Today we’d like to introduce you to Marisa Richard.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My fitness journey began 7 years ago when I crossed the finish line of my first 5K. It left me wanting more and I never looked back. That same year, I ran my first half marathon. 3 years later, I had completed 3 marathons in 3 years, Chicago and then Boston twice.
The nutrition piece came later when I was training for my third marathon and realized how important of a role food played in my performance. Now, I focus on food for energy and not calories.
With health and fitness being a passion of mine, I decided to get my ACE Group Fitness Instructor Certification and became a Fitness Nutrition Specialist. Now, I share my favorite healthy recipes and at-home workouts on my blog fitgreengal.com.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Running marathons has been tough on my body. After my third, I developed a case of runner’s knee and now when I run longer than 7 miles, it flares up. I still run a couple of times a week, but I tend to only run 3-5 miles at a time. The remainder of the week, I do strength training and HIIT, with the occasional barre and yoga, all of which have helped improve my running.
My advice to anyone who is just starting their fitness journey is to find something that you love and change up your workout routine occasionally so that you don’t get bored with it. There are so many different ways to workout today, a lot of which are outside of a gym. You can go to a studio class, do a virtual class at home or even download a fitness app to do workouts anywhere or anytime. The digital world allows fitness to be at our disposal.
I always tell women not to be afraid to pick up those heavier weights. As we age, we lose muscle mass and it’s so important that we build it now, in order to maintain it as we get older.
Please tell us about Fit Green Gal.
I specialize in Fitness Nutrition but my focus is more on creating healthy, simple recipes that are well-balanced, satisfying, and provide lots of energy. No one wants to start off a run feeling low energy or finish a workout feeling depleted. Proper nutrition can help with that as well as carry you through your day feeling your best. I am most proud of some of the recipes that others have tried and enjoyed such as my dessert and muffin recipes. They tend to be my most popular recipes given that everyone loves dessert and being able to make a healthier option when it comes to sweets is something a lot of people, especially women, are interested in. What sets me apart is my practical approach to fitness and nutrition. All of my recipes and workouts are easy-to-follow and do not require hours in the kitchen or at the gym. Fitness and Nutrition shouldn’t be hard, so my focus is to make it more approachable especially for the busy 9-5-er who doesn’t have time.
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
Growing up as a first-generation American with parents who immigrated from Italy, I always felt that I had something to prove. I set the precedent by being the first of my family to go to college and learned at a young age from my father that hard work pays off as I saw him dedicated to making a living and providing for our family. This example has inspired me to learn as much as possible and really take advantage of every opportunity I am given. I still have a lot to explore in the fitness and health space and have limited time to focus on my passion as it is a side business for now but it has been a great outlet for me as well as a way to show others that even with our busy lives, we can still be successful in those things that we are so passionate about, we just have to be willing to put in the time and work.
Contact Info:
- Website: fitgreengal.com
- Email: fitgreengal@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitgreengal/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitgreengal/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fitgreengal
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