Ericka Olson

I love working with Ericka! I’ve been training with her for almost two years and she has actually made me enjoy working out. She keeps the workouts interesting and fun. The time flies by! Best of all, those «problem areas» are targeted and it has made a difference! She adjusts the workout to whatever is needed or if you have specific goals. She is also makes sure you do things in a way to prevent injuries — if anything hurts or or doesn’t seem to be working for me (I have temperamental joints), she changes it up to something I can do to work the area without putting stress on that joint. Definite five star trainer!

I will never forget the picture that began the biggest change of my life. It wasn’t a particularly bad picture of me, but I knew the size of the dress I was wearing in it and I could see that I had posed with my typical half-​smile, which nobody but me knew signified a life that was just OK. I wasn’t unhappy, but I definitely wasn’t happy with the way I looked or felt about my body.
I had never been a regular gym goer; I dreaded the thought of exercise and hoped that a healthy diet would be enough, but of course, it wasn’t. The day after that photo was taken, something inside me snapped and I knew I had to change my way of living. I signed up at Total Woman Gym and was set up with Ericka for my initial fitness assessment. As we went through my measurements, my numbers weren’t good, which were fuel for my new fire. I knew I needed help to learn how to be fit, so I began training with Ericka and then things really changed. Every week I looked forward to our training sessions. She made challenging exercises fun, and I was filled to the brim with pride that now not only was I exercising regularly, but I loved it. The pounds and inches melted off and my BMI dropped, but more than just weight loss, I had muscle, I was strong for the first time in my life, and I felt and looked fitter than I ever thought possible. Even better, I found myself answering «exercise» when asked about things I enjoy. Ericka transformed my body and my life by helping me discover joy in health and fitness. She’s an incredible trainer who is an expert in her craft — she always came to our sessions with exercises that worked new muscles and blasted calories. She also had amazing advice for healthy eating, which continues to be a struggle for me like it is for so many. She helped me find healthy snacks that would keep me fuller longer and educated me on food mistakes I was making. Even when I’m on my own, I remember the things I’ve learned from her, which have helped me maintain my weight loss and continue to progress in my strength training. Now, I smile big, huge, genuinely happy smiles in photos.
Ericka is not only an incredible personal trainer, but also a friend and an one-​of-​a-​kind source of support. There was a difficult day where the fact that I had been slipping with my diet slapped me in the face — that day, my eyes were filled with tears of disappointment throughout our session, and Ericka was there to comfort me (but rest assured she didn’t go easy on me!). I am grateful to her for this and so many other reasons.

I started training with Ericka twice a week and found myself actually looking forward to going to the gym! Ericka makes workouts enjoyable but thoroughly effective. I learned exercises to do on my own and with her help, I had a more consistent work out schedule. Ericka was always perfectly prepared for each training session and I felt that I was receiving the most out of each session. She also advised me on diet, which made a huge difference. Ericka is not only an amazing trainer, she’s incredibly kind and passionate about what she does. She’s the best!