My life was always filled with physical activities, action, and adventure. Growing up in a rural area provided opportunities to play outdoor sports. Learning how to snow ski at age three and living on a hill that received snow each year created a lifelong passion for winter sports. We would walk or bike on trails through the forest, play games in our backyard, and swim or ski from a boat on a lake. There was always something fun to do physically that challenged my body and provided a sense of accomplishment.

Throughout my school experience, I started playing team sports which included soccer, wrestling, and football. These sports captured my attention as I spent many hours at practice after school each night. We would perform coordination drills, balance exercises, cardiovascular training, strength training, and run plays. The ability to learn from great coaches who taught valuable principles would stick with me throughout my life.

As much as the practices were challenging and grueling, it was important to my parents that I was consistently showing up and following through with an entire season. This consistency taught valuable lessons about overcoming when you didn't feel your best or when situations were not in your favor. Now, physical exercise has been a consistent skill in my life that allows me to be healthy while I feel like I'm playing as a kid. Exercise is a positive action to take when stressed and something that can be enjoyed alone or with others. Exercise has been one of a few foundational pieces in my life that brings me a sense of control and a reward that is invaluable when you regularly feel healthy.

After high school, I began college at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and received a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science in 2012. This was a time in my life when I felt the most interested in school as I could take what I was learning and immediately apply it to my own life. I gained more than the, “freshman 15 pounds” and in 2009 I lost 70 pounds with my new exercise science knowledge. I didn't realize I needed to lose weight, or that I could lose that much weight. I realized that when I was my heaviest, it was not who I truly was. Losing weight gave me a new level of confidence, a body that felt better to be in, and a strength that allowed me to continue to perform my favorite physical activities. My interest in Exercise Science became an obsession at this point and it felt like I was on the right path with my life. I was enjoying what I was learning and truly motivated to do well in the fitness industry. All aspects of health and fitness became a fascination. Learning from a variety of trainers, coaches, practitioners, and gurus continues to provide me insight into how to live a healthy life and apply information to help others.

To complete my college degree, I had to do an internship. In 2012, I was fortunate to work at Sports Evolution in Altoona, PA as a Strength and Conditioning Coach. At this time, I was a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and worked with a variety of youth and college athletes, preparing them for their preferred sports. I was hired at Sports Evolution after my internship was over and this began my career. I felt I was training around the best coaches who taught me principles that have helped me excel as a trainer no matter where I have been. I had a valuable starting point in the industry and a level of confidence to believe that I could go far with this career.

In 2013, I received a life-changing opportunity when I was connected with Anytime Fitness in Glenshaw, PA, and began working as a personal trainer for the general public. The time spent training at Anytime Fitness was another huge building block for my career. This is when I started applying exercise to people who had a variety of medical conditions or had different goals compared to the athletes of Sports Evolution. This experience forced my best to become better, so that people could exercise safely or be referred to a doctor when necessary. There were many benefits to training adults and wonderful relationships began. Being in the city of Pittsburgh offered benefits and connections to more people and new health knowledge that broadened my view of what it meant to be "fit" and healthy.

In 2016, I felt a need for a change from personal training and began working at Healthtrax Fitness and Wellness in Bethel Park, PA. I worked as a manager, selling memberships, doing customer service, and learned about a fitness center from a different angle that I did not see as a personal trainer. This was a time to go deeper into reasons why people joined a gym, wanted to get healthy, or why they would stop coming to a fitness center to exercise. This beautiful facility integrated with doctor's offices so people could receive a high level of care no matter what physical or mental ailments they were enduring. Though this time was valuable, I realized that my energy and passion was related to being the coach and guiding people through the process of getting in shape.

Later in 2016, I received an opportunity to work in McMurray, PA as a fitness instructor and personal trainer at Fit House. This was another extremely important building block in my career as I learned to teach larger classes of adults, worked with classes of teens, and helped maintain a private fitness studio. Again, I felt that I was surrounded by the best coaches who taught me lessons when they didn't even know they were mentoring me. I learned the value of deepening relationships with my customers, showing up with consistently high levels of energy, and how to get creative to make exercise more fun for everyone. This experience was a boost in my confidence that allowed me to believe that I could have my own business.

In 2017, I formed my own LLC. I was considering calling the business "Chris Fit," which is kind of related to saying, "CrossFit," until realizing that name was taken. Then I went back and forth about what to call the business. Many trainers usually call their business by their first and last name, followed by the word "fitness." So, I decided to shorten it up and go with CY Fit! (Chris Yutzey Fitness)

Starting this business was one of my greatest challenges, yet incredibly rewarding. I learned to get used to being uncomfortable every day as relentless obstacles, known and unknown, would appear on the path of moving the business forward. Working with my own business offered unique opportunities that allowed me to adapt to my client's needs and serve people on a level I could not as a trainer in a gym. Driving to customers' homes, meeting people in local parks, and coaching people over video calls enabled me to reach a different audience. There were people who would refuse to go to a fitness center, or maybe were not able to go, but now they could be helped. Others were not able to make it to the class they wanted to take or struggled to be consistent because of the distance from their gym, but through the video services, they became consistent and made the improvements they truly wanted to see.

As I progress in the world of training and health coaching, it's about teaching skills and strategies that help people stay healthy for a lifetime. There are many unknowns in life, but when you know you are taking control of your sleep, food, exercise, and mindset, you give yourself an advantage that will lead to success. This is about feeling good, being happy, experiencing new strengths, and having confidence in your body. The changes you make to your body will change the way you think. The way you think will determine your quality of life. Striving for a higher quality of life will bring out the best in you. When you bring out your best, it will influence others to work towards their best self. If everyone is living as their best self, the whole world will become a wonderful and heavenly place!