Day in the Life: Fitness Writer + Personal Trainer & Instructor

Hi friends! I am so flattered that Cara has asked me to participate in this series. Not only do I admire her for all she does, after only one meet and greet, her passion for health and fitness was not only present, it was palpable.

Fittingly, our friendship blossomed when I met Cara for the first time at Sweetgreen. She had been reading my healthy living blog, The Trendy Trainer for some time and had most recently joined me on the journey to my new profession, a health and fitness writer for BostInno, a local online media publication.

Was I a journalism major in college? Nope. Did I receive my masters in exercise science? Not me! Unlike what you may have thought, I graduated from The University of Tampa with my BFA in Art History — nothing related to the fitness industry, whatsoever.

However, I believe wholeheartedly that this is what I am meant to be doing: helping others become their best selves, whether through the words that I write or the classes that I teach. If at the end of the day someone has been positively affected by a post I’ve written or I’ve motivated them in any way to make a healthier decision — I’ve done my job.

But this career of writing and teaching hasn’t always been so balanced. For three years I was writing Trendy Trainer on the side of my full-time work as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor. I was coaching high school lacrosse and had home clients which was easily contributing to working over 12 hour days. And while I was preaching this healthy lifestyle, I sure as hell wasn’t practicing it. I was burnt out, plain and simple.

When I got the job with BostInno, I was still able to teach 2 classes a week, but for the most part my world was drastically different. I now have to schedule in workouts and modify my diet to fit my less active lifestyle. Overall, I am so much happier and healthier than I was when I was working at a gym. I finally have learned the importance of making time for me. And that, just like discovering your passion, is a priceless feature to find.

No snooze button here! (6:00 a.m.) Alarm goes off! Unlike the days of working at the gym, this is sleeping in! I make myself a large cup of hot water with lemon and begin to get ready for work.

Commuting with my peeps. (7:00 – 7:45 a.m.) I used to hate the MBTA. But after driving around this city and on the Pike at rush hour, I now find something calming about not being in control. Oxymoron, I know! Not to mention, the single girl in me likes the eye candy on the red line.

News never sleeps. (7:45 – 11:30 a.m.) I work crafting interesting articles all morning long! Typically, I break up the day with two posts in the morning and two in the afternoon, each having a focus on either nutrition or fitness happenings in Boston.

Motivate the masses. (11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.) Every Tuesday and Thursday I am lucky enough to be able to leave work for a few hours to got teach group exercise classes. I make the trek from Faneuil Hall to Harvard Business School to motivate my students in either Bootcamp and Spin; which are my absolute favorites! Both classes work so unbelievably hard. Every week I leave radiating — I am so proud of my students!

Back at it! (2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.) After a quick shower, I’m heading back across the river to finish out my work day at the office. There are some nights where I attend Boston fitness-related events. While it makes for long days, I absolutely love meeting other fitness enthusiasts in the Hub. Again, something about that  shared passion-thing, it’s contagious, I love it.

My time. (7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) If there is no event, and I haven’t taught that day, I head to a group fitness class. This is my time to focus on my own goals and not let there be any distractions. My go-tos recently are CorePower Yoga, Flywheel and Baptiste yoga. Since I am not a yoga instructor, there is something really enjoyable about just being a student. Talk about Namaste.

Sound machine, on. (10 p.m.) I love my sleep. And if this means I have the opportunity to let my head hit the pillow at 9, I take it. Of course, every evening is different, but when I can it’s sweatpants, glass of wine and catching up on episodes of Girls, Homeland or my newest obsession, True Detective.