I‘m Bettina Schoeps, a 20-something German girl living in New York City and chasing my dreams. I grew up in a really small village in Germany and was a pretty active kid. I biked around town all day long with friends, played soccer outside for hours and enjoyed being active and whirly.

When I grew up – let’s say after I reached puberty – my interests changed and being active was not one of them anymore. I still played tennis once a week which I had started during my kindergarten days, but that was it. When I turned 18 and was finally allowed to drive my own car I refused to walk around totally. I drove everywhere. Unfortunately this lifestyle including partying and unhealthy eating habits continued until we moved to New York City in 2014.

When I look back I think moving overseas was the biggest and most challenging move I’ve ever done in my life. At that time my English was pretty bad as I didn’t practice it and in my past jobs it had not been required. So I found myself kind of lost in this concrete jungle and had no idea what to do with myself. I only knew one thing: I definitely did not want to work in my old job again and I definitely didn’t want to sit in a little office for several hours a day, and not enjoying a single second scared me. New York City was and I guess will always be a super fascinating and pulsating city. Inspired by it, I started my very first blog and wrote about fashion and lifestyle. I learned a lot about social media and figured out that the fashion circus out there was also not my biggest passion. I still enjoy my clothes and especially my shoe collection but I think I’m not that kind of person to share it and only be focused on it every single day. I actually prefer sweatpants and workout gear.

Thanks to my blog and social media I found and met Kayla Itsines, a personal fitness trainer from Australia, who became very successful and is known for her “Bikini Body Guide” #BBG a 12-week program, based on body weight training exercises.

Because of the lifestyle I had been living for a very long time I felt unhappy, unhealthy and not really confident in my own body. Inspired through Kayla Itsines and her numerous clients who showed before and after pictures I decided to invest in her program as well and started working out for the first time in my life.

I quickly got used to the routine but have to admit it was hard to stick to it. There were several days where I was not motivated or tired and just not in the mood for a workout and I fell off the wagon several times, which I guess is normal if you have never done something like that before and if you are just not used to it. After struggling for months and starting over and over again, I finally pushed myself through it. After I finished the whole 12 weeks, I realized that something had changed.

Besides the positive impact on my body, my mind had completely changed as well. I started to like working out, I enjoyed going to the gym, I was even looking forward to my workout sessions.

My lifestyle changed completely, I began to enjoy eating healthier and nourishing my body, I enjoyed taking care of myself and was proud of what I had achieved so far. But I wanted more. Looking for different exercises, working out with personal trainers and reading fitness and nutrition books, I decided that I wanted to help others, motivate and guide them to achieve their goals. I know how hard and exhausting it can be because I’ve been there too. I know the frustration and feeling after a bad workout, but I also know how to avoid it and jump right back on track. My interest for fitness and health was not just a seasonable appearance (like most of the fashion items). I knew it was my passion and I wanted to become a certified personal trainer.

CONCLUSION

After thinking about the best schools and institutions which offer a wide range for certification, I decided to study at the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). I signed up for the Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) class and started at the end of April 2017. After studying for several months and learning a ton of new information every single day, I took my NASM CPT exam on November, 28th 2017, and I passed it. Now, I’m officially a NASM CPT and currently studying to become a certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist.