AGE:  37

PROFESSION:  Middle School Music Teacher

HOMETOWN:  Concord, CA

COLLEGE:  USC Thornton School of Music

FAVORITE FOOD:  Cereal

FAVORITE PLACE VISITED:  Fiji

PLACE YOU WANT TO VISIT:  Bali

FAVORITE SINGER:  Adele

HOBBIES:  Watching TV, reading, and grown-up coloring books.

BACKGROUND:  I’ve suffered from chronic back pain for a long time and when COVID hit and I had to teach online, the sitting and inactivity made it worse than usual.  When my husband (also a Sonki Fitness All-Star!) booked us a trip to Costa Rica, I wanted to be able to keep up with him, so I thought it would be a good idea to join him for one 5-week session of Sonki Fitness Boot Camp.  That was back in May, and I have been consistently doing Sonki Fitness ever since.  Even though I don’t particularly love to exercise, Sonki Fitness has worked very well for me.  And my back pain has gotten much better.

What is your current exercise routine?  I do Sonki Fitness three times a week.  I am active at work, and I take my dog on long walks every day.

What is your motivation to stay in shape?  I want to stay healthy, mobile and flexible.  I want to get out of bed without pain.  I want to grow my self-confidence.  And I won’t lie – I love getting a compliment too!

What is your greatest challenge to staying in shape?  Consistency and sugar.

What is your key to success?  Just show up.  I’m not the kind of person who LOVES to exercise. (Sonki teases me that I like planking because I don’t have to move.)  I actually hate exercising and after teaching all day I almost never want to go to Boot Camp.  I just don’t listen to my negative thoughts.  I do show up, and even though I complain to my husband, grumble about it, and make unpleasant faces, I do it.  For me, that’s success.

What do you like about Sonki Fitness Boot Camp and how has it affected your life?  I ran track as a teenager and at 37 years of age running feels very different, so continuing to show up for Sonki’s class has been an exercise in accepting where I am and being patient with my progress.  My progress is steady. I can run a little faster, keep going a little farther and stick with each exercise for the full duration.  My body is more firm and I feel better in my clothes.

Sonki has graciously continued to encourage me despite my lack of enthusiasm.  When he nominated me for All-Star, I laughed out loud.  I’m an unlikely candidate, but I guess in the world of fitness, it doesn’t matter how you feel or what you think.  It matters what you do.

What advice would you give to others about fitness?  Focus on the long-term goals.  That way when the pounds don’t magically melt off like they did when we were in our 20’s, there’s still a reason to keep going.  And it’s ok to hate it.  Just do it anyway.