Julie Miller

Hi, my name is Julie Miller.  I fell in love with exercise at the age of 19. It was 1992, and other than Jane Fonda VHS fitness tapes, there really wasn't much available for someone who was interested in finding out how to be fit! The Internet wasn't invented yet, and the college I attended had one small exercise room, filled with only a few weight machines for the entire campus!!! It may sounds like I’m from the dark ages, but for the health-minded-wanna-be-fit, it was!!!!

After my first year in college, I came home and realized that the Freshman 15 was REAL!!  After reading the scale, I was on a mission, and that was.....to get into shape!!!  But how?  Learning about food wasn't easy.  Jelly was less calories than peanut butter??  What?!?!  That’s how uninformed I was about food! There was no information on carbohydrates, protein or fats.  Or maybe there was..... but I would have had to seek it out in the library (gasp!)…..you couldn’t just Google in those days!  I was raised on margarine, canned foods, soups and fatty meats, and many, many late night pizzas!! How will this work??

I knew that part of "getting into shape" was exercise.  I’ve always dabbled in workouts (Jane Fonda!) and occasionally made it to the small gym my campus offered. But, whatever I was doing wasn't working.  Around that time, I discovered a Cindy Crawford’s “Shape Your Body” workout video! It was a workout that incorporated weights and cardio, and I fell in love immediately!  And who doesn't want to look like Cindy Crawford?!?!

I was on a roll, and with Cindy’s video, and learning more about balancing my diet, I eventually lost 25 pounds!! I felt great! But what I learned through it all, was that I LOVE TO EXERCISE!!! The benefits were beyond just feeling great in your clothes, but it made me happy!! And that is the story of how my love affair with exercise began. Swoon!  

At the time, there were not as many options out there for a career in fitness. I could be a Nutritionist, or a Physical Education Teacher.  Science was not my thing and I am not an athlete, so those were out. I eventually graduated and entered the corporate world, married, and had a family. Fitness was always there for me, but I never thought I would have a chance to make it a career, until the city recreation center sent me a random e-mail asking if I wanted to learn how to be a Fitness Instructor!!  Well, yes, of course!!  I was certified in 2017 and now teach (surprise!) a Cardio and Sculpt class at 3 different gyms….. and the rest is history!!