Chelsi Sorensen is the Founder and Owner of Body By Chels. Chelsi’s passion for health & fitness started at a very young age.  Chelsi comes from an athletic family being the only girl of all brothers and her parents led examples of living a healthy lifestyle.  She spent most of her childhood at sports games, football practices and games, basketball games and doing cheerleading and dance.  Her passion for movement began when she got into dance classes at a young age. She also started cheerleading at the age of 8 years old. Being a cheerleader and a dancer for most of her childhood, she decided to take a break when she got in high school. During that time she took a Strength Training class and absolutely fell in Love.  She said, “Every time I would push the weights, something on the inside of me came alive.” Being the only girl of all brothers she was a bit more of a tough girl yet had a very feminine, soft and sensitive side to her.  Cheerleading and dance gave her an outlet to express that side of her and at the same time it was in Cheer and Dance that her Body Image Issues began.  “Every-time I would look in the mirror, I would criticize my body and talk down on myself. I didn’t know why I would do this or even realized that it was a problem.”  She struggled as many young women do, with her self image, self esteem and self worth. “Moving my body and eating healthy gave me a sense of stability and structure within myself. I always felt empowered after making healthy choices.” When she discovered strength training, she felt even more empowered within herself. It wasn’t popular at the time for females to be in the gym pushing weights, but Chelsi decided to step into the gym at a young age as a female and help encourage women to do the same. 

At the age of 19 she survived a car accident and came out with no broken bones but she did have some musculoskeletal injuries.  From this accident she found her destiny, purpose and calling.  She was training for her first Triathlon during the time of the accident and the medical doctors said had she not been in such great, strong physical shape she would have come out of the accident in a much worse condition. The police officer on the scene said to her Mom, “It’s a miracle she even survived this accident and was able to get herself out of the car and be able to walk.” She not only learned to appreciate the value of life, but she also learned the importance of having healthy and strong muscles. She then went through a journey of recovery and healing for her body.  It was also then she learned about how trauma and emotions can affect the human body and cause diseases. She then decided to learn about the human body for herself. She got certified as a Personal Trainer and got a job at a local gym.  She started taking on clients immediately and found her passion from there. “I was going through so much from the accident, it gave me a sense of purpose and hope to sit with others who needed support with their health, whether they needed to lose weight, recover muscular injuries or build strength. Being able to put my energy and focus into helping others really helped me overcome the challenges I was facing during that time.” At the age of 20, she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and gastritis and the doctors said she was battling a level of depression. It was from there she embarked on a journey learning how to heal the body through nourishing foods, movement and natural supplements. She was also on medication for her thyroid, depression and stomach issues. Her goal was to get her body to a healthy place where she would not have to take any medications.  At the age of 21 she also found her passion for Boxing and started training in Boxing gyms.  Boxing was an avenue she used to help get her strength and life back after the first few years of healing her body from the accident. She said, “Boxing gave me an outlet, I was able to release alot of the internal emotions I didn’t even know how to process at the time. I just always felt such a release every time I would hit the bag or the coaches mit. I always left feeling stronger not just physically but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This is when I decided to start teaching boxing classes and empower others in the same experience I was having with it. I was living in Las Vegas at the time and got really involved in Boxing and MMA. I still LOVE boxing to this day, it is a great passion of mine. Ive considered going Pro to encourage women that they can overcome anything and face any adversity that comes your way. But I decided I do need to keep this face pretty so maybe in another lifetime, we will see what the future holds.”

At the age of 23 she moved to Newport Beach, California and started her own health and fitness company. She was on her own health journey doing weight training, eating a nutritious diet and she hired a private boxing trainer and was training 2 days a week.  She also got into school to study Kinesiology at California State Fullerton and graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology in 2016.  During her studies, she took an Exercise Physiology class and started learning about eating disorders and overtraining and how they both negatively affect the human body.  “I realized then, that I had been overtraining for years and under eating and my body had been malnourished which is what caused the stomach issues and thyroid issues I was having. This all stemmed from the pursuit to have a perfect body to feel more beautiful, secure and confident within myself as a woman.  What I also learned is that emotions of shame and self hatred can cause the body these illnesses as well.  It was then, I started to deal with my issues and debunk alot of what I learned being in the Fitness Industry.  It seemed as I was learning truth about the body, I was de-programming alot of what I took in, in my early years being in the fitness industry when it came to nutrition, dieting and training.  My dream was to become a Fitness Competitor and a Fitness Model but I was never able to pursue it because of the thyroid issues I had. With Hypothyroidism you have to be cautious of your body fat percentage and make sure it doesn’t go lower than a certain number. To be a fitness competitor, I would have had to get my body fat as low as 14 percent.  As I was applying everything I was learning and had learned, my body overcame the thyroid issues, stomach issues and I was able to get off all medications. I no longer battled feeling depressed and had a new found joy for life. It felt like a miracle as the doctors told me I would have to be on those meds for the rest of my life.”  The body really has the power to heal itself.

