Gym Intimidation in LA LA Land

When my story was published at about.com. The writer addressed the issue if gym intimidation that I had brought up in the article. It is not easy to motivate yourself when you are obese, especially at a prominent gym in Los Angeles, where all the pretty people live! I lived through this and something inside of my head kept me coming back. I was miserable. I wore men's baggy clothes. I was terribly depressed. I was certain that people were making fun of me, especially the men. When you are 210 pounds, you become invisible to the beautiful people. They look right through you and it is incredibly intimidating. "Optimal Fitness is Achieved Through the Infinite Power of Your Mind." This is my Mantra...this is how I got through it. Seeing results really helped me. My family's encouragement helped me get through it. The INCREDIBLE people I met at the gym got me through it. I lost those 75 pounds with hard work and dedication to myself. I became selfish with my time. My family learned how to deal with it. My family changed too. My Family's nutrition changed for the better!. I have influenced them to eat healthier and work out to stay fit. I am proud of what I have done and I give credit to everyone who has helped me along the way. My idea when I became a personal trainer is to help those women out there who were going through what I went through. I train women in-home so they don't have to deal with gym intimidation. I build their self confidence and train in a gentle, but powerful way of changing their lives as I have done so they can walk into a gym with their heads up high with pride.
The other day, a very dear friend of mine told me, "You own the gym". I was taken aback. I think I actually blushed! I thought about it and yes, I feel like I own the place. My self esteem has grown, yes, I still feel very modest about my accomplishments, but I walk with my head up high into the "Men's section" and don't feel intimidated anymore. The message here is If I can do it, anyone can. You just have to believe in yourself and it is rewarding for me to help those on their journey in any way that I can. There is no time than right now to start. Use a daily journal to write down not only what you are eating, but how are you feeling when you eat. Write down your thoughts and then re-read it before you go to bed. One foot in front of another and take every day as another blessing towards your goals. It truly can happen to you...be patient thought!