Hi friend!
Currently, I empower people to create healthy habits in the areas of fitness, nutrition, and weight loss. I am a weight loss personal trainer and nutrition coach. I have online and local packages. If you live or am visiting San Diego, join me at one of my free classes. Let me know ahead of time and I’ll tell the front desk that you are coming 🙂
The Classes I Teach:
Mondays
9:00AM BODYPUMP @ Imperial 24 Hour Fitness
Tuesdays
5:30PM Yoga @ Pacific Beacon
Wednesdays
5:30PMÂ High Intensity Interval Training & Abs @ Pacific Beacon
Fridays
10:00AM BODYPUMP @ Mission Valley 24 Hour Fitness
Here is my story…
My passion for fitness began with my love for gymnastics. When my coach didn’t show up for practice I jumped up and coached my first gymnastics class at age 14. One day at practice I landed wrong and injured my wrist. The doctor diagnosed me with arthritis. I was so angry at myself for making that mistake but thankful that I could still be a part of the gymnastics world through coaching. Over the next 7 years I taught 2-year olds up to adults, and even some cheer squads.
During my last year of high school I picked up a second job and worked the front desk of World Gym then started training for a Natural Body Building Competition. I hired my first trainer, took posing classes, and followed my program exactly, however I ended up getting sick a month before the competition so instead of giving up I helped a couple of friends train and win in their category.
This pattern of train super hard and go go go then get injured happened again! I injured my foot at Track & Field practice at the University of New Mexico and didn’t tell my coach because I wanted to compete. This was a terrible idea because I over compensated which led to worse injuries on my foot, knee, and shoulder so before and after practice I had to get treatments with the athletic trainers. These were NOT fun…ice baths, HOT pads, ART stretching, and lots of saran wrapped ice bags on all my injured areas.
I went and saw a sport surgeon because the joint pain in my foot would not go away and I didn’t want to have to keep getting cortisone shots every few months. I had never broken a bone, but in surgery he had to break my big toe and reset it. At this point I hadn’t been able to wear heals for 6 months but even after the surgery if would be another 2 years before I was able to gain full mobility in my big toe.
At this point I stopped being a competitive athlete and shifted my focus. I quickly developed a new passion for personal training, nutrition coaching, and teaching group exercise classes. I still remember teaching my first cycling class, I was so nervous to be up on stage in front of the entire class but my manager encouraged me and everyone loved my energy. I taught classes and personal trained at 2 gyms plus substitute taught gymnastics classes. Here I was taking extra classes to complete 2 degrees in 5 years and training 10-12 people per day. I started to get burned out and was putting my clients first before my health.
I knew I had to make another change to my personal training business because I did not have balance in all areas of my life. I switched her focus from training athletes and 1-on-1 clients to co-leading 5-week weight loss challenges. Now, I was able to work with more people through group training, boot camps, and coaching calls.
Every year I chose a new group exercise class to master for my continuing education credits. This year I was invited to be in the first BODYPUMP certification group in Albuquerque, NM. I felt honored that they asked me when I had only been teaching cycling and strength training classes for 6 months.
I trained so hard during that next month…getting stronger, learning the choreography, and getting into the best shape to film my BODYPUMP video. Yep, I bet you guessed it…another injury! Seriously, you would think I would finally learn my lesson, but no! I got an MRI and the BEST sports surgeon in NM told me I had a torn meniscus and scheduled me for surgery a month later. I continued to practice BODYPUMP and actually filmed my video the morning of my surgery.
I woke up from surgery and was surprised when the doctor told me that my meniscus had healed so since he was already in my knee he just did a scope to clean it up!! So here I am a month later still having pain in my knee. At this point I was questioning if I should continue being in the fitness industry because I keep getting injured. Â During the summer after completing two Bachelor of Science Degrees in Exercise Science and Nutrition Dietetics I decided to San Diego to mentor with top fitness and business experts. I wanted to learn how to work smarter and not harder.
However, four months before I was going to move I was having issues with joint pain, weight gain, dizziness, and exhausted. I went to 9 different doctors and no one could figure out what was going on. Finally, the tenth doctor solved the problem. I have a dairy allergy!!! My digestive system was so messed up from the years of ignoring the signs of the dairy allergy that the only foods I was able to digest were cauliflower, red bell peppers, carrots, white rice, and chicken. This is what I ate for the next 4 months while my body healed. I lost 20 lbs and finally felt what it feels like to be pain-free.
My doctor said that I could have dairy again so I hired a trainer, I got back on my normal routine of training for a bikini competition, eating shakes, bars, and personal training.
The month before I moved to San Diego I flew to Orlando for a Leadership Training Weekend where I met my husband. I didn’t see a connection at first because he was super overweight and I only dated athletes. We got matched up as accountability partners for the program and I helped him continue to lose weight. He had been overweight his entire life and I has empowered him to lose over 75 lbs over the next year.
Here I am trying to make it on my own, starting a new business and paying all my own bills. I was so stressed out and slowly it started taking a toll on my body. 6 months after moving my body shut down. Shut down as in can’t train clients, can’t teach classes, constant pain, and can barely stay awake. So I flew to Albuquerque to see that doctor that helped me with my food allergies the year before. I rested for the next 3 months and worked on managing my stress better. I haven’t touched dairy since and feel so much better!  Now, I have learned how to have balance in all areas of life and to be healthy and happy no matter what happens in life.
My passion for fitness and nutrition has evolved again. Learning social media, videography, and internet stuff is what I really enjoy taking classes on. I never thought that I would turn into a “techy” person. I took all my knowledge over the past 10 years of being in the fitness industry and this summer I am launching my first online program that focuses creating healthy habits by kicking sugar cravings. This sugar craving habit is what caused my weight to fluctuate up and down 20 lbs year after year.
So that is my fitness story and I bet you are wondering what I like to do for fun! When not at the gym or on my laptop, I can be found cycling, hiking, drinking wine with friends, trying new restaurants, and learning new sports. My husband has to force me to take a break and relax some days because I like to go, go, go!
If your goal is a lose weight for good, kick sugar cravings, get stronger for your PRT, and create healthy fitness and nutrition habits then contact me today.
Live Healthy and Happy,
Liz Cortes