It was in 2013 she started helping women with thyroid diseases and autoimmune issues through her personal training program. She was teaching these women exactly what she learned about balance with strength training, cardio and then getting the correct nutrients and vitamins in the body, proper water intake and proper amounts of sleep. Her clients were also seeing great results with their thyroid issues. It was also in 2013 she discovered her gift and passion for Kinesiotherapy. Chelsi stated, “During that time is when crossfit became the new thing in the fitness industry and being in a traditional personal training gym, we would get clients coming in who tried to do crossfit for the first time and got injured pretty quickly. They would come in our gym in so much pain and I would work through the injured muscles to try to help them get some relief. People would leave feeling so much better and it would light me up. I started working with clients who were recently injured doing stretching and therapy along with corrective exercise movements. I was in college at that time so I would apply what I was learning still working as a Personal Trainer and I was seeing such great results. It was finally in 2018 after I had graduated in 2016 with my Kinesiology degree I got my first official Kinesiotherapy client who was currently battling brain cancer and needed to recover his health & body. I started working with him and his wife and watched his body work miracles right before my eyes. He ended up completely healing from cancer and got back to his normal training routine after working with me for 3 years. It was then I found such a love and passion for what I do. To be able to witness people overcome cancer and many illnesses and injuries is such a gift. I get to come along side people who are fighting for their health and their life and do what I love to do which is encourage them just gives me so much purpose and passion.”

Chelsi has seen many people overcome sickness and disease, get strong and healthy again after facing physical trauma, lose weight, gain strength, overcome muscular weaknesses, recover from surgeries and injuries, athletes and dancers get back on the field and in the studio, many lives changed, women become strong, healthy and empowered. She really understands what clients are going through as she has been through it herself. She is passionate about sharing her wisdom and education about the human body not only through what she studied in her bachelors degree but also through many years of experience working with clients. Her goal was to become a Doctor and help many people overcome sickness and disease.  While she was in the pre-med program, she realized that she had alot more flexibility as a Kinesiologist, Kinesiotherapist & Personal Trainer to help people overcome sickness and disease naturally.

While Chelsi was recovering from her accident, one of her doctors said she may never be able to do squats again with the musculoskeletal injuries she had. She has since been able to squat up to 120 lbs with no pain. At the age of 25 she got off all medications and her body was in great health as she was eating very well and living a healthy lifestyle.  In 2018 she found a love for Nashville, Tennessee while on a visit there and ended up opening her business there while still servicing clients in California. It was after the covid pandemic she relocated her business to Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee and started seeing clients via zoom. She has helped thousands of people over the years and she now works with clients locally and clients from anywhere in the world via Zoom. 

“As culture and the world has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic, it is even more important that people understand the value of their Health and Wellness. Our bodies health is so important and the best thing we can do today is invest in ourselves and our health.  I believe the Covid pandemic taught us all many things but one main thing is that we may not have control over what happens in life, but we do have control over how we respond, along with having control over ourselves and our choices.  One of the best things we can do to better ourselves and the world around us is to choose our bodies and our health.  Health is Wealth and I cannot wait to meet you and help you be empowered to be at your best & most optimal  Health!”  

After almost 20 years of experience, Chelsi is passionate to help people overcome pain, injuries, diseases, sickness and muscular imbalances. She is also passionate to empower women to get healthy, educated and make healthy choices to become the best version of themselves and strong in their bodies. If any of this resonates with you, please contact us on our contact page.  We will get you set up for a consultation to discuss your health goals and see which services and program fits best for you! We cannot wait to meet you and see how we can help you become the best version of yourself and get to your most optimal health! 

Chelsi Sorensen- Owner & Personal Trainer