Feature Written By Melissa Harpster

I grew up in Sunnyvale, Texas; a small town outside of Dallas. I am an only child and very blessed to have grown up with such an amazing family. I am very close to my two wonderful parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles. Even my two younger cousins are like sisters! We loved spending holidays together, weekend reunions, and taking vacations every year. 

Being an only child definitely has its pros and cons. I’m lucky I get a little bit of both because of my cousins, Kristen and Megan. We fought like sisters, got into trouble like sisters, and love each other like sisters. I was also blessed to have a very close relationship with both of my parents. My mom was my 6th grade teacher and my dad was the principal for most of the time I was at Sunnyvale. We went to school every day together and came home together most days as well. They were able to make it to all my school activities and encouraged me to be successful at everything I did. 

My parents also taught me to build a strong relationship with Christ. Having a strong faith has definitely shaped who I am and what I cherish most in life. They were both teachers in Sunnyvale ISD and they encouraged me to follow my dreams from a very young age. They were very involved at the school which meant we spent a lot of time there, even when school was out. Every day after school, my best friend and I would wait until our moms finished their lesson plans. He and I would do homework together, play outside on the playground, and hang out in our moms’ classrooms. We spent a lot of time together and I am so thankful for that friendship, even to this day. When I was 6, my parents signed me up for ice skating lessons at Prestonwood Mall. They thought it would be a fun activity for me to try; little did they know that I would fall in love with the sport. What started as a weekly skating class soon became daily private lessons. The rink became a second home for me. 

By the age of 10, my parents were driving 30 minutes every morning at 4 am to take me to the rink before school. I would put my skates on in the car and then walk with my eyes half closed onto a cold ice rink. After two hours at practice, I had to change back into my school clothes to drive 30 minutes back home to Sunnyvale. Since my parents both taught at my school it made it a little easier to get us all where we needed to be every day. Every year, my skating schedule continued to become more and more demanding. Early morning practice became afternoon ice time, strength training, ballet, and competitions. I even added in school sports like volleyball, basketball, track, and cheerleading.

The ‘C’ Word

The summer before my senior year, I got diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I had been struggling to breathe out on the ice but was only diagnosed with exercise induced asthma. During a competition in Colorado, I began to run a very high fever and was struggling to breathe. After that, my parents, coach, and I decided I needed to drop out of the competition and go home. 

The following week, the diagnosis was in and my whole world changed in the drop of a hat. Doctors visits and chemotherapy became my new morning routine. I had amazing nurses that encouraged me and helped me navigate through life as a teen with cancer. They laughed with me, made bad situations better, and prayed with me when I thought I could not do it anymore. 

God placed so many amazing people in my path; many of which I don’t even know. 

I was able to graduate from high school with all my friends; I even applied to college! All this was definitely not possible without my amazing parents! Dallas Baptist University accepted my application and began taking courses in the fall. My college years were different than most. I had weekly chemotherapy appointments and doctors visits plus my college course load. During my chemo sessions, I studied Anatomy at the world’s smallest table. The 4-year-old patients took to their coloring books. I would have chosen coloring at that moment too. After 3 years of chemo, I was in remission and treatment stopped. Life as a normal college student could finally begin; I was so excited to see what God had planned for my life now. 

Personal Training

I started personal training 15 years ago as an intern at Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, TX. I had interned with them my senior year of college and fell in love with the training world. It was an amazing opportunity to rub elbows with so many of the top trainers in the field. During my time as an intern, I learned about programs and working with clients at all fitness levels. It was an incredible experience. 

As soon as I graduated, I began working at Cooper as a red shirt. My job was to help people on the floor. I answered their questions about equipment, basic fitness, and helped maintain the floor. It wasn’t training but I was still able to continue to learn from some of the best in the industry. When Cooper Aerobics Center at Craig Ranch opened in McKinney, they hired me as one of their trainers. I loved it! 

Life As A Trainer

My clients were amazing and my coworkers were some of the best around. They made the job fun! I loved helping clients work towards a healthier lifestyle and achieve their goals. Every client brought a new challenge or goal to the table. It has been my privilege to help clients recover from surgery or get back in shape after childbirth. Whether someone is training for the Olympics or new to fitness, I get to see people in all stages of life. Cooper Aerobics Center at Craig Ranch holds a special place in my heart because it is where I got my start as a trainer. It’s where I met my husband, Bryan. He and I were trainers together until he became a firefighter. 

Becoming A Mother

In 2015, I had my first little girl. She was born at 27 weeks and spent 10 weeks in the NICU. Despite best efforts to have a healthy pregnancy, I was diagnosed with preeclampsia. When I came back from maternity leave, I had a new passion: pre and postnatal fitness training.

Women And Wellness

After having an emergency c-section, I realized how hard it was to recover. Had I known then what I know now, my recovery would have been very different. Having a baby is hard and adding major surgery to the mix is a lot of trauma for your body to go through. I wanted to help other women regain their core strength and endurance. My goal was to help her be the best possible mommy to her new baby. 

Reasons To Get Healthy

Everyone has different reasons for wanting to get healthy. Such as weight management, strength, and lowering the risk of heart disease. But every client comes to me with a different goal or reason for wanting to get healthy. They have grandkids that they want to be able to play with or they want to travel more now that they retired. Newlyweds are switching from being wedding-ready to wanting to have a baby. Some want that hour to move because it makes them feel better and they enjoy having an hour all about them. Whatever the reason is for walking into my gym, I want them to leave feeling better about themselves. To feel that they have accomplished something. When we look back at where they started, they see a transformation in themselves. It might be on the scale, their clothing, or even the way they handle day to day life.

it won’t happen overnight

Starting out on a journey to be healthier does not happen overnight and it is not easy. You might start out strong for the first couple of months. Your food is on point and your workouts are going well. Then 3 months in, life happens and your kiddos decide to pass the flu around to each other and then to you. You forget to go to the grocery store and you have no food prepped for lunch, so you grab fast food. It’s okay! It’s not going to make or break you.

