Although I love personal trainers, there really are SO many in social media that it can get overwhelming at times when you monitor the #fitness hashtag. In fact, I don’t even do that anymore. Instead what I’ve done is created private lists for myself to follow of the people I think are pretty spectacular. So I wanted to share my list with you so that you could get the same kind of inspiration and encouragement from them on a daily basis in your healthy living efforts. I’ve decided NOT to put in any trainers I deem as a “celebrity trainer” in this list because most of them are really not available to us on twitter. In addition, some of those same trainers have publicists tweeting for them, so you aren’t really getting their true voice and opinions. That isn’t what this list is about. This list is about recognizing the unsung heros of fitness that create badass everyday.
So as part of my “Mamavation’s Favorite Things” series, I’ve decided to do a special list dedicated to personal trainers on Twitter. Here are some of the people you should follow if you want to get fit or stay healthy.
Andrea found a passion in teaching fitness which led to her opening her own fitness studio. From there she went on to expand her audience through news media and social media, with almost 1000 TV appearances, contributions to national magazines, and of course on Facebook, YouTube and weekly #FitnessU twitter chats. You can find out more about Andrea at her website.
Heather Frey is the founder and president of SmashFit.com, the first personal trainer and fitness matching website on the net. You can find her on “Miami Moms”, on the new NBC Miami Nonstop station talking exercise, nutrition, and the fitness-mindset needed to get both new, and experienced Moms to their strongest best, as well as the whole family. On top of being an entrepreneur and TV personality, she is also a blogger, artist, speaker, fitness coach, and Figure Competitor. Heather writes and motivates daily about fitness and life strategies. Find out more about SmashFit and Heather on SmashFit.com
Lisa runs an award-winning Pilates studio, @ModernPilates, and has quickly established herself as a writer of integrity on all things fitness. As a trainer who is “in the trenches” working daily with people, Lisa brings a unique perspective to her fitness writing. She is not only an active fitness professional but also knows how to translate even the most complex movement to the average Jane. She blogs almost daily at her website, Lisa Johnson Fitness.
In her first life, Joyce lived in Maui where she surfed, skim-boarded, professionally windsurfed, and co-owned a health-food store. After moving to Louisiana she became a Certified Personal Trainer, mom, wife, bassplayer and self-proclaimed slightly obsessive health nut (in the best sense of the word), helping people to create a healthy lifestyle by eating well and encouraging physical activity. Aside from Twitter, and through FitStudio, she also shares her wisdom on her own blog, Freaking Fitness.
Angela Manzanares founded the company, Fitlosophy, to “embrace the fit life”. Her featured product, The Fitbook is a reflection of her struggles and successes with food journaling. The company’s mission is to “inspire people to live a healthy, active lifestyle,” with the help of her uniquely designed Fitbook.
Janice calls herself the Fitness Cheerleader because she likes to encourage people to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. She has a B.Sc degree in Kinesiology, and a Certificate in Athletic Therapy. The focus on Fitness Cheerleader is not on weight or weight loss because she believes that being healthy is about more than just your weight. She is very active and supportive of several different Twitter communities, and also blogs about life as a mother and runner at Mom On The Run.
Lisa Druxman is a nationally recognized speaker and author and considered an expert in the field of fitness, particularly pre/postnatal fitness. She founded the group Stroller Strides in 2001, which now has over 1,200 locations and 150,000 participants nationwide.
After having her first child and not being able to find a challenging workout that didn’t require hiring a personal trainer and a babysitter or purchasing a gym membership, Kristen Horler drew from her experience as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, triathlete and mother, and developed Baby Boot Camp. Along with the Baby Boot Camp classes which are available across the U.S., she has also written several books catering to fitness for new moms.
Jenn Mitchell is a mom, wife, blogger, personal trainer, and fitness coach. Through her own experiences she has come to an understanding that fitness is not all about the superficial but making people healthier, more confident, and positive. Thrilled by her own results, she decided to become a personal fitness coach to help others make their fitness dreams become reality. She is passionate about helping other moms learn how to make fitness fun and fit into their busy lifestyles. You can learn more about Jenn and her philosophy at PersonalFitCoach.com.
