Marta & Fitness meets Mindfulness

What is fitness coaching?

For me, fitness coaching is helping people become their own inspiration.

How and why did you get into fitness and coaching?

I was always active and did a lot of sports. After my son passed away in 2015, I decided to do something that will challenge me mentally and physically. I started participating in outdoor obstacle courses and decided to compete in the bodybuilding industry. My body transformation story was published in Inside Fitness and Oxygen Magazine. At some point, I started giving bootcamp classes for teenagers with behavioral problems and that is when I fell in love with group fitness. I attended many different group fitness classes (spinning, BodyPump, bootcamp, yoga, CrossFit, etc.) In 2019, I got officially certified by CanFitPro and started working for Orange Theory, Organik (corporate health and wellness) and started my own company, Strivy Fitness.

Who do you help as a fitness coach? 

Anyone who is ready to take care of their body, mind and soul. Impacting people in a positive and meaningful way and helping them to see the light that is already within them are my favorite things about fitness coaching. I serve and help people by creating a space where people can improve their fitness level, learn how to be mindful and have fun while being surrounded by like-minded people. Even before working full time in the fitness industry, I discovered my passion for helping others. Building connection with people is a gift I was born with. I genuinely care and want to share my energy and experience to help them achieve their goals.

According to you, how important are nutrition and fitness? Why? 

To achieve overall wellbeing and feel strong, happy, and healthy we need to nourish our body from the inside and out. By eating nutritious and balanced food, we feel good more often and we increase our energy level. Eating well helps to develop a stronger immune system, reduce risk of many heart diseases, obesity, diabetes just to name a few. Fitness is essential for our physical, psychological and emotional well-being. I personally don’t know anybody who did not feel better after a good workout session. Our mood changes, we feel more relaxed, happy and proud! Fitness helps to reduce stress, anxiety and improves our self-esteem. We sleep better and our concentration and productivity increase as well.

Do you think it is possible to relate fitness and nutrition to spirituality?

I don’t only think it is possible – it is absolutely crucial. I believe that everything and everyone is somehow interconnected, and it all starts within us. It all starts with a single choice: the choice to commit to ourselves. It is essential to train our physical body, eat well, work on our mindset and become connected to our true nature and practice being our own observer rather than a judge. When we commit to ourselves by nourishing ourselves, with love, care and respect for our body, mind and spirit, we radiate this energy outwards. Only then we can truly feel fulfilled, shine and share it with the world.

What are the benefits working with a fitness coach?

There is a lot of free online content that one might think could replace a fitness coach. I could not disagree more. A fitness coach will not only show you how to do a squat, but will educate you, guide you, offer you support and connection. A fitness coach will push you out of your comfort zone so that you can get the most out of your workout and feel proud and accomplished. I also believe that a good fitness coach should be there for his/her members when they simply need a friend. I always tell my members that they can contact me whenever they need advice or support. I am there for them and always do my best to show them that I truly care for them and that they can count on me. I believe that it is important to emphasize that when you work with a fitness coach you become a team. You might think that you need a coach to help you achieve your goals, but the coach needs you as much. We exchange our energy, help each other and that is how we become better together. I always ask my members to give me feedback and demand from me so that I can serve them better. I never try to pretend that I know everything or have all the answers. I am here on this earth to grow and become better every single day. We are a team. We are in this together. 

Do you personally have a coach or a mentor or a guide right now?

I don’t have one specific coach. Currently, I have a couple of people that I look up to and who serve me as some sort of guidance. Some of the most recent examples of inspiration would include: 

• Mark Groves who is a Human Connection Specialist
• Eckhart Tolle who is a spiritual teacher best known for his book “The Power of Now”
• Master IlchiBuko who is president at Sedona Mago Retreat Center and guide to live your fullest potential with Tao Ancient Wisdom
• Sonia Zarbatany who is a Business Consultant
• Natacha Oceane who is a fitness beast, Iron woman and sprinter.

I admire all of them. They all have something that allows me to learn from them, grow and become a better coach and human being. 

How are you present in the fitness community?

I created my own online business: Strivy Fitness. I also work for Orange Theory, Organik and Mint Collective (corporate health & wellness). Now, more than ever people need support, connection, good energy and tools to help them move forward instead of getting stuck in their own fears and comfort zone. Strivy Fitness, offers corporate, group, individual and semi-private fitness classes that have mindfulness components in them. The classes are adapted to all fitness levels and are for people who are committed, tired of their own suffering, and hungry for change! 

What do you think the fitness community needs the most?

Besides yoga, the body, mind and spirit are still treated as separate things. However, in reality we need all of them to be truly happy. Therefore, the fitness community needs more leaders who emphasize all three aspects of well-being: body, mind and spirit.

How have you grown recently? What is your recent growth or AHA moment you had? It can relate to your business, health, relationship or anything.

The biggest AHA moment for me was almost 3 years ago. In 2018, I got divorced. I developed an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, food and pretty much lost myself and my sense of purpose. I realized that while I was trying to build a stronger body, I was not taking care of my soul. My journey was a rollercoaster of progress and setbacks, until I stumbled upon a retreat in Sedona Mago, Arizona; “Finding Your True Self”. I was leery, as my relationship with spirituality was non-existent at the time. Nor did I believe in the benefits of practicing mindfulness. But I gave it a try and this decision would change my life forever. During the retreat, it became 100% clear that my mission in life is helping others. I fell in love with the practice of mindfulness and learned about the idea of letting go, the power of being in the present moment and connecting to your true self. I forgave myself for past mistakes and learned to love myself again. That is when I invested all my energy to remove everything that was toxic from my life, developed healthy habits, and involved myself fully in the fitness industry with the goal to help others improve their fitness level and their mindset.

What are you passionate about? 

I am passionate about the mind + body connection and exploring the idea that even though our body is executing the actual workout, the mind is in charge. I am passionate about linking those two therefore I designed a class that focuses on merging high intensity interval training with mindfulness. I called it “Mindful Warriors Class.” In this class, my members learn how to release stress, improve their mind and body connection and elevate their fitness level. I am focusing on simple mindfulness techniques and physical movement and how these practices can work together in harmony to declutter their mind and activate their body. The deep sense of self-connection and fitness harnessed in this class will have you feeling energized and profoundly fulfilled!

What are your favorite quotes? 

1. When you pay attention and care you might just save a life – unknown
2. Discipline Equals Freedom – Jocko Willink
3. Life will give you whatever experience is the most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness – Eckhart Tolle
4. Be true to your inner purpose. As you become present and thereby total in what you do, your actions become charged with spiritual power – Eckhart Tolle 
5. You are not the voice in your mind, but the one who is aware of it – Eckhart Tolle

What are your main goals and dreams about your career in this field?

Generally speaking, I would love to grow my company and have a team of people who believe in me and my mission to make this world a better place by bringing awareness to the fact that taking care of your body, mind and soul are equally important and essential for profound fulfillment. More specifically, I wish for myself to be a renowned fitness (mind + body) lifestyle coach. I would love to own a retreat center and organize events where people can come and take care of their body, mind and soul. I want to be involved in events (corporate, trade shows, online, etc.) where I can speak and share my energy, experience, and tools with others. Finally, I am planning to have my own podcast where I allow other people to shine and share their stories.

Feel free to share with us any upcoming events, workshops, etc. 

I offer free trials for my online group classes!

Visit my website strivyfitness.com and register for a class using the Code: FREE!