My parents call me a professional student (and believe me, that job doesn’t pay very well!). I truly believe that knowledge is power. Case in point – before I was in school I had a gluten sensitivity and had no idea. Every time I ate gluten I thought I was going to die (for the record, my parents also call me a drama queen). Of course, at this point I didn’t realize that almost everything I was eating contained gluten. After a month of doctors appointments and being in pain I decided to do some research on my own. I very quickly realized that I had all of the symptoms of someone who is gluten intolerant. I eliminated gluten and almost immediately felt better. The next month I applied for the Natural Nutrition Program at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition.
One of the reasons I love my profession is because it continuously challenges me to learn new things. Some of my favourite cases are the ones that I can’t figure out to save my life. I love these because they force me to question everything – to keep searching until I find the answer. I owe my success in this profession to my passion for education.
To many, the road to a healthier lifestyle seems more like a very high mountain thats on a 90 degree angle – covered with kale salad and quinoa. We think that if we decide to start climbing the behemoth sized mountain it means that we have to say goodbye to all of the things we enjoy.
I’ve adopted a different outlook – I like to live by the
concept of balance. The trick is finding a balance that will allow you to be successful in your training and eating tendencies while still enjoying the things you love (no, I’m not giving you permission to eat Big Macs all day!). Stress causes a number of negative effects on our bodies systems. If we stress too much about getting the right amount of physical activity in each week and about having a perfect diet our body will respond by releasing cortisol. And cortisol will make darn sure that we don’t see any positive changes from the hard work being put in – I know this because my body was once a playground for cortisol. I want to change the negative perception around what being healthy looks like. There’s no reason that working towards a healthier lifestyle should be stressful, and it’s my job to help you find a balance that works for you!
I think its important to implement a whole body approach that focuses on changing the behaviours that might be keeping us from living a healthy life (like buying three tubs of ice cream because it was on sale). I want my clients to leave me with the knowledge that will allow them to make a lifestyle change that is enjoyable, easy to maintain, and permanent. For me this includes physical activity (focusing on correct movement patterns), optimal nutrition, and physical therapy to address/ avoid musculoskeletal injuries.
I am so excited to be part of the amazing team here at Sandbox Fitness, and I can’t wait to have some fun while we work towards your goals!
For more on Ashley, check out her bio here
