“I always say I found myself through fitness.”

Crystal | Personal Trainer & Health Coach

Life got real freshmen year in high school. From that point, it was a roller coaster filled with many hardships, instability, moving around constantly, and being pulled in so many directions by others. I sustained soft tissue injuries in both wrists, I was severely depressed, suffering from severe anxiety, and my body was riddled with eczema and psoriasis. By 2017, I was 35 lbs overweight. I was putting myself through college, dealing with both parents in the hospital for two severe but separate reasons, and grieving my grandmother's passing. I'm the youngest of six kids, but with my sisters living their own lives and my brothers incarcerated, I was left to pick up the piece and maintain a juggling act that is wearing me down. It was during that time when I gained the most weight. I didn't recognize or like the person I saw in the mirror. I felt defeated by life and as if I was barely keeping my head above water. That's when I turned to fitness again, but this time around, it became my safe haven. It was the only time I truly had to myself, the one thing I could control, and for once, I was pouring into my cup. Fitness was no longer a task but something I enjoyed and looked forward to every day. Fitness became the vessel for me to reconnect with myself, get in tune with my body, and, most importantly, was the gateway for me to deepen my spirituality, which renewed my faith. I always say I found Myself through fitness.