Get to Know Allison
Allison has enjoyed fitness from a young age. She was involved in various sports, including martial arts, the swim team, and gymnastics. Her passion for fitness grew during college, where it became a vital part of her overall well-being, encompassing both mental, physical, and emotional health. After earning her B.A. in English, she began working as a Fitness Instructor, inspired by how transformative fitness could be.
What inspired you to become a personal trainer?
After college, I started working as a group fitness instructor. I really enjoyed the energy and comradery of it – and still do to this day! I had a decent understanding of exercise and movement, but it became apparent to me that there was a whole field of knowledge that I didn’t have and wanted to understand. I wanted to help people not only achieve their goals but also feel comfortable and confident with exercising. So while getting my MFA in creative writing, I decided that I also wanted to get my personal training certification!
What’s your favorite part of training clients?
Getting to know and helping the clients! It’s why I wanted to become a personal trainer in the first place. I love when a client starts to feel excited and proud about what they’ve been able to accomplish.
What was your fitness journey like?
As far as I can remember, I’ve always been moving. When I was younger, exercise was a way to regulate my anxiety. It helped me get out all that pent up energy through sports like gymnastics, swimming, running, and martial arts. When I went off to college and stopped doing sports, I decided to try the gym. And because I had no idea what to do with all the machinery, I hopped into one of the group classes they were offering and fell in love with it! All through college I took whatever classes I could fit into my schedule. I loved it so much I asked for a gym membership as my graduation gift. And soon after, I became an instructor myself - And the rest is history!
How do you balance fitness with the rest of your life?
To me, exercise is essential because of how much it helps me to feel better overall. I try to do around 30 - 45 minutes of exercise most days of the week. My workouts can look a variety of different ways with a variety of intensities, depending on how I’m feeling that day. I definitely prioritize it in my life!
What are your current personal fitness goals?
Right now, I am focusing on maintaining the strength I’ve built and continue to work on the areas for me that cause me problems. I have a horrible lower back from two traumas to my tailbone, and I am always working on building strength and flexibility there.
What’s your favorite exercise?
I love anything working the upper body – chest press, rows, bicep curls…even pushups!
What’s your least favorite exercise?
Bulgarian split squats specifically, but in general working the lower body always takes a lot more convincing for me to do!
What type of workouts do you enjoy most (e.g., weightlifting, cardio, yoga, HIIT)?
I’ve always loved kickboxing. I’ve done martial arts in the past (and gotten my blackbelt from it!) as well as taught a cardio style kickboxing class for many years. It’s my go-to for whenever I’m feeling stressed and need to work it out!