…MY FRIEND ENCOURAGED ME TO COME TO A ZUMBA CLASS WITH HER. I STARTED FALLING IN LOVE WITH FITNESS AND SIMPLY STARTED ADDING A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO MY WORKOUTS EVERY WEEK.
Who is your trainer?
Cheyenne Weatherford
What makes him/her so special as a trainer?
I felt really confident training with him. He understands the science behind nutrition and building muscle and took the time to explain it to me. He allowed me to push myself harder than I would have training on my own, but also made sure I was doing it safely with all of my health issues.
Occupation details:
I own and operate a women’s boutique
Relationship status:
Married
Fitness Goals:
My goal has always been to take control of my health and be the strongest version of myself while battling MS. It’s hard to make long-term goals because MS is so unpredictable, but as long as I can I am going to focus on building muscle and just keep moving.
Bio:
I was somewhat athletic as a kid, participated in all the sports but was never a standout. I always seemed to be getting sick or injured, so around middle school, I decided to hang up my cleats. When I was 20 I married my high school boyfriend and moved to California. I started making really poor health choices at this point, drinking too much, and started a battle with emotional eating. The marriage fell apart and I was going through a divorce 3 years later. At that same time, I broke my back while sledding on vacation. Because of the injury, I spent almost 5 years in physical therapy and ended up having 2 major surgeries. I married my husband, Jason, in February 2011, a week before my second surgery. I had a complete fusion of my lumbar spine, making working out very difficult for me. Eight months after our wedding I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which suddenly explained why I was always sick as a kid. So, the emotional eating, the injury, and the MS started adding up and by 2017 I had gained 30 pounds. This is when I decided to take control of my health and just started by changing my eating habits. From there I started taking daily walks, and my friend encouraged me to come to a Zumba class with her. I started falling in love with fitness and simply started adding a little bit more into my workouts every week. Now I weight train on a regular basis, and as long as my body has the gift of movement I’m going to take full advantage of it. Staying physically strong helps me fight my MS; I have learned to use MS as my reason to be active instead of my excuse. It is empowering.
Training Plan:
I weight lift 4-5 times a week and try to do cardio 2-3 times a week.
Thoughts on HIIT, Powerlifting, TRX, Yoga, bodybuilding, other:
I think if that’s what gets you moving and active, that’s great! HIIT and powerlifting are not for me though. I love yoga, although I am not great at it because of my limited spinal mobility, I try!
Nutritional & Supplements:
I keep track of my nutrition with Macros. I started using a few products from Magnum Nutraceuticals to help me get over a plateau. I really felt a difference in my energy and saw results pretty quickly!
I STARTED USING A FEW PRODUCTS FROM MAGNUM NUTRACEUTICALS TO HELP ME GET OVER A PLATEAU. I REALLY FELT A DIFFERENCE IN MY ENERGY AND SAW RESULTS PRETTY QUICKLY!
Special skills?
I am an extremely organized person which helps keep me calm in high-stress and emotional situations. And I have a vast knowledge of useless information and trivia, which rarely comes in handy, but reduces awkward silence at parties.
What do your parents mean to you? What did they teach you?
My parents are by far two of my favorite people in the world. We live half a mile away from them and see them all the time. I am the middle of three children, and we’re all very different. Yet my parents knew how to love and encourage each of us exactly how we needed, and still do even though we are all in our 30s now. They taught me about hard work, dedication, integrity, kindness, and compassion. Most importantly they raised me in a house filled with faith and love, and that molded me into the person I am today.
What separates Status from other fitness magazines?
I feel like I can relate to the athletes featured in Status; especially the features on non-professionals that are just working to live a healthier life!
What would it mean to you to become the next Status Fitness Cover-model?
It would be mind-blowing, I can’t even imagine being on the cover of any magazine, let alone Status Fitness!
If you could ask Status Editor-In-Chief, Rodney Jang one question what would that be?
