As a native Texan, I'd like to extend a colossal "Howdy!" and welcome you to my website! Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to look around and get to know a bit more about me, my background, credentials, and the services I offer.
My name is Karin Taylor and I am self-professed health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness junkie who loves food and animals!
I have been an ACE Certified Personal Trainer for 20+ years. I graduated from Texas State University in 2003, Magna Cum Laude, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise & Sports Science with a minor in Business Administration.
I am also an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Certified Yoga Instructor, Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach, Certified Indoor Cycling Instructor, and ACE Certified Mind Body Specialist.
I have been active in sports since I was young, including softball, gymnastics, and running. Growing up, my siblings and I consumed a significant amount of processed foods which were high in fat, sugar, and chemicals; it's puzzling that I was underweight for most of my childhood.
In middle school, I begged my parents to enroll me in gymnastics lessons like my best friend. During one class, I remember pointing to another gymnast and asking my new coach "What is that thing?" He told me it was her deltoid I had pointed to and from there I became enamored with muscles. I remember watching Kiana Tom, Body Shaping, fitness competitions and strong man competitions on ESPN as well as working out to Denise Austin's show and buying Tamilee Webb's Buns of Steel!
I battled anorexia nervosa for several years in my teens; however, I gained a significant amount of weight from age 16-18 after quitting all sports and physical activities and overeating. My body image and self-confidence were at an all time low when I was overweight and I became withdrawn and depressed. It is very difficult for me to look back at pictures of myself from that time, not only because I have to accept that is how I looked physically, but because it was such a tremendous struggle for me mentally and emotionally.
Fast forward to when I joined World Gym (now Gold’s Gym) at age 16 with the money I received from my parents as a birthday present; it was there where I discovered weight training and became fascinated with anatomy and physiology. I will never forget my sister and her coworker taking me around the gym to show me the equipment. I remembered being too scared to venture off into the free weight area with all of the men, so I was a cardio bunny in the beginning. As time passed, I began to use the weight machines and then eventually gained enough courage to wander into the free weight areas by myself.
I still have the first issue of Muscle & Fitness I received as a gift from my oldest sister. I began looking at other fitness magazines as well and fell in love with the look of the fitness models; a little voice in my head shouted, “Hey, you can do this”! It wasn’t until I was a freshman in college when I lost 30 pounds by working out and making more nutritious food choices. I lost 10 more pounds when I began competing in figure competitions shortly after college when I took my training and physique to a higher level of fitness. As my body grew strong, so did my mind; my thoughts became more positive, my self-esteem, self-confidence, and body image all improved significantly.
I had originally planned on majoring in Accounting while I attended UT, but I quickly decided that the corporate world was not for me and changed universities and my major to Exercise & Sports Science at Texas State University. I even skipped out on my college graduation ceremony so I could take my ACE Certified Trainer exam!
Being in a gym and training feel like home to me and they have long become a place of comfort and security, a place of solace, and a place where I can go to focus on creating a better me. I am able to relieve stress, face my fears and push myself mentally, physically, and emotionally beyond them and outside of my comfort zone. Doing so has enabled me to focus, learn, grow, and has taught me the values of discipline, hard work, consistency, and determination and given me a sense of empowerment.
I never seem to feel quite right on the days that I am not able to sweat through physical activity. I have found one of handful of things in my life that I am truly passionate about; I live, breath, eat, and sleep health, fitness, and nutrition and I am so grateful I have the opportunity to share my knowledge, skills, and unique personal experiences with my clients. In addition to training in the weight room, I also enjoy running, yoga, cooking, baking, crafting, reading, movies, music, spending time with my family, friends, and dogs.
Physical activity benefits us all (adults and children) and not only aesthetically, but also improves our health, quality of life, reduces stress, improves self-esteem, and empowers us all to grow stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally. I enjoy helping my clients make fitness fun as well as guiding them along their health and fitness journey whether they are beginners or more advanced.
While I had dreams of returning to college to earn a Master’s degree in Nutrition or Physical Therapy, my primary focus is continuing to expand my knowledge base and experiences so that I may offer my clients a more complete and diverse approach to wellness, which includes the mind,body, and soul.
Mind, Body, Soul just so happens to represent the tagline for Gorilla Gainz Performance Apparel, an apparel and accessories line owned by my husband and me. We are joining forces together to launch (later this year) an online coaching and training business to not only expand our client base and help more people achieve their goals, but to also bring our knowledge, guidance and unique skill-sets together to enhance the mind, body, soul wellness experience for our clients. We are all stronger together!
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