Hey everyone. My name is Elizabeth Rizzo-Washburn. This is my first ever blog post so I apologize if it is rough around the edges. I thought it was about time to share my knowledge and experiences with my fellow fitness fanatics and people who overall want to live a healthy energy packed lifestyle.
A little about my educational background and what got me into fitness. I have an Bachelors degree in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Utah where I competed for 5 years as a collegiate gymnast. I also received my MBA from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. I am certified in several different fitness areas. Certified Personal Trainer, Life and Weight Management Coach, Core Conditioning Specialist, Fitness/Figure Competition Prep and Sports Nutrition Specialist. In college I struggled with disordered eating, horrible body image, insomnia and constant stress of fitting in. (There will be much more bout all this in future posts)
I am the youngest of two children. My older brother Joe is an amazing man, truly has one of the biggest hearts in the world. At times I feel like we are exact opposites but in reality at the core we have so much in common. I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and my parents are rock stars! Honest! They are extremely supportive, honest, and caring. When I was growing up they worked their asses off to give me every opportunity.
They said “no” far less than they should have and they made sure I always knew that I was… I am loved. As I have gotten older they have changed rolls in my life they are my mentors and some of my closest friends, and every once in awhile they will still act like parents. I only hope I can be half the woman my Mom is she has inspired me more than she will ever know. And my Dad, well there’s not much to say, I am the ultimate daddy’s girl.
Growing up competing gymnastics meant my life was nothing like the average kid. I started gymnastics when I was 2 which is relatively normal for gymnastics. At 7 I was competing, not the everyone gets a participation trophy kind either. We were judged, given scores and ranked. By 9 I was traveling out of state to compete and trying to qualify for Regionals (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky). Starting at 10 years old I had competitions around the whole country and trying to be one of the top 7 gymnasts in my age group in my region (the 5 states from above) So that I could compete at the Junior Olympic Nationals. There is so much I can say about my experience as an athlete competing in USA Gymnastics, but that would probably fill 10 blog posts and will be coming later!
I am now the wife of a professional basketball player and we are currently living in Europe for the basketball season (fall-spring) and spending the summers trying to visit all of our family and friends in the United States. Jason is my rock, my support, my 2nd hardest critic (after myself) and the best person in the world at making me laugh and enjoy life. In all honesty he saved me from the unhealthy road that I was traveling down.
I am the owner/creator of Rizzo Fitness. Yes I went with my maiden name for my business because of my gymnastics career. I wanted to make it easy for my clients, followers and peers to find information on me. (Beth Rizzo). Currently I train clients one-one online through a mobile app that allows me to give them exercise videos, set the weight and rep schemes and track their results and progress. Coming very soon will be my first 12- week fitness guide! So be on the lookout for that.
My path to happiness and confidence in myself was tough. It has been filled with highs and lows. I know that having a positive body image is something that I need to continue to work at and I do. Just recently I looked into my past and realized that the times when I was the leanest, the most fit and the happiest were the times when my focus was on the capabilities of my body, not how it looked in the mirror. If I was hungry I ate, being hungry meant my body needed fuel, if my body was sore it needed rest, there was no reason to push through a 5 mile run. At my lows I only cared about what my body looked like especially in a leotard (gymnastics uniform) considering we competed in front of 15,000 people every weekend! If I was hungry I told myself don’t eat you will gain weight, if your hungry you will have to burn fat. (Which is totally not true by the way) And I would never miss a workout… My butt would jiggle way too much if I missed a workout. This backward thinking led to poor athletic performance, poor mental health and an even worse looking body. Now my mantra is MY BODY IS AMAZINGLY CAPABLE. Thats right mine! The only one I will ever get! It is an amazing machine that rises to challenges. I now think of my body like my brain. I wasn’t born with knowledge on human physiology or biomechanics. No, I had to study them and constantly refresh myself on concepts and put those concepts into use, even testing out different theories. If I went to school for Engineering I would know all about electrical current and conductors. (I think thats engineering)! My body is the same way, I have to allow it to learn, allow it to study, to practice to develop before it will know!
MY BODY IS AMAZINGLY CAPABLE!
I hope you enjoyed this quick insight into my path. I promise I will dive into different sections of my life with more depth in the future! Feel free to request more information on any part of my life. I want to help you find your own path to a healthy life.
rizzofitness.org 