Hello! I am a super-fun, positive person who grew up on the Southern California coast, an elite swimmer as a kid in Mission Viejo. I have owned and operated Natalie's Fitness Elements Garage since 2004. I have over 20 years of experience in the medical, health, and fitness industry. I have worked in home health, clinical settings, rehabilitation, and the medical field doing Nursing.
I began my passion for wellness during my senior year in high school when I was living in Temecula. My mom came into my room and said, “Natty, you’ve been depressed. I want you to open the blinds. Get out of bed. We’re going to join a gym.” I was told by a trainer, “I want you to look in the mirror and take this fork and ask yourself if you love you.’ I cried for two hours straight. But that was it. I never looked back. It changed my life forever. My heaviest weight was 175 pounds. I was wearing a size 14. I said I can’t shop for this size anymore. I was covering up at the beach. I cared what people thought.
It ruined my self-esteem. I had to get out of this. I started working out, and I was hooked. I gave myself a year and lost 60 pounds. I did it slow and steady and never gained it back, while building lean muscle, increasing my metabolism, and feeling better about life. I was out of the darkness and looking forward to everything. I started looking at food as fuel, other than having to eat. It drove me to be more cognizant of what I put into my body. Your body is your engine, and what you put in is what you will put out.
I want to help you with your fitness goals, turn your life around if you’re feeling stuck and feeling like you can’t get up. Thank you for letting me part of your process to feeling great about how you look and feel. One thing important for you is to find something you love, whether it’s hiking or biking or dancing or swimming or yoga. My job is to keep you motivated and find things you enjoy to find your fitness path.