Melissa C. | Personal Trainer Pasadena, CA

I started walking because I needed some clarity. In that walk, I couldn't believe how out of shape I was. It was so hard to complete just 1,000 steps, and I didn't realize how sedentary my life had become. As a W Insider, I was enjoying food, nice restaurants, alcohol, just living up life. In that not even realizing I didn't have any physical activity. At the same time, I told myself: I am going to do this.

Each step I would take after that was a clearer mind - being able to walk it out. Being able to breathe the air. Being able to be out of a situation and just take a breath. And before you know it, I was walking 10,000 steps easily. Then I started to run the bleachers. Then I remembered when I was athletic and on the volleyball and track team in high school and when I was doing fun things and how good that felt. So then it just became very liberating and then a drug. After that, I started to abstain from alcohol and then became another step toward another level of clarity.

By doing these things, it has allowed me not to want to escape - escape anything! Now I just have to face any little thing that bothers me. I can't say any more: I'm just going to have a beer and worry about it tomorrow. No. I have to face it. So I have been doing this. Walking does not have to be strength training. It is hard for the average person.

I want my clients to accomplish a sense of satisfaction and self-worth. Self-worth because it's a weird and interesting process. I am a very confident person when I speak to people. I've never had a problem saying my opinion or relating to somebody.

Once you start walking, when you're deep into it, your challenges are there. If you can't walk up a hill, you're like: I suck. Oh my God, I'm scared. This is crazy! Once you're able to walk up a hill without gasping, you feel like Rocky. Oh my God, I walked that hilll! And then you walk the hill in seconds like it's nothing. That's the sense of accomplishment I want for my clients. Because I think anybody can do it.

When I started, I would have to tap out at half of the hill. I wasn't able to finish the whole hill. I was like gasping for air and looking at the hill and thinking it's never going to end. I can't get up this hill. It's such a steep incline. It's so high. It's so tall. Then once I started to get up the hill I would think: It's not that bad. It's not that tall. It's not how I perceived it when I first started to do it. That's what I want for my clients. It gives you a perspective that opens up possibilities for other things. And you can go on