Meet School Counselor, Fitness Blogger, Fitness Trainer & Health Coach: Lizzy Wingate

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lizzy Wingate.

Lizzy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Starting in 2012, I began my “fitness” journey. I didn’t know much about the gym. I was intimidated by feeling like I didn’t know what I was doing in the weight room. So, I started running. I ran 3-5 times a week. I slowly worked my way to a 5k, then 10ks, then a half marathon! While I was seeing changes in my body, health, and life, I wasn’t satisfied. I didn’t want to have love handles anymore; I wanted to have a sexy back; I wanted to have legs like Carrie Underwood. I started doing research on how I could get the body that I’ve always dreamed about. I joined a gym and they had a free personal training session. I was still feeling very self-conscious about going to the gym and not being familiar with the machines so I signed up for personal training once a week. This. Changed. My. Life. My personal trainer helped me, inspired me, motivated me, and held me accountable. I learned so much! I fell in love with health, wellness, and fitness.

I started posting pictures on my personal Instagram account about my newfound love of fitness and working out, and some of my friends starting getting mad at me (jokingly) for how good I looked! This sparked my idea of starting an anonymous fitness Instagram account, @Cardio.Weights.ProteinShakes. That way, I wouldn’t make my friends feel as guilty for their poor habits, but I could also inspire others to get on the right track! My Instagram started gaining followers and supporters, so I expanded to other social media networks (Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Blog, etc.). People would message me asking me questions and telling me how inspiring I was. Words can’t express how touching these messages were. I then started to train others online (and in person) to help them reach their fitness and health goals!

Has it been a smooth road?
Is any road to reaching your goals smooth? No! There have been a number of roadblocks for me. I’ve suffered from injuries that have kept me from my normal gym routine. I had a bad spell of back and shoulder muscle spasms (I’ve never felt pain like those before!!) that have put me in the hospital. I’ve lost my motivation from time to time. When I hit a plateau or when I’m not seeing the results I want, my initial reaction is “Is it all for nothing?” Work will get overwhelming and I’ve got too much going on… So, I’ll want to skip the gym. With each of these roadblocks, I’ve had to take a step back and do what’s best for me. It’s not the end of the world to take a few days off. Our minds and bodies need a break from time to time. We just can’t lose sight of our goals. Think of it this way… If you have one flat tire, would you slash the other three? NO! You do what you need to do to fix the flat tire. And then you get back in the car and drive to your destination. Don’t give up completely with a setback or two.

What are your plans for the future?
My future plans include continuing my education! I plan to obtain more credentials and certifications for more specialized fitness and health services.

Let’s go backward a bit – can you tell us about the most trying time in your career?
I’ve experienced many hard times getting to where I am today. I think the hardest time in my life was when I was in college, trying to figure out my next steps in life (which is hard to do when you’re a young adult!) and also recovering from major bone surgery. I had to have my jaw (upper and lower) broken and so I couldn’t open my mouth past 1 centimeter for over 2 weeks. Eating was nearly impossible. I couldn’t keep the pain medication down. And, as you can imagine, I couldn’t exercise whatsoever. I lost a lot of my “gains” and endurance. I’d like to say that I just had one of those “wow” moments where a light bulb went off over my head and I re-discovered my path. But, it took a lot of time, and trial and error, before I was able to truly get back on my feet. Getting my motivation back to apply to graduate school, eat well, workout, etc. was gone. One of the biggest things that helped me was making a goal… a goal that I knew I wouldn’t wiggle my way out of. I signed up for the Savannah Rock n Roll Half Marathon. The entry fee, plus taxes, plus the hotel cost was over 300$. There was NO way that I was going to waste that money! Making this goal and committing (with money) was the determining factor.

Do you ever feel like “Wow, I’ve arrived” or “I’ve made it” or do you feel like the bulk of the story is still unwritten?
I think the moment where I knew I’d made it was when I had people reaching out to me and asking them for my expertise, advice, and help. When you’re new in your field/career, you feel like the rookie…as if you need to check with your supervisor or teacher to make sure you’re doing it correctly before you do it. But when others, even those IN the field, come to you for that?! It’s priceless.

Pricing:

• 8 Full Workouts for a specific body part, 15$ each. (I.e. 15$ for my Leg Day Workout Program which includes: 8 full workouts designed to strengthen and tone your legs, $15 for my Ab Program, which includes: 8 full workouts designed to strengthen your core and work your way to a 6-pack, etc.). The programs I have available are Back Workout Program, Arm Workout Program, Booty Building Workout Program, No Equipment Needed Workout Program, Leg Workout Program, Ab Workout Program. Price listed is for ONE body part’s program. It is sent via e-mail. With purchase of the program, I am available to answer any questions regarding the workouts i.e. how to do a specific exercise). Get 3 programs of your choosing bundled together for $40. If purchasing more than 3 programs, each additional program after the $40 for 3 is $7.50 per program.
• 45 minute Video-Chat Consultation: $10, Via Skype or Google Hangouts to answer any of your questions!
• For a personal training session with me, $20 for 30 minutes, $35 for an hour.
• For a custom-made, personalized 12-week workout program tailored to your specific needs, $80. Included: 45-minute Video Chat Consultation to talk about your goals and what you want to focus on; 12-week program (each week will have 3-5 workouts) sent via email. And I will be available via email to answer any and all questions throughout the 12 weeks.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.cardioweightsproteinshakes.com
• Email: cardio.weights.proteinshakes@gmail.com
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/cardio.weights.proteinshakes
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/cardioweightsproteinshakes
• Other: http://pinterest.com/LizzyCWPS