The early beginnings –
Growing up on the West Coast of Canada with my genetic roots stemming from the Czech Republic, many of my summer holidays were spent hiking mountains with the family in British Columbia and Alberta, and attending a regimented athletic summer camp in the Czech Republic.
Hiking with my family was easy when I was still in my dad’s child carrier as he did all the hard work for me and fed me wild blueberries at Cypress Provincial Park. But attending summer camp in the Czech Republic was a little more confronting. We woke up in our tents every morning to up-beat music. We then had to change into our bathers and line up barefoot in front of our tents. The grass was cold and the outside temperature was in the low Celsius. Thereafter, we warmed up with a jog around a football field before sprinting down a hill to do a full body cold-water submersion before running back up the hill to commence the daily program. This was typical of the Czech Republic’s disciplinary nature. I certainly did not appreciate this at 13 years old!
Fast forward to high school where I excelled in field hockey, running, hiking, and downhill skiing. As I excelled so did the injuries. During one particular occasion, I was left standing paralyzed during my field hockey game unable to lift my legs to run. This became the start of my chronic lower back pain.
After university, I became a bike mechanic for an outdoor guiding company in Canmore, Alberta. Thereafter, I guided for 2 seasons for the same company in Europe. I got to travel the continent and grew as an individual in skill, confidence, and mental resilience. After my second season, I realized I was not the working horse I thought I was. The need for new self-development was ever so apparent, so I decided to listen to my inner voice.
Over the course of my developing years, there’s been a shift from ‘how much can you do in the shortest amount of time?’ to ‘how well can you do the same load in the shortest amount of time?’ to ‘burnout!’ and finally to: how well can you do your job & what you love, sustainably?
This brings me to January 2019. I jetted off to Australia for a much needed vacation. But after that came to an end, the pull to stay in Australia was ever so strong. That’s when I decided to finally pursue my long time goal of completing a fitness accreditation and work on establishing my dream business. So I enrolled in a Diploma of Sports Development and Fitness in Southeast Queensland.
My current journey & evolution of being –
When I first started my Diploma studies, I was heavily involved in HIIT (high intensity interval training) training & ZUU (primal movement), some Olympic Weightlifting, Boxing, and all things intensive that absolutely stressed out my nervous system.
At first my strength grew, but shortly after, I burnt out & I became mentally and physically ill. My body was telling me something was not ok, because the more I pushed my body, the more my strength decreased, my mental stamina fizzled away, and my joints began to hurt. I became depressed, anxious, nervous, and angry. I lost my spark, and everything I loved doing, made me unhappy. My happiness felt like a fleeting entity; something I couldn’t hold onto, not even for a day.
I began working with a naturopath on the Gold Coast, and started studying my body. My journey thus far has involved an extensive process of healing my gut, my adrenals, my emotional well-being, and my physical imbalances. I began seeing the direct relationship between what I ate and my mental state thereafter. Whilst this is an ongoing process, I am learning new habits, slowly breaking old ones, and finding what foods work best for my metabolic type.
Next, I quit HIIT training and all other training that kept my nervous system in fight / flight mode. I explored slower compound movements, lifted heavy weights, and achieved some new physical goals. This step felt great until it didn’t. I became very frustrated, because every time I built myself up, I would crash. I listened to my body again and reached out to a holistic practitioner & peak performance coach to address the root causes of my physical and emotional stress.
It was clear my body and mind needed coaching that was more holistic. I am learning that I cannot split the emotional from the physical. What I feel inside myself reflects in how I treat my body on the physical level. My beliefs and thoughts dictate what I deem is the right way to train my body. But if my thoughts, beliefs, and emotions are distorted, or not serving me, then I am far from reaching my potential.
When I wrote this out in my journal, it became my biggest lightbulb moment and it took me a whole year to reach this realization – and that was only after day 1 of working with my new mentor and coach.
Thus far, my year has been dedicated to studying my sports and fitness diploma, learning what I can from a variety of top professional athletes and coaches, solo trekking to fill my souls desires, and healing my body and mind.
Through my personal journey of chronic pain, burnout, and embarking on a life-long journey of self-discovery, I am inspired more than ever to share what I know with you and encourage you to seek out a better understanding of the connection between your body and mind and how that translates to your physical capabilities and outputs.
Dream business in the making –
My business dream first came to mind back in 2011. While I have worked a variety of jobs that directly related to my interests and passions, I always knew I would follow my dad’s footsteps and establish my own business one day.
I have taken the time to gradually build up my knowledge and experience bank. This is now coming into fruition as I put together the personal experiences and knowledge I have of health and wellness, human movement and patterning and the mind-body connection.
When I began investing into individualized programs, I began seeing a return on that investment. This became the key to getting me on track to discovering my potential as a human and as an athlete.
Over the last 10+ years, I have unhesitatingly invested time and money into top education, a variety of certifications, personal trainers, and naturopathy so that I can share the very best resources, education, training protocols, and holistic health with you.
My future focus is on preparing you for the great outdoors and any epic adventure or sporting event you are or wanting to be working towards. Never underestimate the power of change, and the adaptability of the brain. What you condition yourself to believe, is what you will become.
Our actions are reflective of our beliefs. Take charge – be an active part in living your best and most fulfilling life.
Christine Zelezny