AGE:  30

PROFESSION:  Middle school teacher

HOMETOWN:  Northridge, CA   

COLLEGE:  University of San Francisco

FAVORITE FOOD:  Chicken tenders

FAVORITE PLACE VISITED:  Costa Rica! I really loved the lifestyle and the beach. Pura Vida!

PLACE YOU WANT TO VISIT:  Peru. Specifically I want to hike Machu Picchu.

FAVORITE MOVIE:  About Time and Miracle

FAVORITE SINGER:  Fleetwood Mac

HOBBIES:  Biking the strand. Taking my dog for long walks at the park or at the beach.

BACKGROUND:  I grew up in Los Angeles and have spent most of my time here. I grew up fairly active, swimming from an early age. I took on long distance running in high school and tried to maintain the miles and intensity  throughout college but slowly lost the drive to do it. I felt moderately in shape throughout my early twenties but in the last few years before I had started Sonki Fitness, I let work and other commitments get in the way of staying consistently active. I joined Sonki Fitness in June of 2018 after establishing a re-ignited love of working out a few months prior. I liked seeing the results I had gotten on my own but felt like I needed help in getting more significant results in strength and weight loss. I really liked that Sonki Fitness was something new, and it inspired me to up my workout game even on the off days. Since starting Sonki Fitness, I am back to distance running which I hadn’t done since high school.

What is your current routine?  Sonki Fitness on MWF 6:30 PM in Playa Vista. I try to run either at the gym or out at the beach 2-3 times a week and when I can, the Culver City stairs on weekends.

What is your motivation to stay in shape?  My motivation is the feeling of accomplishment after each workout and the fact that sticking with it consistently does yield results as I am down 30 pounds and have kept it off from when I started making workout a priority back in February of 2018. I also really like chicken tenders, so staying active and in shape allows me to keep eating them (in moderation, of course).

What is your greatest challenge to staying in shape?  For me the greatest challenge to staying in shape continues to be finding the time and energy. I work long hours during the week, and sometimes it is a real push to get out to the 6:30pm class or squeeze a gym trip after getting home at 8.   

What is your key to success?  My key to success is to make time to get in even the smallest amount of a workout to keep up the habit and maintain the momentum I’ve built.

What do you like about Sonki Fitness and how has it affected your life?  I really like that Sonki Fitness is both a challenging and supportive workout allowing me to adapt it to my needs without letting me give up. 

What advice would you give to others about fitness?  I would say that it is not too late to start from scratch in terms of your exercise goals. I really felt like I was at square one jumping back into an exercise routine last year and was surprised by how quickly my body adapted and was able to not only complete the challenging work I was doing at Sonki Fitness but push myself even harder.