You survive the struggle and start back on the journey to a healthier you. Some weeks or months you might see that 5 - 10% of weight loss and others you might not see that scale move at all. That’s okay!

How do your clothes fit? Are they loose? Do you feel better? There is more than one way to gauge progress. Here are a few of the tips I give my clients for being successful in this journey:

1. SET REALISTIC GOALS:

   You need short term goals and long-term goals. Write them down and put them where you can see them. 

2. FIND ACCOUNTABILITY:

   This support can come from a friend or a spouse, a personal trainer, or an online fitness group. The options are endless.

3. TAKE PICTURES:

   A picture will always show you your real progress. When the scale isn’t moving and you don’t feel like you’re seeing progress, look at that picture to see where you started.

   
   

Be proud of yourself and what you have accomplished! You are doing an amazing job because you are showing up no matter what life has thrown at you.

inspiring women

I often find that my female clients tend to put everyone else’s needs in front of their own. They try to focus on the most important things as best they can, but often their own health takes a back seat. But putting their own health first will actually increase productivity and efficiency. When you follow a healthy diet, you will think more clearly, your blood sugar will stabilize, and your mood will improve. Even 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity can help clear your mind, release endorphins, and help you sleep better. Currently, most of my clients are female and each one benefits differently from following a healthy lifestyle. It doesn’t matter if they work full time, work from home, stay home with the kiddos, or do a combination of all. They always say they feel less anxiety, they are more productive, and they feel better. This includes me! With 2 kiddos at home, it is an absolute must for me to get my workout in. I can handle the day-to-day ‘crazy’ a little better. 

I am so blessed to have met so many women that are starting up various businesses. Some in the same field and some not. I love being able to talk with them and learn how they are marketing their own business. Since many of us are a one-woman-show, having other women around to bounce ideas off of or to encourage us is huge. It’s been great to be able to share my passion with them for health and fitness and to also learn about their passion. I have been able to help several of them on their fitness journey. In return, I have been able to call on them for shirts, gifts, or help with marketing! It is wonderful to see so many women supporting each other instead of tearing each other down. We are all more successful when we support one another. I also hope that my girls will be able to see that they can do anything they put their mind to. I hope my girls will see that the relationships they form with other girls are important. Those relationships can and should be very positive.

Talk with other women or professionals in your area of interest. Research your product or service and decide early on that you are going to be one of the top in your field.

I started learning in my field 15 years ago and I am still learning today! Continuing education has always and will always be the most important part. Learning helps me stay up to date with health and fitness trends. 

• Always be willing to learn from those around you. Be patient! Starting a successful business doesn’t happen overnight. This was the hardest part for me because I wanted to be successful immediately. I wanted Texas Home Gym to be busy right off the bat. But it started off slow and is continuing to grow every month. Being patient has also allowed me to venture outside of my comfort zone. I expanded my offering to face-to-face personal training and virtual training. Had I not taken the time to really look at how the gym could grow best, I never would taken this opportunity. Look at the big picture!

• Make a plan for what you want your business to look like in the future. Write it down. I’m a very visual person so making lists and goals is a huge help for me. My first year in business my goal was to make enough money to cover operations and the cost of the gym equipment. My husband helped me a lot during my first year; figuring out what the gym needed and how to get it going. I would not have this level of success had he not encouraged me and told me I could do it. He has been an amazing support system for me! My second year in business, my goal was to have one new client each month and to double my monthly income. Now that 2020 is here, I have a whole new set of goals! This year I am focusing on growing my online fitness groups and virtual training! My hope is to help client’s workout from home who find it hard to get to a gym but want the accountability of a trainer.

Fitness has been a part of my life from a very early age. I played all the sports I could at school and also started skating from a very early age. Fitness continued on into high school and then college. As an adult, I have enjoyed staying active; not only for myself but also for my family. My husband Bryan and I have always wanted our girls to have healthy role models and we encourage them to be active. We try our best to show them that it’s all about moderation. You can have that Oreo or piece of pizza you love but you also have to have your veggies. It’s okay to rest and lay around your house and watch movies with family. But the next day, you have to get back to normal activity. I want my clients to also learn to have that same mentality! Moderation is key! 

I try to be open with them about what my daily life looks like; from eating to working out. Often, people think that as trainers we lead a perfect, healthy lifestyle. That we workout every day and only eat healthy foods. That is not the case at all; I love pizza and dessert just as much as the next person, but I have learned to balance it. Life is too short to not eat the things you enjoy...in moderation. It is also important for me to let my clients, and prospective clients, know that anyone can workout! You don’t have to be a college athlete or even someone who has been active since they were young. The second you make the decision to improve your health and fitness you become an ATHLETE! According to Merriam-Webster, an athlete is a person who trains in exercises or sports requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina. You don’t have to be the strongest or the fastest. But you do have to have the drive and commitment to be successful and achieve your goals. My athletes have different goals than my moms and future moms. The men I train have different goals than the women I train.

Everyone that walks into my gym is an athlete no matter what the goal is.