We love featuring our everyday GORGOgirls that are inspiring us to crush life and a balanced approach to fitness.

Meet Amy Day.

Tell us about yourself!

I have been a registered nurse for 22 years. I started my nursing career very young. I graduated from nursing school at age 20. I have worked in different areas of nursing including Med-Surg, Family Practice, worked for a bariatric surgeon-which is very ironic as I write this, spent 15 years in the peri-operative department, and just recently (in Oct 2019) took a huge leap of faith and stepped away from bedside nursing and am currently working in the IT department of the University of Kentucky as an Electronic Health Record Curriculum Designer for the Anesthesia application. I now use my years of nursing experience to help develop a training curriculum and train nurses and operating room staff to use our new electronic health record system. I am also a Group Fitness Instructor at Amy Evert Fitness. I teach classes 4-5 days a week. If you would have told me 2 years ago that I would be teaching fitness class I would have laughed at you. ME? NO WAY! It has turned into a true passion.

I am a single mother, divorced for the last 10 years. I have an amazing 15-year-old daughter, Emily. Emily is active in chorus, drama, piano, archery, holds a part-time job on the weekends and puts 100% into her school work. Needless to say, she keeps me very busy. My daughter has been a blessing to me in so many ways. She is more supportive of my new lifestyle than anyone else in my life. She is always patient and understanding when I am not home and teaching group fitness classes in the evening. She is always willing to eat healthy meals with me and actually enjoys most of them. My divorce left me very scarred emotionally. It affected my self esteem in ways I wasn't prepared for. There were many times I didn't feel worthy of loving myself, so I threw all I had into taking care of others and neglecting the most important person-MYSELF.

Tell us about your fitness life.

I was fairly active as a teenager. I played softball in the summers and loved it. At the age of 16, I got my first job at McDonald's. I quickly started gaining weight from eating meals there everyday that I worked. I got married at the age of 24. I was overweight but always told myself I was going to lose weight and start living a healthier lifestyle. But we all know how that works, we plan to start tomorrow and tomorrow comes and goes quickly. As the years went on, I gained and lost weight but never sustained the weight loss. After my divorce, my weight ballooned to 265 pounds. I was absolutely miserable with myself. My joints hurt, I had reflux, high blood pressure, was exhausted all the time and this of course affected my self esteem. My mother passed away suddenly in 2018. This was a real wake up call for me. I realized that if something happened to me, that would leave my daughter without a mother to care for her.

So in March of 2018, I began my weight loss journey. I started with Weight Watchers and lost 40 pounds. Then, a friend of mine who was also working towards losing weight, invited me to workout with her at Amy Evert Fitness (Amy Evert is also a Gorgo girl). I was terrified. We went to a Tabata class that first day. I struggled, but made it thru the class. I was so mad at myself that I had to struggle that hard during class. I made up my mind that day that I was going to come back and get stronger each day. I have been working with Amy Evert ever since then and have lost over 100 pounds. I am off all my medications, down from a size 20 to a size 8. Stronger than I ever thought I could be. Through Amy Evert’s encouragement, actually became a group fitness instructor and I teach classes at her studio. Who would have ever imagined this is where I would be today!

What is your preferred style of training?

I prefer strength training over cardio. I do believe cardio is extremely important for our cardio vascular health and I have to force myself to do it a couple times a week. Gaining the physical strength I have over the last year from strength training has given me a sense of empowerment and confidence that I never thought I would find in myself. I enjoy setting new goals and working towards meeting them. I really enjoy the group fitness classes at Amy Evert Fitness. I have made many friends and learned so much from everyone there. Group fitness seemed so intimidating to me in the beginning. I was worried I would be judged or made fun of. But it is the completed opposite. We have formed bonds with each other that are like no other. We are always supporting and uplifting and encouraging each other.

Any hobbies or things you enjoy doing?

I like to make all sorts of crafts and bake and sell cakes on the side. I enjoy walking my dogs and working in the yard in the summer. My daughter and I enjoy going to musicals and plays when we get the chance.

Do you have any goals you’re working toward?

My goals for this year are to continue on my weight loss journey. (Does it really ever end?)
I want to continue to learn more about proper nutrition and obtain more nutrition certifications and possibly work towards completing my Personal Trainer Certification and help to inspire and to teach others.

Any struggles?

My biggest struggle in life is putting myself first. I don't always manage my time so that my needs are met. I am learning though that if I don't put myself first, no one else will.

Fav Quote that inspires you right now in your life? Why?

"Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start getting excited about what could go right"-Tony Robbins

Fear keeps us from doing so many things in life. We are always afraid of failure, and we let that stand in the way of possible successes. Think of how amazing life would be if we tried new things and succeeded more often. I let fear hold me back for many years in different aspects of my life. I am not afraid to try new things now. I have learned there are no failures in life, just lessons learned.

Do you have any message you feel called to share about where you are at in your life right now to encourage other GORGO GIRLS?

You ARE worth it. Whatever "it" is. You don't have to be perfect, just willing to learn from your past experiences and make positive changes based those experiences. Always make time for yourself and what is important to you.

What do you love most about the GORGO community?

I loved how empowering the Gorgo community is. You feel loved, supported, and encouraged from everyone you meet. There are few things in life that can bring people together on this type of level.

CAMP GORGO: Thoughts about your experience?

Last year was my first year at Camp Gorgo. My trainer Amy Evert invited myself and other ladies she trains. I was extremely nervous. I was worried I wouldn't fit in, wouldn't be as physically fit as others, and that I would be too nervous to enjoy camp. We had an amazing weekend learning about each other as well as ourselves. I loved all the different classes, especially Strong Woman class where I got to pull a truck! Hearing everyone's personal story and connecting with them on those personal levels made me realize we are all the same, just in different times in our journey of life.