I love knowing how things get started, so I would want to know what went into getting the very first issue published.
What was it like working with Warren from Healthy Vision Photography?
Warren was amazing to work with. I was very nervous, but he put me at ease right away and I was able to really enjoy the experience.
6 things people would not know about you:
1. I am really shy; I seem more outgoing than I actually am. But it takes me weeks, if not months, to open up and feel comfortable in new situations.
2. I love challenging myself to try new things, especially if they scare me. Like rock climbing or public speaking.
3. I agreed to a first date with my husband because he owns a bakery, and won me over with desserts. Cheesecake brought us together!
4. I have an extra lumbar vertebrae.
5. We don’t have cable, and I don’t miss it at all.
6. I love planning events and parties. I get so much joy out of planning all the details and then seeing how special it makes the guests feel.
Who inspires you?
So many people… my husband (Jason) my Mom and Dad (Debbie and Robert) my Mother-in-Law (Rebekah), my sister (Jessica), my lifelong friend (Caty), my friends who keep me accountable with my health and help me challenge myself (Ashley, Caryn, Kayla, Kristina, Shawne). People that I do daily life with, that I see them hustling every day no matter what.
Who do you wish to inspire?
I want to be an inspiration to people who are fighting a battle with MS. It’s a terrible, strange disease that has a lot of hardships, but we can absolutely still live a healthy and active life. If I can inspire one person to fight their autoimmune disease with healthy life choices, that would mean the world to me.
STAYING ACTIVE AND FOCUSING ON NUTRITION HAS TAUGHT ME NATURAL WAYS TO HELP FIGHT AGAINST THE SIDE EFFECTS I FEEL FROM MY MS.
Transformation story:
During the first few years of my marriage (2011 to around 2015) I gained roughly 30 pounds due to injury and illness, but also poor health habits. When I decided to finally take my health into my own hands I slowly dropped the weight I had gained but also started noticing muscle definition. Starting in mid-2018 I started focusing on muscle growth and controlling my emotional eating. Staying active and focusing on nutrition has taught me natural ways to help fight against the side effects I feel from my MS.
Life goals:
I want to live a healthy life, where I find the good in each day, even the ones spent fighting the hard side effects of MS. I have a passion for sharing my faith and helping people in any way I can. It seems like a simple life goal, but I want to make a positive impact on the future, even if it just one person at a time.
5 lessons you have learned:
1. I am far stronger, physically and emotionally, than I ever imagined.
2. I learned to enjoy the process of working out. I used to do it as a punishment for my eating habits. Now I work out because I enjoy it.
3. Waking up at 4am to work out is not as hard as I thought it would be.
4. If I don’t want to do burpees, I don’t have to do them.
5. There is no end to the amount you can talk about fitness and food with your FitFam, and I never get tired of it
Music and artist you listen to while training:
It varies depending on my mood, anything from pop, rap (especially 90s), country, or worship music. Lately, I’ve been hooked on a Christian rap station.
Favorite actors/ movies:
I don’t really have any favorite actors. But my all-time favorite movies are Three Amigos and anything Monty Python.
Favorite books and authors:
I am always reading, so it’s surprising I don’t have a favorite author. I like autobiographies and motivational stories, mysteries, and of course all the nerdy fiction series like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.
5 most important attributes you see in a person?
Kindness, Integrity, Generosity, Sense of humor, Tenacity
Advice you can give to children who want to start training?
Find a sport or activity you love that gets you moving! If you love a sport, team, or individual, go after it with all you’ve got. The earlier you start living a healthy lifestyle the easier it will be to carry into your adulthood. And I especially want to inspire girls to get to the gym and lift weights… don’t be scared to be the only girl in the gym, be proud to be there! I wish I had started earlier in my life. Oh, and eat your vegetables… they are actually pretty tasty!
Favorite Quotes:
“Don’t quit…Never Give Up” Taylor Haugen
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” Philippians 4:13
