Carla Winston is a well-known successful fitness influencer with an Instagram following of over 19,000. We sat down with Carla Winston to learn more about what inspired her to begin her fitness page.
From a young age, Carla Winston was always incredibly active. She grew up participating in various physical activities and as a member of various teams. She was a prominent runner, one of the first girls to try out and make the boy’s tackle football team, was a swimmer and she even almost played bowling professionally but instead decided to attend college.
“I was always really athletic growing up. I was always in fitness from the time I can remember, up until I started having children. And then life took over pretty much. I have 4 foster kids, 2 biological kids, and 2 grandkids,” says Carla Winston.
The lack of fitness in her life, however, is what made her realize that not including exercise and not prioritizing health was becoming very damaging to her physical and mental health. She then decided that she needed to incorporate physical activity into her life for both herself and her family.
“We’re all busy with life, work, children, school, and families. But we have to also take care of ourselves and our bodies. Even if it’s just to get up and for 5 minutes, 10 minutes or while you’re cooking or doing something else, you can do lunges, toe raises, stretches, anything that’s just going to keep you moving,” says Carla Winston.
She also incorporates physical activity into her family life by including various activities that would require movement. Carla Winston says, “I have a very big family. As I said, I have 4 foster kids, 2 biological kids, 2 grandkids, a husband, and myself. So we’re always doing things whether we’re on the boat, tubing on the boat, or skiing. We all get up between 4:30 and 5:30 Every morning to train. I have guided the kids on how to lift weights, and how to get themselves better at whatever sport that they’re playing. I have one that’s a runner, one that’s a swimmer, one that’s a basketball player, and one that is a football player. So, you know, we’re all a very fitness-oriented family.”
When asked if she had any trouble at the beginning of her fitness journey, Carla Winston says, “I struggled within the fitness world here just getting up and getting started.” She would find herself wanting to not move her body, and this led to her realizing the importance of everyday movement.
“That’s what really, really inspired me, to get back into fitness and really start my fitness page. And my experience is that I’ve gotten stronger, and the aches and pains that come with aging started to go away. I was feeling a lot more strength, a lot more balanced, and balance and strength go hand in hand.” says Carla Winston.
In the end, her love for fitness prevailed through tough times, and she now focuses on inspiring people to increase their movement and physical activity regularly. Carla Winston says, “I want to continue getting stronger, continue to change my physique, get more toned and more definition in my body. And I want to show people that no matter what age you are, you can start to live a healthier lifestyle. Eating right, getting your nutrition in, and also finding the time to exercise. We have to take care of ourselves and our bodies.