Hi there!
CHRISTINA LIM, NASM-CPT,CES
PERSONAL TRAINER & wellness coach
Who are you & what do you do?
I'm a certified personal trainer, corrective exercise specialist, and wellness coach with a background in weight loss, functional fitness, senior fitness, and pre/post natal exercise. Depending on my clients’ needs, I integrate different types of training modalities, including strength training, flexibility training, core training, HIIT (high intensity interval training), corrective exercise, boxing, yoga, and bodybuilding-style training. My programs are created using custom exercise routines tailored for your goals and how you move, and can also include nutritional guidance & meal planning, goal-setting & coaching, and mind-body modalities. Fitness assessments and body composition analyses are also available.
What is your approach to fitness?
I believe that everything we do for the sake of wellness should be in support of our best self -- mentally, physically, emotionally, & even spiritually, whether we're in the gym or not. I also believe this journey can be fun! I find that my responsibility lies in thoughtfully taking into account a client's near-term and long-term goals, lifestyle factors, hobbies and activities, any special dates or timelines, and any potential challenges or limiting factors (such as injuries, surgeries, or any movement restrictions), in order to create a wellness or fitness program that can be successfully integrated for lasting health and wellness promoting benefits.
Where do you train clients?
Training may take place at a local gym near you, in your home, or outdoors. Online coaching and webcam workouts are possible for remote clients.
What do you do with your clients?
Since every client has different goals, needs, motivations, lifestyles, & hobbies, and starts from a different place, individual programs typically have unique exercises, nutritional guidelines, progressions, and implementation strategies.
With that said, a typical program centers around a couple key things.
The exercise program may include:
warm-up recommendations comprised of aerobic exercise, dynamic warm-up (pre-workout movement preparation), and foam rolling
corrective exercises which may include stability & mobility work, which address any postural or movement-based imbalances or weaknesses
strength training, to address relative strength imbalances, build absolute strength, and/or create muscle tone for aesthetic physique
cardiovascular conditioning, to increase aerobic work capacity of heart and lungs
flexibility training, to increase range of motion (ROM) if any constrictions exist, and to aid in muscle recovery
Lifestyle and nutritional guidance may include (customized to things like your height, weight, age, gender, activity levels, fitness goals, etc.):
daily caloric goals, guidelines on how to measure calories
sample meal plans & recipes
macronutrient 101 -- what is protein, fats, and carbs, and what are good food choices for each type
ideal macronutrient breakdown for your fitness goals, health, and body type
daily protein requirements, protein 101 (types of protein, animal vs. plant protein, high quality sources, etc.)
daily water intake requirements
what are inflammatory or allergy-causing foods, and what foods may be doing more harm than good ("junk foods")
supplements 101 -- guidelines on what types are helpful for your fitness goals, health, and body type
day-to-day tactics to eliminate harmful foods
day-to-day tactics to reduce stress & toxin release in the body
healthy cooking 101 -- tips on equipping your kitchen with cooking tools for healthy eating, and stocking your pantry with high-quality condiments & shelf-stable foods with limited chemicals & preservatives
A mind-body wellness program may include:
yoga sequences for strength, stability/balance, and flexibility
specific recommended yoga postures for body awareness & heightening the mind-muscle connection
breathing exercises for mindfulness, focus, and/or for relaxation, calming nervous tension, & reducing stress
[NEW] trauma-sensitive yoga (TSY) is now being offered -- please visit the Healing With Yoga page
Based on an initial consultation and assessment, a customized program is put together. As we progress, we may periodically re-assess all elements of the program and make adjustments as needed.
How did you get here?
Oh, JUST A TYPICAL DAY DOING marketing STUFF & EATING FRUIT BOUQUETS. this was my cubicle :)
Prior to my training work, I worked in a corporate office setting as a marketer for several years. I worked with amazing people, I was traveling frequently, meeting with folks from around the world, working on several product launches at the same time, and I had an insane schedule -- with back-to-back meetings on any given day of the week, working nights and weekends. But I also became the heaviest I'd ever been. And so my fitness goal at that time was purely aesthetic -- I just wanted to lose weight, if only for the Summer. I hired my first personal trainer. In addition to learning how to exercise, I got some guidelines on what and how to eat, and stayed motivated with my trainer's help.
I noticed that my diligent efforts to “lose weight and fit in my bikini” also came with some pretty awesome side benefits — stress relief & mental clarity, which allowed me to bring better focus to my work, a tremendous mood boost, higher metabolism which allowed me to burn fat while indulging on a guilt-free “cheat meal” every once in a while, the ability to carry all my groceries from the car in one trip (and my friends' groceries!), more self-confidence — which carried over to other aspects of my life, and I felt amazingly energized, all the time. I never needed coffee. It was the weirdest thing ever.
WNBF INBF AMATEUR BIKINI contest 2015
I continued to learn more and more about the non-physical benefits of exercise and the diet side of things, while curiosity spawned my learning of other modalities of training, including muay thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, pilates, and aerial silks. I also learned the intricacies of powerlifting and bodybuilding styles of training, and the many therapeutic benefits of yoga. I revisited playing tennis again (I played varsity tennis as a high schooler) and noticed that my much stronger body could pelt baseline shots unlike I ever could at my younger age. If only I had lifted weights!!!! I thought, shaking my fist in the air ;) More recently, I competed in a WNBF INBF amateur bikini competition for fun.
