Once Upon A Time...
There was a little girl who loved fitness and sports along with greasy food, pizza, cookies, and cake. She loved exercise, but hated fish, vegetables, and any foods that were “healthy”...
My Background
I’ve participated in basketball, cross-country running, volleyball, track and field, dance, gymnastics, golf, and more recently, triathlon. I spent a year dancing with Up With People, where I met my husband Darryl. I then moved from Montana to Ontario, Canada, to pursue my degree in Human Kinetics. In my last year of college, I had the fortunate experience of working as an intern with the Peak Centre for Human Performance where I worked with high-level athletes (triathletes, hockey players, cyclists, etc..) doing fitness testing and program design.
The Freshman 40??
Unfortunately, during my time at the University of Ottawa, I fell prey to the perils of university life, gaining almost 40 pounds, and I’m only 5’4”! Undoubtedly, my weight gain was due to an extreme decline in my activity along with the availability of any greasy food I wanted...not a good thing!! I was determined to stop my creeping weight gain, so after graduating I got a job as a trainer at a private fitness studio, where I started doing up to 3 workouts a day!! I decided to learn how to swim and began doing short distance triathlons, even carrying an extra 40 pounds. It was so frustrating to see that I could only run a 28 minute 5k when I was able to run it in 21 minutes only a few years earlier. Even with all the activity I was doing, it took me almost a year to lose 10 pounds of the 40 that I’d gained. So, along with my own knowledge of nutrition and the help of the nutritionist at the fitness studio, I began slowly adjusting my eating habits and I lost another 5 pounds as things slowly started to get better.
The Light Bulb Goes On
It wasn’t until 2006, when I discovered the FirstLine Therapy Program that it all became clear… I had been exposed to the program at the fitness studio, but never really took it to heart, thinking, “I eat pretty well”. In 2006 when we opened APEX Personal Training in Billings, I decided that we needed a specific nutrition program for our clients to follow...basic healthy eating tips just weren’t working. I found my old FirstLine Therapy book and decided to use myself as a guinea pig. I actually read through the book this time and began to realize how nutritionally sound the program was. I started following the program, getting creative with recipes, and within a matter of months, I was back down to my pre-college weight. Not only that, I was in great shape from training for the triathlons. I soon realized that I was actually in better shape than I was in high school!
Renee Sobering, B.S., NSCA-CPT
The Best Shape of My Life!!
To this day, I follow the FirstLine Therapy program to stay healthy. Since I began with the program I’ve learned how to be creative with cooking so that I can enjoy the food that I eat, and stay healthy at the same time, and I’ve become very passionate about helping other people to do the same. You shouldn’t have to eat salad every day to be healthy! I believe that exercise and nutrition are equally important, and I am living proof that both are needed to reach your true potential. My current goals in 2009 include soloing the Peaks to Prairie race, making it to Age-Group Nationals in Olympic-Distance Triathlon, and completing a half-ironman. All exercise aside, if I hadn’t changed my eating habits, I wouldn’t be anywhere near my goals!
2005
2008
" Fitness should be a priority. Yes, it takes time to do a workout every day, but those workouts can add years to your life, and life to your years. That extra time and energy spent with your loved ones is absolutely priceless!"
Renee Sobering, B.S., NSCA-CPT
