Meet Karen Cerezo | Women’s Health Coach, Sports Nutritionist, and Personal Trainer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Cerezo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I left the teaching profession about six years ago to take a leap of faith, and do something new. You can call it a midlife crisis, all I knew was I needed a change

I was passionate about teaching, but I no longer wanted to be in the classroom. I also knew that I wanted to do something with health and fitness; so fortunately I was able to combine the two into the perfect opportunity.

I started working with a company as an outdoor fitness trainer and over the years with that company I realize we were doing a great disservice by training women as if they were just smaller men. Even though we advertised workouts for all fitness levels, most of our trainers were training individuals as if they were all 24 year old, super fit males that wanted to compete in crazy adventure races.

I felt my female clients that were in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond were being left behind and I knew at that moment that’s what I needed to do. I needed to create a space where women over 40 felt comfortable and confident working out in a group setting but were also properly serviced and provided workouts designed for women in midlife.

It was then that I decided to open my own locations training only women and it’s truly been the best experience.

Not only am I able to provide them proper programming and tailor the workouts to their needs and goals, we are building a community of women that support one another and share in these new adventures that come with midlife, including menopause.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I think one of the things that sets me apart from other health coaches or trainers is my extensive knowledge about Menopause and training women over 45. So many trainers are unaware of the changes that take place in a woman’s body during this new season and how the changes in our hormones affect our endurance, stamina, strength, joints, sleep, moods, cravings . . .

It’s important for coaches and trainers to address the whole person, especially for women in midlife. My coaching takes on a holistic approach covering standard topics like nutrition, movement, goal setting, but also dives deep in hormone health, mental health, sleep health, sexual health, and stress reduction.

It wasn’t easy to leave a stable career with benefits to go out on my own with no guarantee of success. Having my husband being my biggest supporter and picking up my “slack” as I was getting established made it a little easier. I knew what I was offering was needed. For so many of us women over 45, this time can be lonely and overwhelming since many of us have no idea what to expect with menopause. Having a place where women felt welcomed, supported, and empowered was so important to me, so all the struggles of getting started were well worth it.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is I will never stop learning. There is so much new information out and research being conducted about menopause and how it affects women’s health, that I know this is something that will constantly be evolving and changing and to me that just makes it that much more needed and much more excited to be a part of it.

I want women to know they are not alone! They do not have to navigate this new season on their own. There are resources, there are communities, they are people out there to help you get through it with grace and dignity.

If you are looking for ways to thrive in this new season, I’m here for you. Whether it’s through nutrition, movement, mindset, or just general knowledge, I can help you get back in the driver’s seat once again.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting Austin we would definitely have to head downtown. We may start our day with paddleboarding at Lady Bird Lake, or a nice relaxing walk or fun run at Zilker Park.

Next stop would be lunch at one of the amazing restaurants downtown has to offer. Patio seating is a must so we can enjoy the great Texas weather.

Lunch would be followed by a walk around Wimberly, TX for some live music, vintage shopping, or a quick pop into one of my favorite bookstores.

And we would want to end the night with a great outdoor summer concert and a glass of red wine from one of the many fabulous Fredericksburg wineries.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out the women that inspire me to show up as my best self everyday, including my daughters, my mom and sister, but also the wonder women of my community. The ladies that train with me, show up every day giving it their all whether they are stressed from raising children or caring for aging parents, if their joints are hurting or hot flashes are slowing them down they don’t give up!! So a huge shoutout to my Lifestyle Fitness gals that make me laugh, cry, and continue to grow in this new season.

Website: https://www.midlifehealthcoach.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midlife_health_coach/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MidlifeCoachingWithKaren