Name: CristianAge: 20Hometown: ChicagoYear: ThirdMajor: Undeclared LASOn Campus Activities: Bible study with the Navigators, personal training, playing chess for fun
HC: Welcome back as our Campus Celeb! Since you were last interviewed as a Campus Cutie, you have become involved with being a personal trainer. Tell us a little a bit about what influenced you to do that?CA: Hi! Happy to be back around. When I was younger, I was really overweight. It threatened my health and I felt self-conscious. I turned it all around by changing my lifestyle, and decided to get certified and I’ve been working as a trainer in various gyms for about a year and a half now.HC: What’s the best part about being a personal trainer?CA: Personally, I love helping people achieve a sense of accomplishment. I know what it’s like to finally achieve a long term goal, and enjoy helping people do the same.HC: Have you been a personal trainer to any students on campus?CA: Yes! When I was first starting out last year, to give myself some experience I trained a few students for free, including photographer Timothy Nguyen of Humans of UIC!HC: Where do you work as a personal trainer? How many days a week?CA: I work mainly at Orland Park at Maximum Body Fitness running group classes. My normal day is Monday, but I’ve held classes every day except Wednesdays and Sundays. I have to balance my time between my classes at UIC, my boot camp classes, and my other job where I teach chess to kids after school.
HC: Do you have a “diet” that you follow to stay in shape? Do you provide your clients with meal plans they can follow?CA: I eat several light meals per day including good quality protein and complex carbs, but I’m not afraid to have a chocolate or some ice cream with friends every now and again. And I do give diet advice to whomever may ask for it. Some simple advice is not to believe “fad diets” shown in magazines and some online articles. Many are deceivingly unhealthy and not sustainable.HC: Would you ever take personal training up as a profession?CA: Definitely. I still don’t know what I want to do. But I feel like training is an option, and one of very few things I can do until I retire.HC: How has exercising affected your life? Positively? Negatively?CA: Exercise has improved my life beyond any doubt. I’m energized during the day, get much better sleep, developed confidence and leadership skills, and beat the diabetes that runs in my family.HC: If students on campus were to get in touch with you about training them, how can they reach you?CA: I can be messaged on Facebook or Instagram. My pages are mostly personal, but I can always be contacted with any questions. Instagram & Facebook.
HC: Thank you for allowing us to interview you again! It’s always a treat to bring back old interviewees for different articles and blogs at HC UIC!