Iron Footprint Fitness (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780615720449)

I was fortunate to grow up in a family that values physical activity; it's what I love and me at my best. The backyard games of my Minnesota childhood followed the seasons. The best was being up to bat on a summer evening with no outs and sunset still hours away. The roots that took hold propelled me to compete in sports through college and continue as an adult including powerlifting in which I hold amateur, age-group records. Today, living in warm and sunny Los Angeles my sentiment to play is stronger than ever - it doesn't get any better than knowing that after the gym is a softball game then a bike ride then a... My vocation morphed from my avocation, during which I have taught, coached, designed and delivered physical activity programming to kids and adults, beginners and elite athletes, those motivated and others NOT motivated. I will forever cherish my early playground leader years for how they shaped each position that followed, but it wasn't until I was the Director of Recreation at a residential treatment center for emotionally challenged kids that I truly understood physical activity's capacity to enrich lives. For most, 'rec' time was respite from other treatments to heal their painful pasts, but realizing physical activity's profound contribution to their wellness drives my preparation of its next generation of professionals as a kinesiology professor. Beyond academia, I also design and deliver professional development focused on building physical activity leadership competencies, direct funding that provides physical activity intervention to obese/overweight kids, and direct a certificate program that offers preparation for nonprofit sector careers. I have published articles in scholarly journals and authored 'Certified or CertiFRAUD? Assessing the Professional Competency of Your Personal Trainer-Who's Minding Your Store?'