Fitness Files: Michelle Spore founder of CollabFitness
Michelle Spore
Michelle Spore is the founder of CollabFitness, an online home for live fitness events, classes and much more. Michelle launched her company in 2015 out of a desire to make friends with other people who enjoy sustainable fitness and well-being. She delivers safe, effective and fun fitness experiences while still providing individual focus on effective training. Michelle is a certified in many different disciplines including Les Mills GRIT, Les Mills SPRINT, HIIT, Bootcamp and POP Pilates™. She is also a Group Fitness National Presenter and has Group Exercise Certifications from ACE, AFAA and NCCPT.
I had the opportunity to meet Michelle in person when I was getting certified in Pop Pilates last year at 24 Hour Fitness. At the time I was pregnant and Michelle was so kind when sharing modifications during my training. We instantly clicked and became Instagram buddies! Continue reading my interview with Michelle to learn more about her background in fitness and how she continues to train her mind and body.
NMF: Has fitness always been a major part of your life or was there a catalyst/point in your life when you made it more of a focus and priority?
MS: I always loved moving. Dancing, hiking and playing sports along with some group fitness. When I was younger, I played volleyball beginning in elementary school and throughout high school and into college. I began running with my father (begrudgingly) in high school. He was a marathon runner and I suppose he wanted to share that interest with me. (I do enjoy a good walk or run now that I’m older, so thanks, dad!) I also started Jane Fonda exercise videos in high school and loved them. I moved on to exercise DVDs after that which helped me adapt to group fitness classes at local gyms. Second, I love to teach, education was my degree in college. So later in life, at the ripe age of 40, I got into fitness instructing and personal and group training - a perfect marriage of my love of fitness and education.
NMF: What are a few of your go-to healthy snacks/drinks that help keep you on the straight and narrow?
MS: Nuts, seeds, guacamole, hummus and a TON of spicy peppers. I feel like a get a lot of bang for my nutritional buck when I eat something spicy. I stick with a lot of espresso and water (americanos!), pulling about 6-10 shots of espresso a day for my husband and me in the mornings! We’re in the Seattle area… what can I say? And if I’m bored with water, I turn to infused water (fruit in water), or sparkling water.
NMF: How do you train your mind and stay motivated?
MS: Beyond the inspiration of my family, I have to say that I’m a practitioner of the art of self-encouragement. There are frequent days when I am very discouraged, but instead of ignoring it, “muscling through it,” or letting it overtake me, I kind of embrace it and talk about it. (Yes as in, “What’s up Discouragement, how you doin’?" type of thing…) I am human after all, and being discouraged is a big part of it. But I continue to move, and I really do a lot of self-encouragement… sometimes people hear me talking to myself out loud! ("You got this Michelle! Keep going!”). I love to do this because the encouragement spills over into my relationships and my classes. I’ve done this so much that people often tell me how positive and uplifting I am. This cracks me up because, to me, I can be such a downer. But I love to smile, keep moving and focus on all the things I CAN do…. that keeps me thankful and motivated. That keeps me strong.
NMF: How do you change your body? What are your fitness favorites?
MS: OK, so if I could do it all I would. I really love moving in so many ways! I love power and strength. Agility, SAQ, athletics, etc, all rev me up. And pure strength training elevates me to no end! Recently I have gotten more and more into mind-body types of movement (pilates/yoga). I’ve done yoga all along (those fitness videos), but have run into some incredible teachers that have helped me a ton with positioning and technique. I also love to living room dance with friends and family (it’s hardcore!). I tell people I’ll be that 90-year old master fitness instructor on a cruise ship or some sort of resort that people are dying to get into.
For more information visit: http://collabfitness.com/