Hi Everyone! Thanks for visiting my blog! My name is Brittany Horton and I am a fitness manager and personal trainer. I have been in the fitness industry for over eight and it is truly my passion. People often ask me how I decided I wanted to be a trainer. Well, for you to truly understand me as a person and as a trainer, I want to tell you about my fitness journey...
I was born April 10, 1984 in Jackson, MS. I am the youngest of four children and I am very blessed with a wonderful close-knit family. When I was a child, I was very active. I loved to play outside and ride my bike, however, I also loved to eat. I was fairly thin up until about 3rd grade, then I started putting weight on. Yes, I became a "fat kid". I wasn't just chubby... I was very overweight. I was already an extremely shy child and I think that I used food to comfort me. I was teased daily in elementary school and it only made things worse. I remember standing in the lunch line one day and a boy said, "Go ahead, fatty!" I became so terrified to attend class that I would often play "hookie". My mom tried everything she could to encourage me and help me gain confidence. She made the decision to enroll me in dance class and that was THE BEST decision she ever made. After only a couple of years, I made the dance company and was traveling around the country competing. Dance made me feel confident and strong! I absolutely loved being on stage and loved performing. Dance not only helped me develop confidence, but it helped me develop into a long, lean and healthy young girl. I continued to dance through junior high and high school and my "fat kid" days were long gone, however, I still had some deep down issues as a result of the bullying I faced as a child. I do want to make note that the same boy that called me a "fatty" tried to ask me out in high school...of course I turned him down! :)
In 2002, I graduated high school and moved off to The University of Mississippi. I decided not to try out for the dance team, because I felt like I needed a break and really wanted to enjoy my freshman year of college. After the first semester...yep, you guessed it...I had already put on the freshman 15. Ugh! I didn't realize how much dance helped me stay in shape, and it also didn't help that I lived with my best friend who is a stick and still to this day can eat whatever she wants! I remember coming home for Christmas and I was totally embarrassed to run into anybody. I said to myself, "I am not going to be the girl that goes off to college and blows up." When I got back to school I started dieting and working out. During the second semester I dropped the 15 pounds I had gained..plus another 10! I was feeling good and looking great!
I decided to try-out for the Rebelettes my sophomore year and made the JV Squad. I was so excited and anxious to dance for my peers, then I realized that I was going to be wearing an itty-bitty crop top in front of them! Oh boy! I thought to myself, "I'm not near skinny enough to be wearing that, I better lose more weight." My diet got stricter and my exercise regimen got more intense. I would workout with the team at 6AM, go to class, workout again in the afternoon, then I would attended dance practice for a couple of hours every night. I started shrinking. All of my friends complimented me and I would hear "Oh my gosh, you are so tiny!" at least once a day. So, I decided I would keep losing. I loved all the attention and I was fitting in sizes I never thought I would see. Next thing ya know, I had a full fledged eating disorder. I would eat oatmeal for breakfast, tuna for lunch, and skip eating for the rest of the day. I was taking in a whopping 200-300 calories a day and working out for a total of 4 hours a day. If I ever slipped up and ate dinner, I would throw it up. When I came home my family noticed how much weight I had been dropping, especially my older sis. She would try to talk sense into me and tell me that I was getting entirely too thin. I battled this eating disorder for a long time. It totally screwed up my metabolism and my digestive system. I guess the wake-up call to me was when I realized I had not had a period for over 2 years. I knew that something was wrong and that I had to get a hold of my disorder. I started gradually adding food back into my diet and worked out...the right way. God really helped me through this time in my life and I was very blessed to not have to seek treatment for my disorder.
Skip to a few years later, I am healthy and happy. My system is still not completely back to normal...I mean I REALLY did some damage to my metabolism, but I have a healthy balanced lifestyle. I am a trainer, because I feel like I can relate to people on all levels. Whether they are overweight or struggling to get healthy the right way...I have been there! My passion is to help others reach their goals and lead a happy healthy lifestyle. My fitness journey has been a long & bumpy road, but I am so proud of where I am today. I am constantly setting new goals and I strive everyday to be an inspiration to others! I haven't told very many people my full story, but I am putting it out there in hopes that I can inspire others. No matter who you are or where you've been, you CAN change. You can be that healthy happy person that you envision.
-Brittany Horton
"If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place."