Suzanne Bowen is the Nashville, TN, based creator of BarreAmped, BarreAmped Fire, and BarreAmped Boot Camp. Her workouts and DVDs have been featured in numerous publications including Fitness Magazine, Prevention, and Shape Magazine, among others. Besides being active on Twitter, she shares a wealth of health and fitness knowledge through her YouTube channel and the blog at SuzanneBowenFitness.com.
Tracey Mallett is a world-renowned fitness and wellness expert. Her roles span from television host to author to creator of a best-selling line of dance and fitness-based DVDs. A mom of two, she specializes in bringing body-changing techniques to time-crunched individuals. You can find more information about her DVDs on her website, or interact with her on Twitter and Facebook.
Ellen Barrett “is the country’s top fitness instructor,” says SELF Magazine, because she personifies 21st century fitness, where the mind, body and spirit converge for more intelligent, efficient workouts. As a best-selling DVD creator and book author, she’s a go-to-expert specifically regarding women and weight loss, Pilates, Fusion fitness, pre- and post-natal exercise and inspired wellness. You can find out more information about her at her website.
Ashley Turner is a frequent body-mind contributor to top tier media publications including Self, Shape, Women’s Health, Yoga Journal and Natural Health, Ashley is the creator of best-selling Element Beginner Yoga DVD’s. She consults Hollywood creatives, leading companies, distinguished business leaders, couples, adolescents and individuals. With a diverse palate and ability to speak directly to her audience, Ashley has toured with rock stars teaching yoga, lectures in academic settings and leads transformational events worldwide. She regularly shares her insight through vlogs on her YouTube channel, and also through Twitter and Facebook.
Kim Truman is a high-performance athletic trainer dedicated to working, inspiring, and educating her clients to create a lifestyle foundation that is achieved at all levels – physically, nutritionally, emotionally, and spiritually. She is fervent about her work with her clients in helping them discover the tools to facilitate positive lifestyle changes. Her philosophy “If not now, when?” encourages people in all walks of life to take the first step and change for the better. For more information about Kim and her services, check out KimTrumanFitness.com.
Erin is an award winning trainer and the CEO, master trainer, coach, and chief motivator of Power Fitness PDX LLC. Erin has a BS in Kinesiology, is ACE Certified, Stott Pilates Mat Certified, is a sports nutritionist, and has written about health, fitness, and family for many publications, in addition to being a contributing fitness editor for the TV show Better. She also blogs about her personal life on her blog, here.
Suzanne is a NASM-certified personal trainer who is passionate about weight lifting, health for life, and sharing her knowledge with others on her blog. She believes that every woman should be able to publicly show pride and self-acceptance without worrying what others say or think, and encourages us to celebrate each other’s inner and outer beauty and teach our children to do the same.
Health Habits is the online home of Douglas Robb, a personal trainer and blogger, who in the past 20 years, has helped hundreds of people transform their bodies. Through his experiences he has also seen many people struggle with reaching their final goal. His hopes for Health Habits are to take the best from the scientific community, combine it with the knowledge of the fitness community and then filter it through the experiences of the end user to get the best possible results.
Pamela Hernandez is the owner of Thrive Personal Fitness and an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer. Having made her own lifestyle changes to get her where she is today, she believes success is in daily sustainable changes, not fad diets and fitness gadgets. Aside from her website and Twitter, you can also follow along with Thrive and Pamela on Facebook.
Valerie has seventeen years of experience getting celebrities ready for important movie roles, events, magazine layouts and awards ceremonies. She has been featured in top publications ranging from Glamour, Vanity Fair and In Style to Fitness, Self and People. When she’s not molding Hollywood’s elite, she shares her knowledge on her blog, twitter and Facebook.
Thanks to all of you creating inspiration everyday in the name of fitness and health. It’s people like you that are truly on the forefront of changing our world to a healthier and happier one.
Congratulations to all the Personal Trainers who made it to Mamavation’s Favorite Things. If you would like to grab a banner in pride, you are welcome to do so.
If you think there is someone I have missed, you can go to our Mamavation Forums and make a recommendation here. I’d love to hear your thoughts. But if you are commenting here please don’t give me a laundry list of why this list was not up to your standards would just be kinda rude. (And I may delete your comment because it’s my blog and therefore my rules.)
Thank you so much for including me with this group of amazing people! They all rock and so do you Leah!! 🙂