Jenny Walker
Coach
Growing up I was never a “sporty” kid. I would dabble in things like soccer, tennis, and running. But I never felt super confident in playing sports in grade school or high school. After high school, I worked and went to college part time working towards a degree in education.
When I was around 20 I had an "AHA!!" moment. I went with a friend to a big gym and did their “fitness” test with a trainer. The test consisted of various exercises and ended with a run on a treadmill. After the test the trainer took my heart rate and gave me this look like “Is she going to fall over and die!” I felt so embarrassed because the trainer clearly made me feel totally inadequate to be there working out. I left that gym and you guessed it I never went back. What that miserable experience did was light a fire in me. I decided that I was going to get fit all by myself. And that is exactly what I did. I got a weight bench, some dumbbells, some workout videos and a book on weight lifting and I was set.
That was 30 years ago and I have never stopped exercising and being active. I have changed up what I have done over the years but the one constant has been to keep being active and exercise.
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After college, I was a preschool teacher for 13 years. I loved the job and always kept with my strength workouts. I started running with my best friend and did numerous 5ks and 10ks. After marriage and our second child, I stayed home and cared for our kids and a couple friends' kids. During this time I was getting antsy and needed to get out of the house. I had a friend who owned a small gym and invited me to come and try out a class. This was the first time I had been back into a gym! I left that class feeling awesome, not just because of the workout but because of the atmosphere and culture. Everyone was so welcoming and encouraging. And I had fun! I wanted to be a part of that culture and help people feel good about exercise. About a month later I started coaching there and worked towards getting my group fitness certification.
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That was 15 years ago. Since then, I turned my passion into a career and love every minute of it! I became a certified personal trainer and have lots of experience with small group training, one on one training, kickboxing, and Hiit training. I love working with people to help them achieve their fitness goals and, most importantly, to inspire people to get excited about fitness and staying active. Not just as a means to an end but to understand that staying fit and active leads to a better life. Being able to move better and feel better is a huge part of longevity. I still enjoy running and have my bucket list of a full marathon under my belt :) I have been a part of some very cool small gyms and I am very excited to be a part of Dragonfly Fitness!
• Certified Personal Trainer, American Council on Exercise (ACE)