Growing up as an overweight child wasn’t easy. I would go to school every day and hear the ridicule and comments of the “popular” kids. They would play practical jokes that would, at times, send me home in tears.  People talk all the time about going back and wanting to do it all over again, how differently they would do things hoping for a different end result. I have absolutely no desire to go back and relive elementary or high school.  One of the impacts this has had on my life is this desire to be “perfect”. Rarely leaving the house unless hair and make-up are done, projects have to be done to perfection, never allowing myself to make a mistake and if I do the self-criticism that would take place would blow a sane person’s mind. One the other hand, I would have an enormous about of grace and generosity should someone else be struggling with a mistake they made and needing some help to see their way through it. Over the last year I have taken on retraining myself. I am now a “recovering perfectionist”.

Emilia being a cheerleader

On Friday it was goal setting and habit cracking time with Emilia after our session. Here are some of the great things about Emilia. She never yells, only encourages. Never judges, only motivates and no matter what you throw at her will ALWAYS look for the solution. Emilia has redefined what a “personal trainer” is for me. I used to think that the only thing they did was train you on the fitness level. Emilia and her partner Taren, train you on all levels because they acknowledge without changing you on a lifestyle and nutrition level, the fitness level is, to a certain degree, futile. They are your cheerleaders, especially when you aren’t.