Hello, I'm [not so] New Here

It has recently occurred to me that I've never introduced myself, so here it is, just a *few* months late:

My name is Katie Oberle. I grew up here in O'Neill and moved back a few years ago after venturing out of the nest for a bit for college and my first teaching job; I'm a high school English teacher by day.

I married a local in February of 2021. Nick and I live on a ranch south of O'Neill, so I'm experiencing all sorts of things that were previously foreign to this "city" girl. We enjoy outdoorsy things; for one of us, that means hunting, haying, and working on old Fords. For the other it means boating, camping, and running dirt roads with our dog, Crue.

In May of 2019, I had just ended my third year of teaching and moved back to O'Neill. I was the least healthy that I'd ever been physically and mentally. This is when my fitness journey began. I had gotten to a point where I wasn't happy with my body, so I completed my first Yoli 28 Day Challenge; I got a key to the high school weight room and began lifting every day. Fast forward six months, and I found that I'd done a 180. I had gained energy, confidence, and happiness that I hadn't previously realized I was missing. I saw improvements everywhere in my life; I was consistently in a good mood, my relationships were healthier, I ate better on a regular basis, and I was generally more positive.

Feeling like I had something to share, I began encouraging others in their fitness journeys on social media; I created workout plans and shared them online, I created groups where members shared ideas and meal plans as well as encouraged each other to stay on track, and I posted my daily workouts and thoughts I had about fitness and nutrition. It was an outlet that allowed me to reflect on my own experience while also helping others.

That is the idea that started REPS: improving myself and helping others to do the same. I'm by no means perfect when it comes to fitness and nutrition; I'm not a pro; I struggle just as much as the next person. What I have found is that having a community helps me stay focused and motivated, so REPS allowed me to build on the community that my fitness journey had started. At the risk of sounding cheesy and cliche, it has been life-changing; it seems like the least I can do to attempt and help others find the same joy and strength in something.