Are YOU #HighRezFIT?

Meet Meg

While Megan wears many different hats, they all have a few things in common; health and helping others. She works as a 6th-12th grade Health and PE Teacher by day and Personal Trainer/ Fitness Instructor by (morning and) night. Holding Masters Degrees in both Nutrition and Exercise Science, she loves and has dedicated her life to all things health, fitness and wellness.

My Training Philosophy: “To me, the ideal training plan is varied, personalized, functional, and adds some element of fun (music, new equipment, partners, etc. into each and every workout). My personal fitness goal is to be able to “keep up” in any workout class or training situation, especially life’s demands (moving a sofa chair on my own, deadlifting 7 boxes of a sectional from Costco into a pickup truck, holding my 45lb 3.5 year old on my hip for an hour while waiting in line, etc.).”

My Nutrition Philosophy: “I pursued my first Masters Degree in dietetics to try and learn all of the secrets to mainstream health and weight loss but what I found was the complete opposite. I consider myself a “dietetic drop out” because I am no longer actively practicing. In a past life, I provided my clients with specific meal plans and recipe swaps that all focused around eating in a calorie deficit. You will not find that here anymore. I recently became a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and I believe in HAES (Health at Every Size) and the holistic benefits of Intuitive Eating with my full heart and soul. If you are looking to improve your relationship with food and figure out how to live your best life through eating, lets talk.”

As a Coach: “As a coach or trainer, I will work with you to help educate you about the moves we are doing and why we are doing them. I want you to understand the science of exercise and how it specifically benefits your body. If you can wrap your head around those two things, being a life long mover is going to be a whole lot easier. If you choose to work with me, I am always available by text or email. We are a team! I am kind, empathetic, patient, motivating, and a good listener, but I will definitely push and challenge you to help achieve your goals and beyond!”

Background and Inspiration

I’ve always been a mover but I truly cannot believe the path I have taken in the world of fitness over the last 33 years. I started life running through cornfields and riding my bike in my childhood neighborhood, moved onto playing sports year around in high school and continuing to play three Division II sports in college. In adulthood I transitioned from being an athlete to being a coach. I have taught everything from Zumba, spin, kickboxing, trx and weightlifting, to barre, Lagree pilates and coaching pre/postnatal training.

I grew up exercising with my mom in our basement. We would do Jillian Michaels, Windsor-Pilates and Billy Blanks VHS tapes a few times each week. We had mirrors in our basement because I also loved to dance and I would pretend like I was one of the instructors in the videos.

Even with my love of sports and exercise, I always struggled with my weight (and I mean struggled). When I graduated high school I was strong and powerful but also 40 lbs “overweight”. I was stuck somewhere between eating way too many “diet” foods and thinking I could eat whatever I wanted since I exercised everyday.

College was an eye-opener for me. I learned SO much in my undergraduate courses and began to realize that my diet totally negated all of the hours I was putting in the gym … and then some. I was wrapped up in diet culture and couldn’t figure out what I needed to do.

My Masters Degrees taught me that health, nutrition and fitness is all a SCIENCE. When training a client, I carefully take into account their current: height, weight, age, activity level, previous illnesses/injuries and more in order to create a customized fitness and nutrition plan for each individual client. In the past 5 years I have learned to eat in a way that both nourishes my body (physically) and my mind. I have learned to satisfy cravings instead of engaging in guilt-based binging and indulging sessions.

I had my first daughter, Miya, in May of 2018. I continued teaching fitness classes and exercised almost daily throughout my pregnancy. I got the “all clear” to do “whatever felt good” from my doctor. I appreciated her support but felt scared at the same time. How did I really know if it “felt good” or not? My fellow trainers only knew the 4 pages of training tips that personal training certification programs offer and the instructors and specialty studios I went to all just said “you know your modifications, right?”. I was lucky to have an easy pregnancy, labor and delivery – I even walked 10 miles on the day I gave birth!

About 6-weeks postpartum I look a kickboxing class at an elite studio and left in tears because the instructor made fun of me for modifying a core exercise. It was clear to me that trainers (myself included) have minimal knowledge about how to help pregnant and postpartum clients. I had been following PROnatal (a pre and postnatal fitness company) during my pregnancy and immediately signed up for their certification class after that terrible experience at the kickboxing studio. I became a PROnatal certified trainer in 2018 and started working as a trainer in their online forum in 2019.

Today, I teach group fitness classes in Millburn NJ. I also offer online and in-person Personal Training. Click the “Train With Me” tab to learn more.

Certifications and Qualifications

  • BS Health and Physical Education K-12
  • MS Dietetics and Human Nutrition
  • MS Exercise Science
  • NASM Certified Personal Trainer
  • ACSM Certified Group Fitness Instructor
  • PROnatal (pre and postnatal) Certified Personal Trainer
  • Barre Instructor
  • Certified TRX and Spinning Instructor
  • American Red Cross (CPR/AED/First Aid/Lifeguard)
  • Water Safety Instructor (Swimming Lessons)

Gym and Fitness Affiliations

  • PROnatal Fitness – Pre and Postnatal Personal Trainer (virtual and in person)
  • SLT Short Hills – Instructor
  • F45 Millburn – Trainer/Coach
  • Pure Barre Short Hills – Barre Instructor & Instructor Development