I can do hard things. 

You can do hard things.
We can all do hard things. 

How do I know this? Because if I can have a cold shower - I can do anything - and you can too!

To know karla, is to love her. Her energy is infectious, she will inspire you to be your best self, and encourage you to do anything you put your mind to with her words, and simply by being herself! 

Karla has been at Encompass for over 5 years and has had tremendous success by redefining what success and fitness mean to her. 

I think women initially almost always start going to the gym to lose weight. I know I did.

But, since then I have realized that there is a level of dedication and effort required to get a 6-pack that quite frankly I am not willing to put in - and that’s more than okay! I no longer care about wanting to be “skinny” -  I want to be able to eat what I enjoy and to be strong. I don’t just want to be thin, I want to be able. Able to chase my nieces and my one-day grandchildren, able to take them to Disneyworld and enjoy all of it with them, and able to get down on the ground and crawl around with them. I want for our memories to be the things we can do together because I am able to, not the gifts I give them. 

When Karla was just 18 years old, she gave birth to her son, who became her priority. It wasn’t until her son was older that Karla started to consistently introduce fitness into her life. Karla has tried the gym setting, and personal training, but it was really group fitness that caused her to fall in love with fitness. 

Why Group Fitness? What keeps you consistent and dedicated when you ‘don’t feel like it’? 

It’s the environment! You get so much energy from other people - when you see someone else challenging themselves, you challenge yourself too. You don’t push yourself as hard when you are on your own; It’s just not the same as doing it in a group. Then there is the accountability - when someone notices that you missed a class, that’s huge. Whether it’s the instructor or the other people, to have someone ask where you were, or notice you weren’t there means so much. 

For me, fitness is a relationship. I didn’t always have friends who were into fitness, yet fitness brought so many friends into my life. Fitness has become relationships, friendship and support. But also, it’s fun! It’s a lifestyle and it has brought so much into my life. 

Tell us more! 

Our lives have changed so much. Instead of sitting around on holidays, we look for opportunities to get outside and see and do things. We get to experience so much more out of life. It’s amazing how many things we would have missed out on just because we weren’t active. 

My husband isn’t into “fitness”, but he has adapted to my lifestyle and supports me 100%. He encourages me in every single thing I do, always supports me, and will get outside to walk or adventure with me. For Valentine’s, I got running shoes instead of chocolates. It’s hard enough to fight myself to stay motivated and healthy at times, I can’t imagine fighting against someone else who isn’t supportive. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without my husband. 

What is your greatest accomplishment since becoming more active? 

It’s never really been a “thing”, but more the journey. I’ve stepped outside my comfort zone and tried new things that I never would have done on my own like running a Spartan race, participating in FemSport, or even walking or jogging in races (I am so not a runner - but I guess I am… because you just try things and you can become better at them). But it was never really about the “thing” I accomplished but just being able to participate and train and support others and have fun and enjoy it along the way. I’ve formed so many friendships and have had so many moments where I would have given up, but the people around me pushed me to keep going. For me, fitness is community and memories. Completing a Spartan race with my son is something I will never forget. 

Karla’s own family has inspired her to stay active and aspire to be a strong grandma in her future. Unfortunately, I have seen others in my family live sedentary or inactive lifestyles, and the result of this. I have also seen my grandma endure a stroke and sadly no longer be able to walk or use her body. We take so much for granted, until you no longer have it. I am so lucky to be able to use my body, and I remind myself that it is a privilege and not a chore to get to exercise. 

It’s not just fitness though; my mindset has changed so much. I do cold showers, practice gratitude, and do affirmations. Moving my body has given me so much strength and opened my eyes to what is important in life and I can handle so much more. I view life with a different perspective and mindset. I face things with optimism and positivity and strength. A strong mindset and fitness got me through the pandemic. I don’t know what that would have looked like otherwise. I needed the outlet and the combination of working out and being with other people online and knowing there was structure. 

What advice would you give other women? 

You NEED to put yourself first. You can’t help other people when and if you don’t put yourself first. Looking back, I think I could have even been a better mom if I had.  Who cares if you don’t get the laundry done. Learn to put yourself first without guilt. 

AND, don’t care about the number on the scale!! I want a healthy mind and a healthy body - I don’t care what the scale says. I have been tiny and it still wasn’t enough. It’s not the number on the scale - it's being able to do things that bring you joy. 

As far as fitness goes, the hardest part is always going to be walking through the door. If you can do that, you can do anything! 

If you’re already into exercise, my advice would be to ask a friend to join you!! If you can bring a friend and offer them support - it’s invaluable. I was invited by a friend and if I wasn’t I wouldn’t have even known about it and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be where I am today. I think sometimes we think it is awkward to invite our friends, but it is only as awkward as we make it. Please, don’t be afraid to reach out and invite your friends. 

Chatting with Karla, it was clear that she challenges herself by choosing to be her best self as she left us with these final words of wisdom and inspiration.

It was a hard year, but I know it would have been harder without my fitness community and a better mindset. It’s a choice. Again there are some things that are out of my control, our control, but I refuse to let things get me down. Who you surround yourself with is who you become. At Encompass you get to surround yourself with people who are working on self-growth, which inspires you to grow too (and it’s never too late to grow or do hard things!). 

Are you not inspired to do hard things?! I know I am. Karla’s tenacity and willingness to be her best self and build a positive community is contagious. She is the spearhead of our Encompass Taco Tuesdays and we can’t think of a more self-defined and self-accepting strong and healthy woman to celebrate!