My Story

My Story…I was born and raised in Maumee, Ohio (pronounced Maw-mee) near Toledo.   I was active during my entire childhood and started playing sports at a young age.  My true passions were softball and volleyball beginning in middle school.  Going into high school, I focused all my energy into playing volleyball.  During the off-season of my sophomore year, in addition to playing club ball, I joined the local gym and began taking step aerobic classes.  From there I instantly fell in love with fitness classes and the great energy that came from them.  Like many group fitness participants, I had a favorite instructor and I took all of her classes.  In my Junior year, I made the Varsity team for volleyball and was so thrilled.  Coming into that year of high school, I also started dating my first boyfriend and began getting more self-conscious about my weight and dieting (more like skipping meals). I went to the gym for two+ hours a day after school and did straight cardio.  My schedule was usually to take a one-hour step class followed by an addition 1-1 ½ hours on the stair stepper or elliptical trainer.  I would even do all my school homework and studying while on the stair stepper!  Then, I would eat the smallest meal or sometimes just skipped dinner all together.  This was not a healthy way of living and I sadly dropped down to 105lbs that year. Even at that weight, I still didn’t think I was “skinny” enough.

During my Senior year, I focused on learning how to teach group fitness classes…in particular, Step Class (my favorite!).  I was working out like crazy and got to know one of the instructors really well and she was my mentor through this process.  Shortly after turning 18, I received my first group fitness certification!  I was so excited and picked up a couple step classes to reach right away at the gym.  

All was going well until the beginning of March when my mom suddenly got really ill and sadly passed away at the end of the same month.  I was devastated and felt like my entire world just fell apart.  My plans of going away to college the following year had to be changed so I could live at home, go to the local state college and help my dad take care of my 7 year old autistic brother, Jeremy.  Let’s just say I grew up REALLY fast acting as a “mom” for Jeremy so my dad could continue to go to work and also go through his own grief.  I wanted to try and keep our home life as close to how it was when my mom was alive while also trying to balance school and teach fitness classes at the gyms.  Luckily, all of the gyms I taught at had a daycare so I was able to bring Jeremy with me.  

In college, I received my Personal Training Certification, Spinning cert through Johnny G and attended multiple fitness conventions.  Through all this extra stress in my life, my own personal health was not the best when it came to eating.  I continued to skip meals and work out like a maniac when I could.  In my mind, I thought what I ate and how much I exercised were the only things I could really control in my life.  

I graduated from Bowling Green State University, earning a B.S. in Health Promotion.  My ultimate professional goal was to work in corporate wellness and programming but this was a very challenging career to pursue in a small town.  Luckily the company I interned for was also managed a brand new corporate fitness center located in Atlanta, Georgia.   Atlanta seemed so far away, but I knew if I wanted to have a career in this field, I will need to move. After applying and doing a couple interviews, I got the job and moved down south two weeks later!  

Moving to Atlanta was one of the BEST things I have every done! This was a fresh start, new career and new beginning for me at the age of 22.  After working as a Fitness Specialist for about three years, I got a job with Corporate Sports Unlimited to manage one of their corporate fitness centers and was there until I gave birth to my son, Apollo.  I loved everything about my job because the focus was on health, wellness and fitness and helping others have a healthy relationship with their bodies. During this time, I also learned how to have a healthier body image about myself and to stop worrying about the number on the scale. 

While living in Atlanta, I met my now husband, Eric, and we had a beautiful baby boy (Apollo) in 2013. While pregnant, I became more interested in Prenatal health and fitness and also wanted to make sure that I was performing correct exercises and movements. I received a Pre/Post-Natal certification through Oh Baby! Fitness and began teaching Perinatal fitness classes during this time. I really loved and enjoyed working with new and expectant mothers and also the close knit community these classes offered (especially being a first time Mom myself)!

In 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic began, all of the corporate fitness centers and Oh Baby! classes shut down. Since that time, I have been training virtually from home working for myself. My passion for Prenatal and Postpartum fitness classes helped me to continue offering online Perinatal fitness classes for new and expectant mothers. It was challenging at first to go from running around between health clubs to working and teaching classes strictly from home. Along with that, I began focusing more on my online fitness platform through Instagram and YouTube. My goal is to be able to spread my love of fitness even more through these platforms and offer daily home workouts along with health and fitness tips.  I feel so fortunate to have a career that I LOVE and am truly passionate about!  Thank you for taking the time to follow along and I look forward to going on this fitness journey with you!

XOXO, Ally