Today I’m featuring one of my favorite bloggers, Jill Griffiths of Tree Fitness.  We met at FitBloggin’ and roomed together at FitSocial.  Jill wowed me with her sunny personality, fitness outlook and the fact that she’s an entrepreneur (check out her personal training videos on FitFlicks.com), wife and a mother of 3!  Jill also runs a gluten-free household not because it’s the latest fad but because 2 of her 3 kids have celiac disease.   It’s no secret that I’ve referenced my friend Jill more than a few times here on the blog and since she’s very eager to introduce herself, I’ll just stop now and just say – – – Haaaave you met Jill?

Just a quick introduction, my name is Jill Griffiths and I have been in the fitness industry since 1999.  I absolutely love anything Fitness.  Throw in a crazy beat, and I am like little girl in a candy store.  Maybe not the best analogy since I am a CPT, but you catch my drift right?

When Melissa asked me to write a guest post, I was more than excited and willing!  I met Melissa back in June at the FitBloggin convention.  It was kind of by chance that we met up and ultimately became roomies, and we have been connected ever since.  Don’t you love finding friends that you just click with?  Ya, me too.

HURDLES:

Melissa asked me to blog about a certain hurdle that I have had to overcome in my own life that has helped me in my own journey of fitness.  I find it more difficult to talk about myself and personal struggles, so this was a good challenge for me.  It is way more within my comfort zone, to listen and help those who need a little motivation and push…so out of my comfort zone I go!

I help people everyday overcome hurdles.  Whether it be fitness hurdles, weight hurdles, injury hurdles, emotional hurdles, lack of motivation hurdles, boredom hurdles, family hurdles etc.  Hurdles in life and in fitness are inevitable. ABSOLUTELY INEVITABLE.  However, I am a strong believer that how we endure our hurdles and what we learn from them is how we grow, learn, progress, and achieve.

My personal HURDLE:

I myself have endured many hurdles that have formed me into the woman I am today.  Even though I made the choice to not let my hurdles define me, they have and in some way always will.  However this has given me a good opportunity to reflect and bring awareness to how one particular hurdle affected and changed me.

This picture is on my wedding day.  May 14^th, 1999.  I was 20 yrs old. (Crazy!?) That is my adorable family.  My mom, dad, 2 sisters, and my studly older brother.

When I was a lot younger than this picture, 5^th grade actually, my parents ended their 18 yr. marriage.  It was a good thing.  There was abuse, non-functionality, and our young family was suffering.

After the divorce, I didn’t see my dad for over a year.  When he talks about it now he says it was too painful to talk to us, let alone be around us.  My mom, working a full time job, started her own house-cleaning business to make additional money to support us 4 kids.  The next few years were hard and lonely.  My mom was working all the time, and visiting my dad seemed awkward and different.

I was in charge of my siblings, and keeping the house clean, and some other heavy responsibilities that immediately threw me into the adult world.  I felt alone, and looking back I found peace and emotional security in unhealthy food and all kinds of music (especially Pearl Jam!). At that age I had no idea what healthy food was, and I really thought “fresh food” was food that you prepare from a box.

HOW I BECAME MY CURRENT ME:

I have always been an “old soul”, so after the divorce, I dutifully took on any responsibility that my mom gave to me, which in looking back was A LOT.  But like I said, I wasn’t afraid of responsibility, and I handled it.  I really think that my hurdles, and responsibilities as a young girl gave me the drive and determination to be and want GOOD in my life.

When I was in 8th grade, my mom and I started going to a Women’s only Gym.  It is here that I took my first spin class, and weight class.  Could have been the music, could have been the natural endorphin high that exercise induces, could have been the Jane Fonda thongs…whatever it was, it was like a light was turned on inside of me!!  This gym is also where I got my certification in Cycle at age 19 and taught my first spin class.  Because my mom took me to the gym and introduced me to Fitness, I feel like I had direction and purpose in my life again.  I knew that teaching and coaching health and fitness is what I wanted to do.

I found something that brought happiness back into my life.  And from 8^th grade on, and for 20 years now, I have been consistently involved, and rescued by fitness.  (The other thing that saved my life and brought me direction and purpose was my faith…but that’s a whole other story for another blog post!)

PRESENT and FUTURE GOALS:

About 8 years ago, I decided to take fitness a step further and become a certified personal trainer.  I just LOVED working with clients and figuring out everyone’s fitness puzzle.  About 4 years ago, a good friend called me and asked me to create a class for her and a couple of our friends that wanted Personal Training, but needed it to be more affordable.  And so I did just that.  Through my company, Tree Fitness, I have been doing Personal Trainer Led Bootcamps ever since.  The program allows access to Personal Trainers in a group type setting which makes it more affordable and effective.  The program is goal-oriented with milestones and accountability which has made it work for the participants.

I am so excited to announce that in January of 2014 (in just a few short weeks), my ONLINE BOOTCAMP will be live and available!! 

The same milestones, and work-outs that have resulted in proven results, time and time again will be accessible to anyone at any fitness level – from beginner to advanced!

And one of you will win the whole 5 month Bootcamp Program for FREE!!

Here’s how to enter for your chance to win and get a jump on your fitness in 2014!

1-Like the Tree Fitness Facebook page.

2-Comment on this post about why and how you think Bootcamp would help you achieve your goals.

3-Share this on post via Twitter, Pinterest, or Facebook and note how you shared in your comment.

*Do those 3 things and you are entered in the drawing to win a full access pass to 5 month Online Bootcamp!

IN SUMMARY:

I just as easily could have chosen a different path after being affected by my own deeply scarring hurdles.  I could have let FEAR creep in and tell me I am not good enough to have goals and desires and my own business and a family (that I absolutely cherish), and a body that can do whatever challenges I want to give it.  But my belief is that, those thoughts are not from God, who I believe in with ALL.MY.HEART.  So why in the world would I let them control my decisions, thoughts, and ultimately outcomes?

We are creatures of habit.  Our habits create our actions and our actions create our destiny.  No one is perfect, and we all have days where we rock our workouts and days where we just don’t.  However, our small habits will equal our actions which can change our destiny.

In FITNESS terms:

Our small daily fitness habits will change our body and mind, which will lead us to our goals. 

I’d love to talk fitness goals and more with you on my blog in the future.

Thanks for letting me spill my guts…don’t forget to leave a comment below!

Yours in fitness,

Jill Griffiths

If you want to keep up with Jill and her online bootcamps, you can find her at via her blog, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.  

PS – Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!