My name is Kari Nelson, and I’m so excited to be a lululemon athletica ambassador! I currently teach spinning and yoga classes at 24 Hour Fitness and Colorado Athletic Club. I was born and raised here in beautiful Colorado and have no plans of leaving anytime soon. Growing up I was always athletic and enjoyed being outside. I started skiing at an early age, and you could have almost always found my brother and me at Mary Jane on the weekends. While I enjoyed the snow, soccer was and still is my favorite sport. Some of my fondest memories of my childhood include soccer games on Saturday mornings. Although I’m a little slower and a bit more ball shy, I still play soccer today.
Playing sports and working out has always been a huge part of my life. However, at a fairly young age I realized, although athletic, I was no Mia Hamm. Ha! Around the same time I was introduced to the world of group fitness. I started taking step and muscle conditioning classes. With the motivating instructor and the invigorating high after a great class, I was officially hooked. My love for group fitness grew as I continued to take more classes. I went to Colorado State University to study Sports Medicine, and it was in college when I became a group fitness instructor. I started out teaching step and strength classes at the student rec center. Then I received my spinning and yoga certification. After college, I moved backed to Denver and love teaching at various gyms here.
Although teaching is a huge passion of mine, it definitely did not come easy to me. Standing up in front of a group and leading them through a class was terrifying to me at first, but I knew it was something I wanted to do. I recognize some people are just as scared to take a spin class or try yoga so I do my best to connect to my students, whether they are a first timer or a seasoned veteran. What I love about lululemon athletica is they genuinely advocate people stepping outside their comfort zone whether it’s physically or mentally. And it’s amazing how life’s possibilities reveal themselves to us the further we step outside that comfort zone. Fitness has definitely helped me do this, and my whole goal as a teacher is to help others realize their true potential. I’ve always loved the saying, “We don’t stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.” I hope I never stop playing and am thrilled to now be a part of the lululemon athletica family! ?
