Elisa Hayes

Hi! My name is Elisa and I am a proud wife and a mama of two incredible kiddos. I am married to the love of my life, Michael. He has loved and supported me through all of my endeavors and is always right beside me whenever I need him. I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful, loving, partner and best friend; and I wouldn’t want to go through life with anyone else. My two kids, Jake and Ava, are my biggest cheerleaders as well as my cutest (and most honest) critics. They are sweet yet hilarious, they tend to keep me on my toes, but they are amazing kids, they are my world, and life would be so dull without their energy and spirit!

My passion for nutrition began in my twenties when I discovered a love for dietetics and exercise from embarking on my own health and wellness journey. This love of nutrition and exercise has led me to the pursuit of becoming a certified personal trainer and certified in nutrition. Those closest to me know how important health and wellness are to me and I try to promote being active and encourage healthy eating habits for me and my family. But it is my hope to assist all women who are struggling with putting themselves and their health first. I want to help women learn to prioritize self-care through nourishing their body, mind, and soul. It is my goal to teach women how to create healthy habits and routines, building a lifestyle that makes them happy and allows them to flourish into the best version of themselves so that they feel beautiful, healthy, confident, and strong in their bodies. 

I have spent many years of my life struggling with my weight. Starting in my childhood to adolescence years, into my early twenties, and then in my thirties after I had kids. Growing up, I was not the girl who was naturally thin or had always been athletic. Finding fashionable clothes that fit was always difficult. Shopping at the popular stores was a letdown because most of the time the trendy clothes rarely ever fit. I could never at any point in my life just eat what I wanted and never gain a pound. I always wished I could, but that was not my body.

It wasn’t until I was in my twenties when I was at my heaviest, for the first time, I finally learned what I needed to do to lose weight healthfully to look and feel my best. It took time to shift my mindset and to build new, healthier habits and routines. But once I committed to these new habits and a healthier mindset around food and exercise, I reached my goals without ever feeling like I was on a “diet”. It was just my lifestyle.

After having babies, I found myself struggling with my weight again. I was completely consumed in the chaotic world of motherhood. I spent most of my thirties raising children and prioritizing their needs. They benefited immensely from all of my love, care, and attention. However, I neglected to give myself the necessary TLC that I also needed. I did try a few times to “lose the baby weight” and get back to the pre-baby fitness life, but I had fallen back into old bad habits. I knew what I needed to do, but because my mindset wasn’t in the right place, I couldn’t implement the healthy habits and routines I needed to reach my goals. But after hitting my heaviest weight for the second time, I knew that I needed to make changes so that I could be around as long as I could, for myself, and also my family. They needed to have a mom and a wife, who was healthy, happy, confident, and strong.

When I decided that I was worthy of investing in my health and wellness and deserving of practicing self-care, my life changed. Was it easy, absolutely not, were there days that challenged me, heck yes, but it was always about my “why”. The reason why I MUST. That drive motivates me to get to work each morning and take care of business. The reason why I choose to stay consistent and keep going, even when I do not feel like it. Every hardship, every heartache, every tear, was also met with progress, achievements, and wins. In the end, those moments and experiences were worth it all!

Now, I am dedicated to empowering, inspiring, and motivating women. It is my mission to help women bloom and grow into the best version of themselves by being a source of support and encouragement. Imparting my knowledge and experiences, and hope that all women will find the importance of prioritizing self-care in their lives; focusing on their mental, physical, and emotional health and well-being.

I want you to look in the mirror and see a confident, beautiful, sexy, strong, amazing person looking back. You must know that you are worthy of all the love, care, and happiness that you so freely give to others! Not only are you worthy, you deserve it. And I know you can do it!

Here are some more fun facts about me:

1. I always look forward to party planning… just give me a fun theme and I will go all out!
2. I have two fur babies named Rory and Bubba. They are both named after professional golfers (my husband likes to golf, what can I say?!)
3. I am a musical junkie and I love the theater! I have seen so many Broadway tour shows, but I can see them repeatedly. I would love to see one on Broadway one of these days (bucket list item for sure)!
4. I love fashion. I actually majored in Fashion Merchandising when I started my education and was interested in fashion styling and photography. One of these days I need to find all of my sketches and artwork!
5. I know how to decorate fancy sugar cookies (did it professionally for over a decade) and my kids look forward to decorating during the holidays.
6. A staple in my diet is cottage cheese. I eat it with vegetables, on top of avocado toast, on a baked sweet potato, in my tuna. The uses are endless! I love it! It is delicious!
7. Halloween is my favorite holiday! I love the feeling of the fall, but I especially enjoy all the decorations, movies, activities, music, and fun treats! But most of all, I love dressing up in costumes! Themed costumes are especially fun and I am going to keep trying to get my kids to participate in family costumes for as long as I can! So far, they are outgrowing the family themed costumes. Thankfully my husband goes all along with my themes….and my dogs!
8. I am an early bird. I struggle to stay up past 8 pm sometimes, but I am usually up before 5 am. However, I cannot function until after my morning cup of coffee.
9. I love food! Thai food is my ultimate favorite, followed by sushi and of course, always Mexican food!
10. I live in yoga pants and t-shirts/sweatshirts usually, but I also love to get all dressed up and go out on the town with my hubby!
11. My therapy is going into my home gym, putting on music, and just running and resistance training. Though many times a good Pilates or Yoga session is needed for the mind, bod, and soul!
12. When I turned 40, I did a boudoir photo shoot to celebrate and I loved every minute of it! It was such an empowering experience and I can’t wait to celebrate every milestone with one! I hope that every woman gets to have this experience at least once in their life. It is amazing what it does for you! If you are in Arizona, check out Le Boudoir Studio, they are the best!
13. Most days you will find me without makeup, hair pulled back, and in leggings and a t-shirt or sweatshirt. I like being comfy! It isn’t until I go out on a date or have a special event that I actually put on make-up, do my hair, and get dressed up!

Thank you for checking out Flourish: Fitness. Health. Wellness. I hope I can assist you with your health and wellness journey and flourish into the best version of yourself!

XOXO, Elisa