Lisa Best
Personal Trainer

Since I was a child, I have been involved in athletics: dance, softball, basketball, tennis, wake-boarding, and snowboarding. The summer before my junior year in high school I was in a horrible car accident which totaled my car and left leg. The accident left me in in a full leg cast for 9 months.  I gained 35 pounds and became extremely depressed.

The doctor’s told me that I would not be able to play tennis my senior year. The summer before my senior year I trained extremely hard and was determined to prove the doctors wrong. My senior year I went undefeated in tennis and gained a whole new perspective on discipline and determination. I know how difficult it can be to persevere up the hill toward health after becoming complacent.

As a teenager I was able to lose the 35 pounds I had gained through exercise without changing my nutrition. During college I began to experience the reality of “You are what you eat”. I wanted to learn more about how to be healthy and how I might be able to help others do the same.  I decided to major in Nutrition and Exercise Science at Florida State University and graduated with a Bachelor's in 1999.
 
While in college, I started as a personal trainer and aerobic instructor at Florida State University’s Fitness Facility. After one semester of training I was promoted to senior exercise leader. After one more semester I was promoted to Senior Aerobic Instructor. I moved to Newark, Ohio and started an in-home personal training business. My clients ranged from age 7 to age 74. Since most of my clients lived in Columbus I decided to move.

I joined Elite Physiques in January of 2002. The owner, Sherry, and I immediately connected because we had the same passion to help lead others toward wellness and optimal health. Since 1998 I have held certifications in personal training, aerobics, kickboxing, and spinning. I enjoy training different kinds of individuals; kids to older adults, beginners to elite athletes. Each client is unique and important. I enjoy partnering with them to encourage them to adopt a customized fitness lifestyle according to their abilities, goals, strengths, and weaknesses.

Certifications

• Florida State University (1999)
  Nutrition & Exercise Science

Elite Physiques has been an inspiring environment in which I can grow in my personal journey of fitness as well as a fitness professional.

Elite Physiques is also the place where I was introduced to my husband, Joshua Best, who was a son to one of my clients. In 2003, I married Josh. In 2004 we had our daughter Jaden and in 2006 we had our son Josiah. I continued to exercise up to the day I had them. I definitely believe that eating right and exercising throughout both pregnancies enabled me to have very short labors for both of them.  I understand from personal experience how to work with pregnant women in helping them stay physically fit and healthy throughout their pregnancy.

I have learned over the past decade that fitness is a journey and a way of life. Fitness is not just something we plan into our daily planners 3-5 hours a week. Fitness is a mindset. Our health should be at the forefront of our minds as we choose what we will eat, how active we will be each day, and how we balance our time between family, work, play, and rest. The best gift you can give to others and yourself is to choose the path toward optimal health!