Today we’d like to introduce you to Araceli Velazquez.
Araceli, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Raised from an athletic background, I have built up my fitness career through modeling, competitive bodybuilding and 2+ years of personal experience. I have taken great pride in building a great physique and I love transforming other peoples lives for the better.
I am a hard core gym-junkie! I love being in the gym, training my clients, eating clean, and always making sure I’m on the right track. I’m a strong believer that your performance is based solely on how much time and effort you put into getting better. How much time and effort you spent into training, practicing, and disciplining yourself determines the outcome of your health. I always like to say “train insane or remain the same”.
I have been competitively bodybuilding for the last 2 Years, winning first place in my first regional show and competing in 3 national shows. Each year I am constantly improving from my last physique. I believe fitness is not about being better than someone else, it is about being better than you used to be… I plan to continue competing and my lifelong dream is to eventually become a pro in the sport.
When I am not at the gym or at work. You’ll find me downtown by the lake, outside playing golf, reading, going for a bike ride, or just flat out enjoying the beauty of nature. I like to stay busy and am always on the run. When I get time for myself; I take full advantage of it. I feel like too often we are so intrigued by our phones that we forget to look up and see the beauty around us & forget to live in the moment. Take a look around.. you might find more than what you were looking for.
Has it been a smooth road?
Sophomore year of high-school my family had been split apart due to unfortunate circumstances. My parents barely made enough as is, so my sister and I had to step up to the plate. My sister was 15 at the time and I was 14. We decided to go job searching and found one close to home at a local Italian Restaurant.
At 14 it is hard to hold a balanced social life, play 4 sports year round, have a 30 hour a week job and do homework. One had to go, and unfortunately, it was also my favorite one. Sports were important to me because that is where I found my friends, my stress relief and my drive.
But at 14, I understood that they would always be there and I had a family to take care of.
2 years later, my family was doing better, my grades were at an AB average, I had great friends and a boyfriend. LIFE WAS AMAZING…. all for one thing. I was missing something I was truly passionate about. To this day, I am still not sure if its sports themselves or the determination, competitive edge and discipline that they taught me on a daily basis.
So, there I was on a stump. My family had just been torn, I had to pick up a serving job making 8.25 an hour and had to work 40+ hours to barely make anything. I lost the one thing that I was truly passionate about, and I went from hanging out with the “cool kids” in high-school to being the person that stayed at home or was working. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not going to sit there and say my life was terrible because I still went out from time to time and enjoyed other activities but I had to make sacrifices.
Now I could have sat there and moped every day telling myself, “my life sucks, I hate this and I wish I had someone else better life”. But I DIDN’T! I dealt with the circumstances that were placed in my lap and decided that I was going to take these challenges that came my way and I was going to make something of this, that somewhere down the line… this… this would turn out in my favor.
I sit here today, not regretting a single thing that has happened in my life. I feel so fortunate to have come across such difficulties because I AM this strong-minded, independent, ambitious, loving woman. Now, I do not say this to anyone to prove to them my self-worth… I say this to myself, out loud, in the mirror every DAMN day. To prove to MYSELF who I am now, who I will be for the rest of the day, and who I plan to be for the rest of my life.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Fitwithceli – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am a freelance personal trainer and I work with all types of clients with different fitness goals. I provide top level fitness training and education personalized to each clients goals, abilities, and capabilities. My mission is to help each of my clients reach their personal peak in fitness through corrective exercise, metabolic training style and periodized training.
Teaming up with me will give you the motivation and drive to achieve your fitness goals faster than you ever thought possible. I have helped over 50 people change their lives in the last year for the better and hope to help and inspire others to do the same
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Never get tired of the city, there is always a new place to check out. So many food places that I have yet to try out. I also love being by the lake in the summertime and laying out on the beach. One of the worst things about the city is probably the street parking and how the weather can never make up its mind.. they call us the Windy City for nothing!
Pricing:
- $45 dollars for 1 on 1 personal training
- $100 dollars a month for online fitness coaching
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fitwithceli@gmail.com
- Phone: 2244231078
- Email: fitwithceli@gmail.com
- Instagram: Fitwithceli
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/fitwithceli
Image Credit:
@tlsrvinne
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
