WSPT Staff Spotlight: Nicole Bernadette
Posted by
Jeni P. on Tue, Nov 15, 2011 @ 02:22 PM
Nicole Bernadette is the Wellness Coordinator at WSPT. Born in Englewood, NJ, she has spent the majority of her life living all over New York: from Manhattan to Rockland County. She received a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre and Dance from Skidmore and is now attending Manhattanville College for her Master’s Degree in Physical Education and Sports Pedagogy.
Aside from working out, Nicole’s favorite thing to do is eat exotic foods. Her and her husband have a goal to try cuisine from every corner of the world. Despite being an avid traveler, Nicole will create the experience of dining in a foreign place even if she cannot physically be present at her desired destination. She puts on music from the country, creates exotic dishes from recipes, rents movies from the region she is “visiting”, and allows her imagination to inspire the evening.
Wellness has always been an important part of Nicole’s life. As a child, Nicole, a member of her school’s swim team, fantasized about growing up and competing in the Olympics. She ran track, played basketball, and continued to pursue her love of fitness while in college, where she took dance classes. Nicole has participated in many marathons, notably the 150 mile UltraMarathon in the Himalayas - a marathon that was extended over several days. She was able to endure such a feat by achieving excellent physical condition through daily exercise: cross-training, swimming, running, and biking. Nicole is also an Ironman Triathlete, having completed two competitions, one in Hawaii and one in Brazil.
Nicole was spending the majority of her time working out, so it was only natural that she follow her passion for fitness and make it her career. She received her Certified Personal Trainer license though NASM (the National Academy of Sports Medicine) - a very prestigious name in the field. She soon became certified to instruct Spin, Silver Sneakers, Pilates, and eventually began teaching others to live healthier lives full-time.
While at WSPT, Nicole has become involved in sports-specific training for youth soccer and football leagues. Nicole believes that it is immensely important to teach children how to be healthy and fit; children should be educated and given the skills on how to stay healthy. With this knowledge, children will be less likely to grow into destructive habits that cause a number of preventable diseases, like diabetes and arthritis.
Nicole has been working diligently to help successful programs such as BronxFit flourish further, as well as using her insightful imagination to create new and upcoming programs like “GetFit For Prom”, which she is designing to help motivate kids to get in shape and live well!
Nicole recognizes the value of an early commitment to wellness. It is difficult at times to introduce the senior demographic to lifestyle changes that include increased exercise and adopting new and healthy nutritional habits. Humans are creatures of repetition, and often are hesitant to make adjustments to what has become routine, even if these changes will only improve the quality of life. Any new undertaking that forces a person outside of their comfort zone is overwhelming. Nicole wants WSPT to not only continue it’s mission to be a place where wellness beginners feel at ease, but she would like to see it be known as a home in the Bronx for those seeking guidance and familiarity in a wellness program.