I wanted to share my journey to fitness.

You might be just like me seven years ago. I spent a tremendous amount of time sitting as a writer. I’d been doing this for decades to the detriment of my body. Perhaps you are in the same boat.

I always did some form of exercise. I had been a dancer when I was younger and danced pretty seriously until I was about 30. I am a walker; I am not a runner. But I love a long walk and have spent years walking in Manhattan, on Mount Desert Island, and other hiking locations. 

But my fitness was sporadic and random. Sound familiar?

I used to work out on my own. First, I mostly did cardio. Randomly. I'd walk, as I mentioned. I'd bike. And I’d hop on the elliptical or treadmill at the gym. Periodically. Never regularly.

Then, in graduate school, a male friend was into lifting weights, and I thought I’d try it. I had turned 40 and had read something about bone density; perhaps I just had visions of what my body could look like. He also did an 8-minute core workout every night. For years, I didn’t join him on that one. My core was the last thing on my list for forever. Now, it is number 1.  I did what he told me, tried to follow his form, and developed a weight training routine.

Grad school ended, I returned to my YMCA in NYC. I noticed this cute, muscle-bound personal trainer working with people. I watched her for a while. Maybe she caught some of my not-so-good form out of the corner of her eye. Finally, I decided to approach her with a question about the core. It turns out she was a Brit with a cute accent to match her cute face and body. She answered my question. And I decided to ask her if I could train with her. This started a 15-plus-year relationship.

The basis of our relationship was form. I do something wrong. She tells me how to do it right. I do it wrong a lot, for a long time. She corrects me every time until it finally sinks in. My shoulders lowered sooner than my wrists straightened. My lower trapezius learned to pull down as I completed my overhead press. Doing shrugs helped. For a long time, my wrists would curl if I was doing a triceps press or a bicep curl. I was completely unaware. It never occurred to me to keep my wrist straight. I think there is a joke here. Finally, finally, I started to get it.

I am so grateful for my years focused on form with Claire Blaber. Yes, she has a name. Claire taught me about my body and how to get it more robust and leaner. Oh, the diets we would do together. I started working with her when I was 42 or so. I moved to Maine when I was 58.

Once in Maine, I was back on my own and back to random. I joined the YMCA and, at first, was primarily interested in swimming. I did some lifting, but not as much as I used to. I had weights at home, too, and rarely touched them. Back to random, but with beautiful hiking around Mount Desert.

I was approaching 60. I started thinking about the future. How did I want to age? What did I want to take on the journey with me? I thought I love bodies and movement. I love health and fitness. My role model is my Mom, who worked out in the 1960s when no one worked out and, like Ruth Bader Ginsberg, planks today at 88. I want to be like her at that age. 

So, I signed up to study to become a personal trainer with ACE Fitness. I watched the videos, I read the manuals, I studied – oh, how I studied – learning anatomy, how to do assessments, how to develop fitness programs in all modalities, nutrition, safety, and the job of being a personal trainer. I studied my little heart out and was thrilled beyond measure to pass the test in May of 2017—still a mere 59 years old.

I love to learn. Always have. So far, I have added certifications in Tai Chi, TRX, Mat Pilates, and AquaFitness. Still yearning for further growth, I attended Bold Coast Yoga School to complete my 200 hours to become an RYT with Yoga Alliance in 2019. My studies continued in 2020-21 with a Certificate in Nutrition and Healthy Living, and I started working on my Yoga Medicine® Therapeutic Specialist 1000-hour training, earning my first 500 hours in March of 2022.

Now, seven years into being a personal trainer, I’m the Health & Fitness Director at the Neighborhood House in Northeast Harbor, and I run Mighty Fit, my online fitness business. I love working in person and appreciate that online allows me to work with more people. My latest client lives in Vienna. How cool is that?

I still write, but now I sit up, supported by my core, with my arm bones in the socket and shoulder blades gliding down my back.

At 66 years old, I work out six days a week, blending strength training, yoga, Mat Pilates, Tai Chi, and hiking.

I’m here if you need me. I changed my life, and I can change yours.

I’m offering an intimate fitness experience. I want to get to know you and respond to your body and needs. This is what I look for when seeking Yoga teachers and personal trainers. You’ll know if this will work for you when you try it. There are various options for finding fitness guidance, from Peleton to Apple to Mirror to YouTube, trainer websites, and large gyms. Choose me if you have questions, would like a personal assessment of your posture, or would appreciate a program designed for your interests and goals if you want someone who listens and is attentive. I’m online in any way I can be of service to you. Customization is my motto. Ask, and ye shall receive. Results are us.”

-Andrea