Meet Corinna Willis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Corinna Willis.

Corinna, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Hello! Like many others, I was always the big girl’ growing up. I was still athletic and played sports, but the fact still remained that I was always chubby. In high school, I wasn’t ever bullied or anything like that, thankfully, but I was never comfortable in my own skin. If I could’ve had one wish back then it was always “to be skinny.”

Then in 2010, I went off to college. I was still big throughout college, still playing sports and going to the gym but definitely wasn’t losing weight; I was just staying the same. It wasn’t until my last year of college, in 2014, that I started to lose weight and got all the way down to 195 pounds!

Three months after graduation, in 2015, I started my (current) job with the State of Texas. Things were going well with my weight, maintaining throughout 2015 at around 200-210, but then in early 2016, I started gaining weight back up to around 245 pounds.

In July 2017, I was fed up with my weight. I started a fitness Instagram (@curlsxsquats) for accountability and was determined to lose the weight, and I did! I was eating healthy and doing gym classes like body combat and body pump along with the occasional jog and ended up getting down to around 200lbs again!

But.. 2018 rolled around and you guessed it. I started gaining my weight back, slowly but surely. It slowly crept up like 3-4 pounds a month until I was right back where I started.. 250lbs and was feeling so defeated. I even deleted my entire fitness Instagram and every picture I had on here from my first journey because I was so embarrassed and disappointed in myself.

Then, in September 2018, I made a choice for the third time that I was going to do lose weight. Again. I wasn’t comfortable. I was disappointed, embarrassed, and ashamed. But… I got to work.

Fast forward almost 17 months later and I have lost around 60 pounds since Sept 2018! I recently began the process to obtain my personal training certification and hope to help others in the future accomplish the goals they have set for themselves.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The hardest part about losing weight is the fact that ‘life happens’. Sometimes, a bad day emotionally would make me want to resort to my comfort.. food. So, having to adjust not only my body but how I handle my emotions as well as difficult. I have now learned different ways to cope with my emotions by doing things like working out, writing, and/or traveling to see my family.

Other struggles go back to my social anxiety and thinking everyone is judging me at the gym or making fun of me so that sometimes hindered me from trying certain workouts or going to certain parts of the gym. I had to keep telling myself “nobody is looking” or “nobody cares” just so I could get through a workout. I am glad to say that now, my confidence is so much higher and nothing at all intimidates me at the gym.

There’s also a learning curve to losing weight while maintaining a ‘balanced’ lifestyle. It has taken me almost five years to figure out what works for me and what doesn’t. I knew I did not want to deprive myself of good food, but I also knew I could not get results if my eating did not change. So, I have done many different ‘styles’ of eating, but the two that have helped the most are intermitted fasting and counting macros. I have educated myself on things like the amount of calories I need to be eating and how to compare that to the amount of calories I am burning, how many calories I am burning at rest, and how many calories I need to eat lose weight but also sustain muscle mass. I plan to increase my knowledge even more as I get closer and closer to obtaining my personal training certification.

Please tell us about your work.
My number one goal with fitness is to inspire while I am inspired by others. Motivation is everything when it comes to trying to change your lifestyle and achieving your goals.

What sets me apart from others would be the fact that I have lived through each and every excuse I hear people say in regards to losing weight. I can relate on a personal level and that alone set me apart from a lot of trainers. I want my clients to know that I was once in their shoes, and I can help them achieve anything they set out to accomplish.

I am known for my hard work. Every day is a new day to be the best version of yourself possible. I have a saying, “Always be the hardest working person in the room,” and I strive to be that. I want to show others that if you show up every day with a positive mindset and determination, you will get the results you are looking for.

I am most proud of the fact that I am not just going through the motions or looking for a ‘quick fix’; I have literally changed my life. There were times I had to force myself to go workout or be healthy and now I have to force myself to take a rest day or ‘live a little’ when it comes to food. I want to inspire people who think ‘that’s just how they are’ or’ they were meant to be over weight’ and show them that it is possible to get strong and healthy, the right way. I want to help people.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success in regards to fitness is health — healthy vitals, cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, etc. In order to be successful at losing weight, you must go back to the basics and fix the foundation. Learn why you gained the weight, why the weight stayed on so long, what you need to do to lose fat or gain muscle. Fitness is always going to change and adjust to modern times. Education and guidance are very important tools needed to advance in the fitness industry.

As a trainer, success for me will come in the form of my client’s success. Did I do my job and help them achieve their goals? Did I educate them enough to keep the weight off? Were they happy training with me? Those are some of the questions I will ask them and ask myself to determine if I am successful as a fitness trainer.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: Instagram.com/curlsxsquats
• Facebook: facebook.com/willis.corinna

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