Over the last 8 years my passion for health and fitness has grown. Going to the gym was the only way I could/can alleviate ongoing stress. I like being challenged to see how much I can lift and there's no better competitor than me, myself and I. While being on a trip to Arizona this past summer, I knew I wanted and needed to change things from myself, I wasn't putting my own happiness first. The minute I got back home, I threw myself into school.
This past weekend I received so much support from everyone and it meant a great deal to me. Several people have asked why I decided on Can Do Fitness. That answer to me is simple. Living and growing up with Cerebral Palsy has had it's challenges and I will continue to face those challenges as they come. What I've refused to do is let this disability define me. My parents were told early on that I may not walk, talk or I could have a learning disability. One of those three scenarios was true. I never let a physician or physical therapist set limitations for me. If someone told me I couldn't do something, that was enough to fuel the fire and I would purposely do the very thing they said I couldn't, just because I didn't like being told "you can't." I may not have been able to do things the exact same way as my peers, but I always found a way to work around my "limitations." My parents always encouraged me to try anything I was curious about, so my nickname from my parents became our "can do kid."
As a trainer, I want to work with individuals who are coming back from injuries or are facing their own disabilities. I want every client I work with to feel like they CAN accomplish every goal they set for themselves, we just might have to work around certain situations to reach the overall goal. I never want someone I work with to set limitations for themselves just because of their own circumstances.
There has never been a single person in this world that has never been told "you can't." We all face challenges, but it's how you deal with them that make or break you. You don't always overcome every obstacle that comes at you, but you can find ways to work around them and I will strive to help each person see their unlimited potential. My favorite saying is from Henry Ford, "whether you think you can or can't, either way you are right."
