About
Hey hey! Thanks for being here. I’m LCK (:
I’m a content creator, nutrition and fitness coach, and total fun junkie who loves lifting, being active, being outside, and living a BIG life. I’m also the founder of the world-famous online workout company, Paragon Training Methods.
In my free time, you can usually find me playing video games, wake surfing, sky diving, or at the beach ripping on a skateboard or surfboard.
I began fitness and nutrition coaching shortly after high school, when I decided to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics.
In my late high school years, I was suddenly dealing with unexplained weight gain (despite being a competitive athlete in multiple sports), excessive hair loss, constantly felt cold, had super slow digestion, and was chronically exhausted. I’d sleep 10-12 hours/night and still wake up feeling tired!
I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at 17 years old. I went on thyroid medication and while it helped a little, I still ultimately wasn’t feeling much better.
My doctor didn’t really provide any further guidance or suggestions on how to improve my health, improve my symptoms, or advise on how to get my weight under control.
So I decided to pursue a formal education in Nutrition in hopes of not getting to the root of my health issues, but to help others in my position never be in my position.
Unfortunately my teens and early and 20’s were filled to the brim with disordered habits regarding nutrition and exercise. When I got into lifting weights in 2012, I was a total cardio bunny who had never touched a single weight in my life and weighed a whopping 92 lbs.
Finding the barbell and heavy weights after college saved me … but my food and exercise habits still were not healthy ones. I was training for the Chicago Marathon at the time, so I would lift in the morning and then run for several hours at night. I was terrified of eating carbs (and food in general) and spent the majority of my days obsessing over food and my appearance.
Towards the end of my marathon training, I was actually only doing one long run a week because I enjoyed lifting weights so much. After I completed the Chicago Marathon, I stopped running all together and solely focused on getting better in the gym and lifting heavier weights.
When I graduated college, I immediately moved to Dallas, Texas 2 weeks later and helped open and manage what would later become a world-famous gym.
I began leaning into competitive CrossFit and every spare ounce of my time was spent in the gym lifting and training. In 2016, our team qualified and we competed at the CrossFit Regionals in South Central.
I was always obsessing over tracking my macros and micromanaging every morsel of food that went in my mouth. I was constantly hungry and would wake up multiple times a night. I limited myself to 1800-2000 calories (despite lifting and training for hours and hours each day – yikes!).
I took Tupperware to pool parties and restaurants because I was afraid of dining out and gaining weight. My hair was falling out by the handful. I chronically felt “tired but wired.” Survived off entirely too much caffeine. My joints perpetually ached.
My thyroid and sex hormones were basically non-existent. My digestion was horrible. And sex drive = 0. I was really, really miserable.
As I began my journey to healing, I transitioned off hormonal birth control (as I learned it might be affecting my thyroid health, contributing to my gut problems, and contributing to my depression/anxiety).
I eventually realized that the way I was working out wasn’t sustainable nor conducive to health or my goals. I was tirelessly smashing my body into the floor with exercise and confused why my body didn’t reflect all the hard work I was putting in the gym, confused why my hormones were a wreck, and confused why I couldn’t get feeling better.
No one ever really told me…
- that working out more isn’t always better
- how to adequately fuel myself for my goals and activity levels
- the importance of taking multiple rest days each week to give your body downtime to rest, recover, and positively adapt from your workouts
- that soreness is not a good gauge of whether or not you got a “good workout”
- that you don’t have to leave yourself rolling around on the floor sweaty, exhausted, and gasping for air to have a “good workout”
- the importance of following a good evidence-based training program that has progressive overload, weekly repeating movements, and well-throughout periodized training intentions throughout the year
- that training for performance and training for aesthetics are two completely different animals, and that if maximizing body comp is the goal, that bodybuilding forever reigns king
Present day, I don’t really stress over food or exercise stuff as much anymore. Learning how to listen and take care of my body, actually feed myself, prioritize my health, play the long game, and do LESS has changed my life.
I bodybuild + lift 4x/week for 90-min/day via our Paragon Training Methods Physique program. I eat no less than 2300 calories/day. I work closely with my doctor to manage my thyroid and hormone health. I still track my food most days, but mostly just to make sure I’m eating enough.
We’ve come a really, really long way from the girl with an eating disorder that went to college to pursue a degree in food, nutrition, and dietetics.
I’ve learned so many things the hard way, and I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through on anyone. But if I could do anything different, I’m not sure that I would.
Sharing my own personal health/fitness journey has enabled me to reach thousands and thousands of people around the world, and get them to question and analyze the way they view their nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle habits.
I found my healing in 15+ years of coaching and educating others. I’m still finding it every day.
Paragon Training Methods is my life changing workout company.
Our evidence-based workouts, online community, and unique approach to nutrition and fitness will help you build muscle, enhance your physique, and help you look and feel damn good in just 30-90 minutes.
The way you eat and exercise should provide freedom. Your own worst enemy doesn’t have to live between your two ears. And you don’t have to spend your whole life at war with your body.
In a world that continues to tell people that they’re not enough, to shrink themselves, and to take up less space — Paragon Training will keep doubling down on helping people take up space and be unapologetically strong, confident, and well-fed.
Connect
Looking to podcast together, create content together, interview me, or have me as a guest speaker?
Just know that if we hang, you’re guaranteed a damn good time! Shoot me a message here and let’s connect (:
