About Aspen
- NSCA Certified Personal Trainer
- USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach
- CPR/AED/First Aid Certified
Hi there! Thank you for stopping by. I’m Aspen, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to introduce myself. What would anyone want to know about me anyway? I decided to write from the heart. I know fitness can be hard. It is hard for me, sometimes, too. I’m here to tell you we probably have a lot more in common than you might think.
Let me start with the most important things first. See that cute family picture? That’s my family! I am a wife and a mother. My husband and I have been married since 2006 and have weathered our share of storms. We’ve moved from the mountains to the West Coast, then to the East Coast, back to the mountains (albeit different mountains), and currently, we reside in Argentina. Along the way, we’ve created our little family. We have two boys who are not so small anymore, aged eleven and nine. I love being a mom as much as I love being married, which is a lot!
I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to stay at home and raise my boys since they were born. I have been a homeschool mom at times, too. But as the kids approached school age and became significantly less needy, I found myself in the weight room for the first time since college. Also, we were in D.C., and it was cold! I didn’t want to run outdoors, or on a treadmill, so I started lifting. The gym in our apartment building was small, but it did the trick. While I had familiarity with lifting from college track and field training, my body was different after having two babies. Like always, my husband was by my side, guiding my programming and teaching me everything he knows about resistance training.
As I began to see and enjoy the benefits of weight training, I recruited my two running partners to try weight room workouts with me. Before I knew it, I was teaching boot camp to groups of 15 or more at our local track. I started to realize I was pretty good at it! With encouragement from my husband, I began looking into personal trainer certifications. I found a Gold’s Gym near our house, which offered training and certification regardless of experience. I applied as a personal trainer and was hired, launching my fitness career. Well, maybe launched isn’t the right word, but it began nonetheless.
Though I learned a lot at Gold’s Gym, I quickly grew tired of the gym politics and the strain of my job on my family. I decided to step away from the gym and try training from my home. I was lucky enough to bring a couple of clients with me. My husband and I purchased a heap of equipment and outfitted our basement, turning it into a fantastic home gym. I ran my training business for another year and a half in Virginia and, with our next move, for two and a half years in West Virginia. Though I worked with some amazing people and saw some significant transformations, training was still something I did on the side with other work and family obligations receiving the bulk of my attention.
As my passion for exercise science and human performance has grown, so has my motivation to continue my education. I am currently working on a master’s degree in sports and health sciences with an emphasis on exercise science and human performance. I will complete my degree by February 2021. I also intend to earn certification as a CSCS, certified strength, and conditioning specialist, shortly.
In July 2019, we moved to Argentina, and my business became more of a business and less of a side gig. I undertook numerous projects to revitalize our embassy health and wellness program, including creating a gym and wellness committee, procuring equipment for the gym, teaching boot camp and other fitness classes, and giving seminars on health and wellness topics. Almost all these activities were volunteer basis, while in the meantime, my training clientele continued to grow. I am proud to say that, with the help of many others, I am building a culture of healthy living at U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires.
I know this is a lot of reading, and so if you’ve made it this far, thank you! I skipped over much of my running background, but I want you to know that I found my first love of sport through running. I ran track in high school and received a college scholarship in track and field. After college, I mentored girls through the Girls on the Run program in San Diego. I’ve completed many races, though the longest distance I’ve ever run is a half-marathon. My training plan does not focus on running currently, but I stay current on running topics and help athletes who are looking to increase their mileage, make corrections to their form, and more!
Okay, that’s it! You’ve made it. Thank you for reading, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about my background or services.