Nikki Reed

I have been working for the National Guard Bureau since 2004. I was 9 years prior service in the Iowa & Maryland National Guard as a Medical Corps Officer, prior to that I was in the USAR as an enlisted plumber!! Yes, a plumber.. lol. I was the only female, clearly, plumber. I had a lot of fun enlisted. I had a great time at The University of Iowa ROTC program. Once I became an officer, I quickly realized it just wasn't for me. I preferred being enlisted. This leads to my fitness beginning...
In High School I was active in Track and Cross Country. I was really good until I hit Senior year. Back then, I did not know what eating right was. So, I started gaining weight. You know those folks that say "Oh, I am not fat, I am just bulky.." Well, that is what I was. I am 5'2 and was about 145 lbs. But let me tell you, I was SO competitive. So, when I joined the Army, I ALWAYS had to get taped (meaning, I never met the weight standard so they had a ridiculous calculation that taped around your wrists, hips and neck.. I cant remember where else.. I think that was it) and I always MAXED my Physical Fitness test!! I would always beat all the girls in my unit. In basic training I ran with the men in the "A" group, me and only one other female... so I never let that get in the way...it was just REALLY hard. Really hard on my body, that is.
So, in College I really became obsessive about losing weight. I would drink Diet Coke's everyday(This was in 1998-2002 before aspartame really was brought to the public's eye) and took ephedrine pills daily. I would run in the morning and then once again in the middle of the afternoon when it was over 100 degrees so I would sweat more. I was eating barely anything. Oh, I was losing weight alright, I got down to 125, but I was miserable to be around. I never wanted to join my family for Sunday or Saturday lunches when they came up from another town to visit. I was flat out mean because I had one thing on my mind and only one thing and that was to lose weight and keep it off. This was the only thing I knew. Running.
I then discovered another way to really burn calories, Bikram Yoga. It was HARD and I sweat a TON. So, I ended up moving from Iowa after college to the Washington D.C. Area. There I found a Bikram Yoga study that was downtown and would get home from work, change and directly get on a metro downtown to get to class. On the weekends I would run. Whether it was training for a marathon or a half marathon, running was the only way I knew to stay around the weight I felt good at.
Then I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. It really didn't affect my running at first because I went 4 years without having any attacks from the first initial one.
During those four years I discovered P90. I did it and I started to realize, hmmmmm I am seeing results without running everyday... So, after that I bought P90X in 2008. I did one round of it and continued to run and train with P90X. I also started teaching group fitness classes around that time at a local gym, after achieving my ACE Certification. So, around the time that I was over working my body in order to sustain the body I had, I started getting injured. I figured I had better stop something. I wasn't about to stop teaching, and I was OBSESSED with Tony (I still think his old jokes are funny!), so I thought FINE I will stop the running.
The first 2 months was TORTURE. I thought there is NO way I can stop running and maintain my body. But guess what? I kept going with the P90X and my body started looking different. Different than it had ever looked. I started developing my shoulder muscles, my biceps and triceps, my back starting looking amazing in tank tops and best were my legs... My legs had always been the worst part of my body (remember the stalky look) and all of a sudden my legs were getting SLIMMER!!! I was toning my legs just by lifting and using P90X!!! I didn't have to run to have amazing legs!! WHAT???
I then got pregnant and had my precious Dylan. After moving for the military, to Wisconsin, we built this amazing gym in our basement. I decided in order to get my body back after having Dylan I would start back up with P90X again, since it had been so long since my last round. I went back to my same mistake of adding running. I thought, I will train for a marathon while doing this round of P90X. WEll, my M.S. came back about 3 months into my training and stopped me DEAD HAULT. I had over stressed my body. I was breast feeding, training for a marathon, just moved to a town of 8,000 and left all my friends and my body said stop. That lasted a good 4 months of my attack. During this time I realized I may never be able to run again.
I was sad then, but I realized what I realized back in 2008... I DONT NEED IT! My body bounced back after my baby because of Insanity. I did a round of Insanity, round of P90X.
Since 2008, I have just been going from P90X, Insanity, P90X2 and have never looked or felt so great.
Of course the eating is a big part of how I look. The cleaner I eat, the better I look!!
I am Insanity certified and teaching twice a week at a local gym and P90X certified.

My passion in life is not my paying job at NGB. It is teaching my students in class the importance of clean eating and working out smartly. Not to spend 2 hours in the gym a day, but to do the right type of exercises that take LESS time. I really think Boot camp, high intensity interval training, is the smartest way to train. The EPOC that is produced after these type of workouts keeps your body burning more, longer after the workout. I love watching peoples health change through the classes they take. It is such an inspiration to me. My dream is to be able to quit my paying job and work full time helping others with their fitness.