Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Nickelson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been active a majority of my life starting in elementary school. I started taekwondo when I was in the 5th grade alongside my brothers, and fell in love with it. Stuck with it and became an instructor myself and earned my way up to a 3rd degree black belt! Super proud of that!
My sophomore year of college, my now-husband and I moved to Kansas City, MO. I no longer had taekwondo, so I picked up running and dabbled in lifting weights-but never took it super seriously until 2014. Why I waited that long is beyond me because I immediately fell in love with it and still love it 8 years later, which is why I turned it into my career.
I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, a Certified Pre + Postnatal Fitness Instructor, Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Coach, and am currently wrapping up my NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist Certification to lead into my Strength and Conditioning Specialist as well. (whew, that’s a lot!) Helping women feel comfortable and confident in any phase of their life- pre-kiddos, during pregnancy, and postpartum- is SO important to me, and continuing education and keeping up with all the data to ensure I can do that safely for them is also super important to me as well. Teaching women (and men, too!) the importance of food being fuel, yes, BUT also to merely be able to enjoy it in a way that they don’t feel controlled by certain foods is so rewarding. Helping people see that you absolutely CAN live a sustainable lifestyle through moderation, not deprivation, and still reach your personal goals is one of the most important things I can help them do.
That’s a quick, summarized view of what I do at Fit & Healthy with Erica!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not haha. Life has thrown plenty of curveballs throughout this journey, and that’s okay because they’ve all been a learning experience to grow from.
Just in the last year, I have wanted to throw in the towel a few times, actually, with this business. I have a 5-year-old and 3-year-old who are my main priority as a stay at home mom and well, you can imagine how time consuming in and of itself that is. But I remember why I started- to have something of my own outside of being a mom/wife, and to be able to help people get healthier and feel more confident in the choices they make.
I’ve gotten more productive these last few months, which is super exciting, but I have to intentionally keep myself in check and remember that in order for me to be the coach/trainer I want to be, I have to still be giving each and every person I work with the time and effort that they deserve. So turning “off” and slowing down are HUGE struggles for me, but again, I’m still learning!
We’ve been impressed with Fit & Healthy with Erica, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Fit & Healthy with Erica is an online fitness + nutrition business that offers a few different things now via the Everfit App:
-Group Challenges (6-8 weeks) that include 4 strength-based workouts, 1 metabolic conditioning day, 1 core + cardio day, and an active rest day as well as nutrition guidance in the form of personalized macronutrients or tips on how to be more mindful when eating and practice portion control. These challenges are fun and, well, challenging in the best way!
-1:1 coaching where we work together and develop an individualized plan based on one’s current goals.
– Nutrition Coaching where we focus solely on nutrition and how eating a well balanced plate is important for not only overall health and wellness, but also mood, sleep, performance, etc. We either again focus on macronutrients or mindful eating/portion control.
All of the coaching options get access to me via email or within my app! Weekly check ins to go over what’s working well and if anything needs to change, grocery staples list, meal ideas/recipes, tips and tricks on how to be successful and stay on track, etc.
I am not a coach who just wants to coach “x” amount of people. I’m not set out to become famous or take over the fitness industry or become an “IG Famous” person. I take pride in being able to recognize names and faces of the people I work with and knowing that I am giving each and every one of them the attention and effort that they are paying for. I keep my client list small TO be able to maintain this level of service, because I wouldn’t want to just be another number to a trainer. I take time to listen to what they have to say and help them where they’re struggling; I want to know about their wins and successes and have them feel confident enough to tell me how they’re feeling/doing and know that I will wholeheartedly reply.
I focus on the overall health of each of the people I work with- the physical, mental, and emotional- because they all paint the entire picture. Seeing breakthroughs, be it in the form of food freedom or not feeling like a slave to a scale, THESE victories are just (if not more in some situations) as important as the physical and deserve to be recognized and celebrated, too.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I am extremely passionate about what I do! I couldn’t do it without the support of my husband or the amazing clients I have been able to work with and continue to get to work with. It’s only getting better from here. =)
Contact Info:
- Email: fitandhealthywitherica@gmail.com
- Website: www.fitandhealthywitherica.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/elnickelson
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fitandhealthywitherica
Image Credits
David Mullis
Chelsea Easter
