Lexi Perez Believes in a Balanced Lifestyle, That Includes Strength Training and Lots of Food, Especially Donuts!
Lexi Perez convinces Coach Migs to take a pause from Strength Training and enjoy a donut!
Becoming a mom at a young age, struggling with weight gain, and changing careers to improve her own life and those of others, a Member of West End Athletic Club, Lexi Perez, is proof that a balance of fitness, food, and lifestyle can be achieved.
At age 19, Lexi weighed 110lbs
A second-year student studying fashion at Humber College in 2011, Lexi Perez had her first child. She was no stranger to having to work hard and learned quickly that she wanted to live a healthy and balanced life. As part of her Internship, she was hired as a Product Assistant for a plus-size women’s apparel line.
“During this time, I worked with a variety of models, conducted in-store visits, bringing them clothes to try on, and I remember that it never ended well. We could create the most beautiful garments, but it didn’t matter, it didn’t help. The fit models would end up in tears because they didn’t feel beautiful. That’s when I decided I wanted to help people feel good in their skin instead of helping them look beautiful with what they put on their skin.”
Before her first pregnancy, Lexi weighed no more than 110lbs, but after giving birth to her son, she found herself at 210lbs. Unhappy with how she looked and, more importantly, how she felt and worried about her health, Lexi signed up for a gym membership; this was the beginning of her physical, mental, and emotional transformation.
After realizing she needed a bit of guidance and help, Lexi found a Personal Trainer, “I was sort of a Trainer hopper. When my Trainer would go on vacation, I’d train with another and then stay with that Trainer until they took a vacation, and I would find another, I would learn from them. It got to the point where one day, my Trainer at the time asked me, ‘Why don’t you do this? Be a Trainer?’ as I had been open about being unhappy with my job.”
After having her son, Lexi weighed 210lbs and knew she wanted to make changes to her lifestyle
Happy to be a part of the West End AC Family
Strength Training and the Pandemic Lead Lexi to Muay Thai
When the Covid lockdowns hit, Lexi Perez found herself in a 600-square-foot condominium with two kids under 7 years old. Everything was closed; she knew she had to find a way to keep her kids busy and keep her own sanity. With all the gyms closed, Lexi found out that she could practice Muay Thai, “I was looking for a goal, something else to chase. Aesthetically I was happy with my body, I didn’t have strength goals, I didn’t want to deadlift 500 lbs, but I did want something to work towards, I felt so unfit after the first session, and I had never been an athlete I found something to work towards.”
As many connections seem to start these days, Lexi found Miguel Valdez, Strength Trainer at West End Athletic Club, on Instagram as she had heard of him through colleagues that power lifted with him. Valdez had started an online program that Lexi felt was easy to follow and implement that also challenged her; from online combat arts to his booty building program, she enjoyed the workouts he offered and saw the results that she wanted.
After following one another on Instagram, Miguel reached out to Lexi, hoping she would do a session with him that he could use on social media to break into coaching female athletes in combat arts. “The best part about seeing Miguel’s growth is that he is exactly who he said he would be. He shared with me a vision of specializing in coaching combat arts athletes, and that’s exactly what he’s done. As a Trainer, you have to spend at least a few hours a week with your athlete; he’s mastered the service aspect, he’s very professional, knowledgeable, and he has a great personality, and it’s easy to spend an hour a week with him. Miguel is the whole package when it comes to strength training.”
Victory! Lexi Perez wins her first Muay Thai bout on May 27, 2023
Muay Thai Generates Strength, and Not Just Physically
When Lexi first started Muay Thai, she admits that “I sucked, I was so bad, but I’m the type of person that if I’m bad at something, I want to get better; I want to win.” After a lot of strength and combat training with Miguel at West End AC, Lexi’s determination led her to compete in her first Muay Thai bout on May 27, 2023, and she won. July 11, 2023, marked the beginning of her training which she plans to compete in September 2023.
“Muay Thai has changed my life. It has provided me with so much strength. Not just physical strength but mental and emotional too. It’s a form of therapy for me; both strength training and Muay Thai give me confidence, and the best part is that my kids get to see that. My daughter is 7 years old right now, and the other day I overheard her say that she wants to ‘inspire girls to be girly but also do boy stuff too.’ I take credit for that. I work in a male-dominated industry and meet so many women, especially moms, who don’t put themselves first or think that they can’t strength train. I tell them that if they don’t put themselves first, no one else ever will.”
Life is About Balance and Finding Your Happiness
Lexi believes in accountability, she doesn’t just tell others what to do; she lives it. “I’ve dealt with a lot of moms that grow resentful towards their family and children because they put everyone else first, and as their families and children grow up, they get left behind.” Making working out a priority is a choice; it’s not selfish, it’s self-care, and when you’re taken care of, you can give those you love so much more. “Your family won’t care if you are super lean, but they will care if you have the energy to keep up, the brain space to take on all the hurdles life throws at you and still laugh at the end of the night.”
Determination, grit, and commitment are at the core of Lexi Perez’s Strength Training and the way in which she lives her life
Lexi loves how she can joke and be herself while training with Coach Miguel
It’s all about finding and living the lifestyle that you want. “I love donuts, I eat donuts, I love food! I don’t have a very restrictive diet, I just believe in making good choices and also making myself happy.” Using Miguel’s fitness app helps Lexi achieve that balance. “I can open his app, and I don’t have to think, I work in management and have two kids; I spend my day thinking for them and all the work stuff. I love that I’m not in charge of my own strength training program, I just open the app and do what I love. Miguel makes Personal Training personal; he’s knowledgeable and picks up on all the little things that make a big difference in my form and execution. He makes me stronger for my sport which makes me stronger in my life.”
Helping people understand that fitness doesn’t have to be everything. It can fit into your lifestyle and change your life entirely. Lexi knows it’s possible to achieve strength training goals and compete as a combat athlete while working full time and raising two kids because she lives it and embraces the balance that she has created for her own life.
Unsure of how to balance physical fitness in your daily life? Visit www.westendac.com to connect with a Personal Trainer who can help you create a plan that suits your lifestyle.