Andrea Schuler
Andrea developed a passion for research, particularly in nutrition while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at St. Edward’s University. Andrea successfully lost 145 lbs after establishing a solid nutritional foundation.
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Andrea Schuler
Personal Trainer & Director of Nutrition
Andrea developed a passion for research, particularly in nutrition while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree at St. Edward’s University. Andrea successfully lost 145 lbs after establishing a solid nutritional foundation, and discovering many different styles of exercise and enjoys helping others achieve their own healthy, sustainable, body transformations. Andrea has experimented with many forms of exercise over the years from yoga, to running, to metabolic circuit training, to powerlifting. Andrea specializes in weight loss, nutrition, and helping people achieve incredible body transformations. Outside of the gym Andrea enjoys taking long walks and hiking while listening to true crime podcasts, getting lost in a good anime series and coffee – both drinking and making it!
Andrea’s personal philosophy:
Health, fitness and weight loss are not one size fits all. What works for some people may not work for others, and it’s my job as a coach and as a trainer to help clients find what works best for them. How can we make changes that fit your lifestyle that you can stick to for years to come? How can we find ways that fitness can bring you joy? I get excited to find new methods to help others grow in ways they can continue to maintain for the rest of their lives. Our fitness journeys should last as long as we do!
My personal fitness story.
I grew up overweight. I had been one of, if not the, largest person in a room since I was a little girl. As I got older and grew up and hit new milestones, so did my weight. When I turned 16 and got my driver’s license I was free to go through as many drive thru’s as I wanted to. Then when I turned 18 and moved out, I had to grocery shop for myself, and I kept whatever I wanted in my pantry. When I turned 23 the scale hit 300. And that was it. I knew I needed to make a change or this issue I had been putting off my whole life was going to get to a point where I never did anything about it. The very first thing I knew I needed to do was change my daily diet and really take a look at not only what I was eating, but how much I was eating. The first place I started in my weight loss journey was going plant based.
I understand this may not be for everyone but for me I needed to reset my relationship with food and focus on feeding and fueling my body in a way I had not done before. I was able to lose the first 75-80lbs of my weight due to a change in diet alone. For the most part I did not count every calorie, just a general ballpark for each meal or day. What I really focused on was eating my fruits and veggies, staying away from heavily processed (even plant based) items, and staying within a general caloric goal. Soon daily exercise came into the picture and I started running daily to help build endurance, increase my caloric deficit, and get into better shape.
After losing 100lbs, I realized that my body was looking a little different than I had anticipated. I soon learned this was due to loose skin. I met with a surgeon to see which surgeries I qualified for, and if I had a little bit of time to lose a little bit more weight as I finished out the semester at university. I was given the green light, and in May of 2019 I finally reached my goal weight of 175lbs. I had the first of many skin removal surgeries, a 360 lift, with abdominoplasty and a mastopexy. I had 8.5 lbs of skin removed from all along my waistline.
In 2020 I had 3 more skin removal surgeries. In between each surgery, I would try simple bodyweight exercise routines I had found on Youtube at home. Eventually I added weights, using 5 lb dumbbells to do biceps curls. In December of 2020 I decided I wanted to take my training more seriously, but wanted to make sure I did not injure myself with improper form, so I decided to get a personal trainer, maybe just for a month to understand the basics and then go out on my own. Man was I wrong. In January of 2021 I met John Cioffredi and have been training, learning, and evolving ever since then. I fell in love with getting stronger, lifting weights, and growing muscle. He encouraged me to get my personal training certification and he helped me study during our training sessions in hands-on in a way that helped deepen my knowledge and understanding of biomechanics.
What separates Me from the other trainers in Austin?
If you made it through the saga above it’s easy for me to say that what separates me from other trainers here in Austin is the fact that I’ve been there. I can understand and truly sympathize with those who are struggling with their weight. It was through my weight loss journey that my love and passion for physical fitness was ignited and I got to learn in real time.
Why is Community so important to Me.
I wouldn’t have been able to make it through my weightloss journey if it had not been for the support of those around me. I was in college at the time I decided to take my weight loss seriously. I was able to share my journey with those around me and get encouragement from my peers and professors along the way. I was even able to find my surgeon through a TA in my statistics class.
As I got these surgeries (and 2020 well… happened) I realized how much being isolated from daily contact really affected my mental health and how that translated into my physical health. With the ability to go back into the gym and explore the world again I was able to work the front desk of a large gym and meet many people with a similar mindset. The amount of love and warmth I felt doesn’t compare to any community I’ve ever been a part of before. We were not only sharing tips and tricks, new movements, and new foods, but the amount of encouragement and uplifting actions I saw just blew me away.
What do I do outside of health and fitness?
I am an absolute coffee connoisseur, having played the role of barista many times in my life. I love exploring the different local coffee shops Austin has to offer. I even maintain a part time job at a local shop simply because they have the best coffee and the best coworkers. I am also a huge (and that’s an understatement) kpop and anime fan. In my off time you can find me learning more (as I already know most) of BlackPink’s choreography and maybe a little BTS here and there as well. Top anime picks have to be Tokyo Ghoul, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, and Demon Slayer. My watchlist is forever growing.
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Contact : 512-387-4569
Email : info@communitystrengthaustin.com
Address : 3509 Jefferson St, Austin, TX, 78731