Tori is Director of Fitness at Hixon Fitness and Athletics in the Canyon Lake, Texas. A personal trainer and certified nutritionist, Tori grew up in California, and her favorite sport to play in school was water polo. She spent the majority of my adult life in Texas. She wanted to go to college in a warm climate so chose Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, located on the Gulf of Mexico and has never moved back.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and why you started a dual career in fitness and nutrition?

I got serious about exercising in college after putting on a significant amount of weight. Always active in sports, I never had to worry about getting physical activity. My goal was just to lose some fat and feel better about myself. Once that was accomplished, I realized I loved weightlifting and wanted to continue my journey. I worked behind the scenes in the fitness industry, and it wasn’t until 2020 that I decided to finally get certified as a Personal Trainer.

Always intrigued by the effects that food can have on the body. As a child, I was diagnosed Hypothyroid and Insulin Resistant. So, I learned from a young age how I can best manage the needs of my body through diet and exercise. Years of curiosity and research brought me to taking the next step and becoming a Certified Nutritionist through Precision Nutrition.

2. Do you feel like having a background in nutrition helps you with your fitness clients? How so?

Absolutely! Food is energy and movement takes energy. It’s essential to fuel your body no matter who you are or what you’re doing. Basic bodily functions need this energy to perform daily and adding more stressors means more energy is needed so it’s important to teach the values of adequate consumptions.

3. Favorite / least favorite lift

My favorite lift is definitely squats! Least favorite is bench press, unfortunately. (But only because it’s my weakest!)

4. What’s your preferred pre and post workout meal? What’s your favorite energy food?

I work out early in the morning so I usually take a pre-workout powder that contains small amounts of fat, protein and carbs. Post workout I’ll go for some overnight oats with plenty of protein and carbs. Foods I like to indulge in are pizza, onion rings and peanut M&M’s!

5. What’s a normal day look like for you?

I’m up at 4:00 a.m. and at work by 5 a.m. I like to start my days with a workout first thing in the morning. For the next hours, I train clients and do office duties. Then I head home for lunch and finish some at-home work and then take my dogs on a walk. They’re Frenchies so they need lots of attention.

6. Does working out ever get boring and if so, how do you keep fitness exciting?

It is completely normal to get bored or unmotivated from time to time and yes, I do. When I’m feeling in a funk a few things that usually pick me back up could be something as simple as buying a new workout outfit. If I’m getting bored with my routine, I will sit down and write out a new program and then get excited to start something new all over again. Other times, I will simply take a few days to weeks off to recover and reevaluate what I’m struggling with and come back with new goals to knock out.

7. Do you have any advice for people trying to get into shape?

There will never be the perfect time to start something new. You don’t need to get in shape BEFORE going to the gym and you don’t need to eat better BEFORE seeing a nutritionist. That’s why we’re here and we’re more than happy to meet you where you are. We evaluate so much more than just your diet and exercise routine. We need to look at your habits, your sleep, recovery, stress, metabolism and anything else that we feel could use improvement.

8. Tell us more about yourself?

I’m currently living my best life in the Hill Country of Texas with my husband and two dogs, Goose and Pepper.

Want to learn more about how Fitness Professionals share their personal advice? See stories such as SLB Spotlight: Fitness Expert Chris Freytag and SLB Spotlight: Blaine Strong.