I'm a core specialist... 

It took me a decade to figure that out. 

At 22, I felt broken, defeated, out of shape, and sick and tired of being sick and tired.

"I just can't do it anymore". That was the very line I repeated over and over again in my head.

And I realized that at any moment I could choose again.

And I chose me.

I started working out because I knew things had to change. I lived with debilitating back pain, a weak immune system, and very (VERY) low confidence.

The focus of my workouts wasn't about my thighs (though, at the time, I had ripped quite a few pairs of jeans trying to stretch them out), my stomach (which had just undergone some serious changes), or my weak arms.

It was just about me. Getting better, being happier, and living healthier.

Every time I showed up for a workout that's all it was - it was just about me. And with every minute spent focusing on just that, on just me - was another spark in my core.

And I found my sense of belonging... I found who I was.

It stitched self-worth and self-confidence into the fibers of my being.

I found peace, balance, self-confidence, happiness, and an energy I'd never known right there (literally and figuratively) in my very core.

I've spent the last decade learning, practicing, and being a personal trainer and the one thing I know for certain is that peace, balance, self-confidence, happiness, and an energy you've never known is right there in your very core.

That's why I'm a core specialist. 

Your anatomical core is made up of major muscles included are the pelvic floor muscles (hello), transversus abdominis (wayyyy deep inside there), multifidus (muscles the run on each side of the spine), internal and external obliques (the sides of your abs), rectus abdominis (the six pack guys), erector spinae (think obliques for your back - they help turn and rotate your body), latissimus dorsi (muscles in your mid back), gluteus maximus (your butt), and trapezius (all the way up to the top of your back).

Your core is made up of even more than that. At your core you are calm, compassionate, curious, full of clarity, confident, creative, courageous and connected.

Your core is often misused, or not working as one whole. So that's what I do. Focus, strengthen, and uncover the core of you so that you can get better, be happier, and live healthier. 

I promise you'll find peace, balance, self-confidence, happiness, and an energy you've never known, right there (literally and figuratively) in your very core.

 

 
“This isn’t a personal trainer in your ear; this is a personal trainer having your back. I want to make your food and workouts start working FOR YOU.”
— Melissa Robbins
 

instagram: @youfirstfit

Monday Melissaism - I'll keep saying it until you're saying it too... ditch that scale. Your weight will never tell you the whole story. And most importantly, health and happiness will always prevail over a digital number on a small, emotionally daunting piece of equipment. If the number on the scale easily affects your mood I want you to get rid of it immediately. Tag two friends you'd like to make a #ditchthescale pact with!! And if you're curious about what the scale does mean to me... click the link in the bio*
You know this zen like feeling you're experiencing because it's Sunday - the day of rest? What if I told you that you could still feel like that on Monday? What if everyday was a day of rest? Rest doesn't mean that you're doing nothing. You can be doing your job, cleaning your house, or be super busy and still experience this kind of peace by letting your MIND rest. Just BE. When you're working, be all there, be mindful of your work, SMILE while you're doing it. If you're cleaning your house, be all there, be mindful of your space, SMILE while you're doing it. Whatever you're doing, wherever you are, BE all there and everyday will feel as blissful as Sunday. Photo #throwback to Hawaii where this guy was schooling us on rest, restoration, and bliss.
Let me preface this with the fact that I am pro statue removals. But THIS, I am adamant and I am offended by these damn statues. 😂😂😂#downwiththescales #fuckthescale #fitjourney
I worked really hard to prevent things from happening. I was careful with my time so I wouldn’t get off track. I put a lot of energy and effort into removing negative people, things, and thoughts from my life. Bad things kept happening, my schedule never worked out how I expected and the negatives kept appearing and reappearing. What are you getting at, Melissa? I stopped working really hard. That’s what I’m getting at. Focusing only on that which you can control makes no damn sense because we can't control very much. If you're ready to stop working so hard and start focusing on something else click the link in the bio*. PS it's FREE.
More. Freaking. Love. Listen to me when I say this, because I don't take it lightly, and I'm not saying it passively. Spreading more love means standing up for our brothers and sisters who are experiencing a level of hatred that is bone chilling. Racism not only exists, it's currently flourishing... and it's unacceptable. I'm in the work of empowering others, and I'm also a white woman who has benefited every day because of the white skin I was born with - which means I have an obligation to speak up, and try to help dismantle this very system. I know for a fact that hatred is not something you are born with. I also know for a fact that every person, no matter how dark and sinister, has the capacity for good and light. However, if you fall into a category of people who consider themselves a part of these groups, a sympathizer of these groups, or a person who is idly standing by thinking, "this doesn't affect me" - you are not good.. and there is no good on that side but you still have the capacity to be and you can still turn it around. Show more love, spread more love, BE more love.
Monday Melissaism - More Love - sounds simple enough, right!? There's a lot happening right now out of hatred; hatred is taught, it's not a part of our innate systems. That means it can be untaught, corrected, and buried by love. Love IS innate - we're born giving it and we're born needing it.. and right now we need it more than ever. #love #morelove
Ummmm... I have no idea who this reminds me of... 🤷🏼‍♀️😏😂 thanks @kaseykesner for thinking of me!
To the women who have attended this retreat: I am forever grateful for you. For as much as you think I've changed your life, you have changed mine. You will forever be my soul sisters. A special thank you to Annika and Kasey for bringing and sharing your beautiful gifts that I regularly get to bask in! To Elizabeth Cano I have no words, I can't think of a better gift than someone who is able to be a friend, teacher, encourager, and support system wrapped up into one beautiful package. Thank you for being a light! And as always the one behind all of my scenes, the glue that holds me together, my husband. I am forever changed for the better and eternally grateful for each and every one of you. God is so good.
The real warriors in this world are the ones that see the details of another's soul. They see the transparency behind walls people put up. They stand on the battlefield of life and expose their heart's transparency, so other's can finish the day with hope. They are the sensitive souls that understand that before they could be a light they first had to feel the burn. Shannon L. Alder @balanced_bodies
Allow yourself to transform as many times as you need to be fully happy and free. #yungpueblo #hawaii #transform #happyheart #freedom
Talking #thefouragreements with beautiful women, releasing old agreements we made with ourselves, and making new agreements that will propel us into the balance, peace, joy, and love we've been longing to experience!!