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“I want to be strong and I want to be healthy.”

Danielle Wood has been training with Sara and I for over a year now. She really has been a pleasure to coach and have as part of our team here at Southwest Strength. She has been very consistent in training, moves CRAZY well and has a crazy good aerobic engine. The best part about having Dani train with us is her attitude towards fitness, her own personal goals and her ability to understand her “why” behind her training. People like Danielle really do make Sara and I’s job easy, as fitness really is a journey, results take time and the only way your going to reach your goals is if your having a good time DOING IT!

“The easiest part of working out for me is putting on the workout clothes and “showing up”. The best part about the fitness programming that I have been doing with Nathan and Sara is that when I arrive the work is half done. The programs are made, the equipment is simple to understand and utilize, and I just have to go through the motions. Now I make it sound easier than it is, probably because it is such a routine part of my life now, but for me half the battle was not knowing what movements and weights and reps to do to get the results I wanted to see for myself. I started my journey on my own at home because I was embarrassed about how I looked and how I had let myself go. I told myself that I needed to give three solids months of effort to see if I could change my “big bones”. I saw results right away, the weight seemed to melt off like it was nothing. After that first 3 months my progress began to even out and I was not seeing as big of changes but there was still some progress. About a year and a half into my new lifestyle there were no more changes and my progress completely leveled off. I was showing up and trying so many different things, asking people for advice but nothing was happening.

In talking with Sara a couple times she encouraged me to come try a workout with her and Nathan. The automatic response was – but I don’t want to bulk up. I was all about weight loss and not about becoming “big”. With a little coercion and the promise that I wouldn’t be alone I gave it a shot. It was definitely not what I was expecting – but that was the best part about it. It was simple movements that you could scale to your level and work up to, giving me a new set of goals with every workout. The harder I worked the more often I could do everything they were asking me to do. I really appreciated how the workouts were prepared for me and was not having to think about that anymore. The workouts are consistently different, there is a theme but you will never do the same things over and over.

I have been able to change my thinking – with Sara and Nathans constant education on what I value for myself. I want to be strong and I want to be healthy. My goals have now changed, I don’t look at the scale for self-worth I look at what fitness goal can I strive for next. I need to show up and be consistent with my workouts and I need to eat well to achieve my goals and that is all on me, no one else. They have taught me some basics on how to live the healthy lifestyle I want for myself and have encouraged throughout this entire process. My journey has been a long one and I’m not done; that is the best part!”-Danielle Wood

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The Importance of Consistency

Sara and I have been coaching individuals for almost a year out of our garage. We just recently both had the conversation about consistency and its importance.

We feel this is the most important part to a person’s progress. Consistency has truly allowed our clients to see amazing results. If you are a client and have consistently been coming for 2-3 months, you most likely have seen some sort of results. Whether that is in your body composition/weight, or in your physical ability- IE getting stronger.

We all have busy lives and getting to the gym at times can be difficult. We also all have 24 hours in the day. I guarantee you we can all be better at managing our time and managing our priorities in our life. Now, if your goal is to workout twice a week and you say it is a priority, but you miss one workout at our facility, I think it’s safe to say we automatically have the “choice” to either try make it up later in the week, or make up your own workout at home. If you can commit to consistently making fitness a priority in your life, good things will happen.

The magic lies in how consistent you are in your habits. How often do you exercise? How often do you prepare healthy meals? How often do you eat donuts, ice cream, chips and drink soda? If you answer those questions honestly and feel guilty, you know your not consistently working towards your goals.

It really comes down to a few things. 1) Educate yourself and surround yourself with like-minded people all trying to work towards something greater. 2) You just have to be honest with yourself and ask yourself, “how bad do you want to see results?” Consistently working towards something will only get you closer to your goals.

So the next time you sit back and think, “man it would be nice not to exercise today?” Ask yourself, “How bad do you want it?”

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Longevity and the Journey

At Southwest Strength we train people with fitness, health and body composition goals. We offer group fitness classes, individualized programming/coaching, private one on one, and semi-private group coaching.

We are a strength and conditioning service that offer appropriate programs for all levels, from the beginner starting their fitness journey to the experienced athlete looking to increase their performance in their specific sport, we can help you reach your goals!

At Southwest Strength, we would like to think our coaches educate clients about fitness being a life long journey. We emphasize good movement patterns, proper programming and assessment, and a positive environment to workout in. You will notice when you step in the doors the lack of “machines”. At Southwest Strength, the movements you perform are functional. We teach people how to put their bodies through full ranges of motion. This type of training helps achieve and seek overall health, body composition/weight loss, mobility, function of everyday life and can help athletes perform at their true potential.

We understand people want to look good and feel good. Through consistent efforts in the gym and your nutrition this can happen. At Southwest Strength we can help you, but were not going to sugar coat anything, there is no “21 day fix” or get “6 pack abs in 6 weeks”. We are to going to tell you the truth, its going to take TIME. We feel that with our training methods, quality coaching and the community Southwest Strength has to offer, the journey is going to be well worth the time and effort!