitive aspect. I was fortunate to work with a small handful of aspiring bodybuilders. Overseeing their training and diets. At around 23 years old I began the next leg of my saga…. I had always had an interest in philosophy. I was intrigued by the fusion of philosophy and physical fitness that yoga seemed to promise. So I started on a path of hatha yoga. I took a few classes over a few years. But I mainly tried to explore on my own. I then fell into a job at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. I studied with a few Yogi’s there. But none of them spoke to me like a man by the name of Mark Whitwell. He helped demystify the practice of hatha yoga as well as shed a light on it's depths. I also studied at the Kripalu School of Massage and Bodywork where I learned swedish,deep tissue, energy balancing,shiatsu,and thai.
