So I've talked about my village and how much it keeps me on track. And since I'm going to be consistently referencing my #fitfam and all of the wonderful & pain-inducing ways they support me, I figured I should start by introducing them to you. There are a few of them, and my gratitude to every single one of these amazing people is overwhelming and often doesn't seem like enough. Making changes in the realm of exercise and diet has impacted me in a way that invigorates me, and has shown me a version of life that I genuinely have never been privy to, and without my village, none of it would be possible. There are two individuals have gone above and beyond what any person could expect, and we'll start with one of them today...
Kyla Gagnon.
Me & Mayor Gagnon
I guess you could say that Kyla is the mayor of my village. I was originally introduced to her when my dearest friend Taylor (I always say Kyla is my wife and Taylor is my husband) bought me some personal training sessions with her as a gift, knowing that I needed some help when it came to the gym, and knowing that she was an incredible personal trainer. Trust me, if you think I'm a rookie now, you have no clue how little I knew back then. Fast-forward 7 years, and Kyla has become my other half. We've lived together for 6 of those years and to be honest, she is so much more to me than a personal trainer - she is pretty much my other half. I could literally gush about her forever, about how much fun we have together, how hard we laugh, how hilarious we know (think?) we are, buuuut you could probably just follow me on Instagram and you'd get the idea pretty quickly! Instead, I'd rather explain why she's the mayor of my village.
(Seriously, though, follow me on IG - @serenaastrid)
I don't really even know where to begin. I suppose what it really comes down to is that for 7 years, Kyla has never given up on me. She has watched me be super strict with diet and exercise, and watched me be lazy and eat junk food. She has listened to me pledge my dedication to getting fit, and then watched me not show up at the gym, regardless of my proclamations. She's been subjected to complaints about my body over and over again, even though she also knows I haven't been doing anything to make it better. And in spite of all of the inconsistency and the failures and the empty commitments, she has been my cheerleader. And when I actually made changes that stuck, she cheered even louder. She's been there to offer advice and resources. She's made my fucking breakfast for 6 years, just to make sure I have a healthy start to my day. And this might all sound like good ol' friendship, but it goes so far beyond that. It would have been so fair for her to have given up by now. I've been the queen of empty promises, and considering her line of work is helping people be stronger and healthier, I can't imagine how frustrating it's been watching me stop and start for so long. And yet, she's always been there, and has always seen the potential for me to be happier and healthier.
Kyla is there for the good and the bad. And trust me, when it comes to relearning how to live in a healthy way, there can be a lot of bad. The reason that so many people struggle with obesity and fitness is that it's really fucking hard to develop and sustain the right habits. I can personally attest to this, and Kyla is so incredible when it comes to having my back. She's also willing to call me on my shit, and while that might sound like not the hugest deal, it is. I'm stubborn and defiant. And it's not easy to tell someone to make the healthy choice with food, to remind them that each time DOES count, to be willing to bear the brunt of someone who feels weak and doesn't want to push through cravings. It's not fun being "the bad guy," and I can think of more than one occasion where Kyla hasn't let me rationalize eating shit "just this one time," and I cannot thank her enough for being brave enough and caring enough to step up, when she knows I'm going to be snarky and indignant, mostly because I know she's right. I owe her for all of the times she has pestered me about going to the gym when I'm feeling lazy, because she's right. She's right every single time. And it's often a thankless task, being in her shoes, and she still takes it on, and I don't know where I'd be without her.
She has trained me countless times, written out workouts for me countless times, usually with an Americano as the most compensation she gets. She also supports me when I make changes in my training, because she doesn't care if it's her programming or not, as long as it's working for me. Or maybe she does care, and just keeps it to herself. Either way, she puts my progress (note I did not say #gains) before everything else, because she's just that kind of person and trainer. She's constantly telling me how proud she is, and she makes me want to be better. Granted, it doesn't hurt that she's a smoke show who takes amazing care of her own body, and is constantly striving to be stronger and healthier herself. No big deal...
The Village Mayor is ALSO the Village Smoke Show
In all honesty, I haven't even scratched the surface. Kyla is there for all of it. She reminds me on a daily basis that effort is a necessity. We go on vacation, we train. We have a night out, we train the next day. We go out to eat, she orders protein and vegetables. Well, maybe not always. But usually. And it's impossible to not want to be like her, because she's inspiring and wonderful. There's so much more to her than her physical self, but that in and of itself is the product of her commitment and dedication to being a living example of discipline and ethic. And she tries so hard to do whatever she thinks might help me. If I'm craving something sweet at night, she'll make some random concoction that fits in with my diet but still does the trick. If I can't think of what to do at the gym, she'll text me a workout on the spot, even if she has a client. When I try types of training that differ from her own programming, she focuses solely on my excitement and the potential benefits. She never brings ego to the table but instead, does whatever she can to be there for me. She is always watching me out of the corner of her eye so that she can compliment me on my training, even when she has a client. I guess the best way to summarize it is that she makes me feel supported. All the time. In every way. And that's pretty much all a person needs.
So, yeah. Those reasons, and a million more, are why Kyla Gagnon is the mayor of my village. Like I said, there are some other key people and you'll hear about them soon enough, but Ky is the person who has led the pack. I could easily have become annoying or frustrating (which I likely am at times) but she has never, ever given up on me, and my desire to be better has been allowed to grow because of her. She somehow had the patience to wait for me to connect with whatever it is inside of me that wants more for myself, and I'm so grateful that she had the ability to see it within me, and to wait for me to catch up to her insight. I know I have a lot of work yet to do and knowing I have her on my side makes it much less daunting.
If you find yourself building your own fitness village, make sure you get the right mayor. Just stay the fuck away from mine - she's busy... (Well, not TOO busy -
click here if you need a little training help, whether it's boot camp, partner training, or online programs)
.PNG)