As I learned more about how to eat better, why I should stretch and foam roll after workouts, and how to create exercise programming to stimulate all my muscles, I was shocked to realize how little of all of it was ever taught in school. So much of this knowledge, in its basic form, is so easy-to-understand and intuitive yet it is not always easy to find, in books, or online, due to the sheer amount of misinformation. I wanted to share what I had learned with others interested in the same pursuits, with the hope that it could empower others to integrate these ideas to support health, wellness, and fitness, positively.
What an 'a-ha' moment. I thought, well what the heck do I do now!! I knew I needed to do more with this new knowledge. So I decided to change my career and get into the wellness and fitness field! :)
Why should I hire a personal trainer or wellness coach?
I believe there are a couple key reasons why having a trainer or coach is helpful.
First, as exercise experts they might bring some other options to the table that you are not aware of. Generally speaking, variety is needed for progress if you are looking for body composition changes (for example, losing body fat & gaining muscle), so this can only help. You might learn some more complicated movements or lifts, how to stimulate key muscle groups of your body, and new modalities of training, such as muay thai boxing or yoga-inspired stretches, for example.
Second, if you don't know how to periodically assess yourself and change your program for your goals, a trainer can help provide a different perspective to the changes that are taking place in terms of your physique & performance. A trainer can also help you vary your program, keeping things fresh & keeping your body guessing as a result, so you can avoid hitting a plateau.
Third, your trainer can recommend certain corrective strengthening movements that are a priority for you -- specifically for your body. For example, you may be unaware of postural or movement imbalances, such as hunched over shoulders, weak glutes and low back pain from sitting too much, or right-side dominance. You might be relatively weaker in your upper body than your lower body. You might gain insight on how to train to strengthen and mobilize areas that were previously debilitated due to injuries or surgeries.
Fourth -- Nutrition!! You cannot out-train a bad diet unfortunately. If you don't know where you should be at in terms of daily caloric intake, targeted macronutrient breakdown (proteins, fats, and carbs), and daily protein intake to support muscle maintenance or gain, it may help you to have some guidance in this area, specifically for your goals. Some people estimate that nutrition accounts for 80% of your results!
Fifth, it helps to have an objective person check in on you and advise on managing supporting lifestyle/wellness factors. Getting adequate sleep, hydration, minimizing exposure to toxins and inflammatory foods & environments, and managing stress levels are some examples of lifestyle factors that affect not only your mood and mental state, but also your overall health and athletic performance. These foundational factors can get overlooked but play a monumental role in success, whatever your wellness goals are.
Sixth -- Motivation!! The sweat-inducing kind! To get a fire lit under your ass! When you are trying to get started regularly working out and eating better, oftentimes having someone pushing you to consistently perform at your best, and keeping you focused on your goals is just what you need. Even athletes can plateau sometimes, and having someone to push them into the next tier of performance can be just what's needed.
And seventh -- Habit-building! If you've recently been neglecting your fitness and health, or have not been able to keep a regular habit of self-care and a wellness regimen, having a trainer keeps you accountable to get to the gym, get your workouts in, get your meals in, get your sleep, stay hydrated, manage your stress levels, etc. He/she can also be a reminder to you of your priorities and help you forge these changes as natural elements of your successful lifestyle.
What do people say after they train with you?
Here are some recent comments:
"I love training with Tina! Tina shown me that even with injuries I am still capable of doing something to strengthen my body. Tina has helped me recognize the strength within me and training with her has also helped me boost my confidence. I like that her program challenges me and helps me set realistic goals. She makes everything fun and she is also a great listener. She's very passionate about helping people feel empowered and make better decisions to live a healthier lifestyle. This makes it very enjoyable to work with her. I am very fortunate to have met Tina and I'm looking forward to the next time I train with her." --Kathy K.
"Christina's expansive knowledge is combined with a sincere passion to help you succeed in your personal goals. She listened intently to me, did a full assessment, and designed for an individual, customized program just for me. She even put together a picture booklet of the exercises, which allowed me to properly execute my protocol at home, in between sessions. I had been looking for a Personal Trainer for a long time, because, even though I am fit and active, I am over 50 and needed special consideration for my particular needs and limits, and not just a cookie-cutter protocol for everyone. Christina came up with the perfect program. AND, she is great to work with! You’ll enjoy her delightful personality as she gently corrects your positioning, while encouraging you to push forward towards achieving your goals. She’s 5 stars in my book. Do yourself a favor and give her a try, you’ll be happy you did." --Lynda S.
"Christina is a thoughtful, goal oriented and driven trainer. She has been able to challenge me every work out and achieve my goals while also being understanding when I "fall off" my fitness goal wagon. Trainers I have worked with in the past have often tried to pressure me to book more sessions, Christina doesn't do that at all and because of that it makes me want to work with her even more. While I still have a ways to go to reach my ultimate goals I feel more confident and am stronger since I started working with her. She customizes each workout based on what I need. Best trainer I have worked with ever!" --Kat P.
"I've been working with Christina more than 8 months, and I have gained strength and more importantly, confidence. As a couch potato who never exercised more than a day in a month for past 30 years, it was a big step for me to commit to any fitness program. I was already frustrated after trying to lose weight/ exercise on my own for 4 mo without seeing any results. Christina took me step by step, with no judgement nor negativity. Now, gym or fitness classes don't intimidate me, and am motivated to lead an active life style, not just for the aesthetic reasons, but because I enjoy it. I highly recommend Christina to anybody in all fitness levels." --In L.