Melissa Byres Fitness

05/11/2026

Update - May 11, 2026

Hello everyone!

For all of the wonderful people who've connected with me and with Melissa Byres Fitness, thank you for continuing to be here. I appreciate knowing you and how we've been a part of each others lives. Thank you. 😊

As most of you know, I stopped advertising for new clients here because I had reached capacity through referrals. Referrals have been a huge gift to me as a self-employed certified personal trainer, and I even developed a waiting list of people who would train with me if my time opened up. If you scroll through this page, you can see the posts becoming less frequent, showing about when that happened. I spent less time advertising here and more time at capacity training people to reach their goals, adding new referrals in as I could. 🏋‍♂️🏋‍♀️

During this time, I also decided to complete by bachelor's degree in Exercise Science at MSU Denver. Even though I had studied for and earned many personal training certifications, I knew that I craved higher education in addition to my professional certifications.

For quite awhile, I was able to balance both training and school. I finally reached a point in my senior year at MSU where I was taking 16 credits a term and that required all of my time, so I transitioned out of my personal training role to complete my degree.

Here we are now, on May 11, 2026, and I have finished the last term required for my bachelor's degree. The commencement cermony is on May 15, 2026. I am expected to graduate Cum Laude with an overall GPA of 3.7. 🎓

In addition to my upcoming graduation, I was surprised and honored to be nominated and unanimously awarded the 2026 Most Outstanding Student Award at MSU Denver in the College of Health and Human Sciences.

I attended the award ceremony this week with my favorite professors from school and my favorite cousin Valerie, who is a rock star in life. It felt incredible to celebrate with people I respect and admire, and to conclude my bachelor's degree with such a high impact life moment.

Being awarded the Outstanding Student for 2026 highlights how important it is for me to show up and bring my entire heart and skill set to whatever I've committed myself to. I believe in having a purpose, in goal achievement, and in helping others pursue and achieve their own dreams. I believe these are some of the reasons I was recognized by MSU Denver as their recipient in 2026.

What's next?

I am currently interviewing with several world class organizations to find my role in this next phase of life post graduation. I am seeking a role that utilizes my experience as a certified personal trainer, the skills I've gained as a professional business woman, and the evidence-based knowledge I've gained through my education in the field of exercise science.

I would also love to pursue further education, and I'm researching what that will be. I am drawn to either a Master's degree in Exercise Science or becoming an Occupational Therapist specializing in neurological care. I would also love to gain clinical research experience and I'm pursuing opportunities to achieve that too.

We will see what path opens up but I'm happy to know that whatever it is, I will be continuing to learn even more about my field and will continue to grow as an expert in the area of exercise science.

I am very excited about the opportunities before me and how I can bring my full self to this next role, the positive ways I will help people going forward, and the impact I will contribute toward this great life.

I will be keeping Melissa Byres Fitness active because I feel the way I may include it in the future will also be worthwhile and impactful.

Once again, thank you for sharing life moments with me and for continuing to be here. I look forward to where life takes each of us next. 💕

Here are a few pictures that I wanted to share with you from the 2026 Most Outstanding Student Award cermony this week at MSU Denver. 🥳

09/01/2025

01/08/2024

2024 Intention: Walk 365 miles in 365 Days

If you were to map 365 miles from your house, where would that take you?

Now imagine that you made an intention this year to walk 365 miles and on day 365 you did it!

1 mile at a time (probably between 1-3 miles a day to accomodate for daily schedule changes because... life).

Would that be attainable? Could you try for this?

If you set your mind to complete 365 miles in 365 days, keep me posted because I am also accomplishing this intention in 2024. 👣👣👣

Happy New Year Friends 💕

04/22/2023

April 21, 2020 - April 21, 2023

3 Year Business Anniversary of Melissa Byres Fitness! 😊🏋💖

Personal...
Not long into the pandemic lockdown (3 years ago now), I launched .

The world had shut down. I was grieving the time apart from Club Greenwood because they are such a wonderful athletic club, and I was grieving the loss of everyone I would normally see there almost every day. Club Greenwood changed my life in the best ways, and I will always love that place and the people there. (Some day I hope to re-join them part-time in the future, maybe as a yoga teacher, a group class instructor, or a personal trainer/physical therapist. You never know how things can come full circle. 💕)

During those days of the lockdown, no one knew what was happening, or if/when it would be safe to go back to a public gym. Not only were gyms shut down but professional sports teams too.

Schools were closed for in-person and going to online only. Streets were virtually empty. It was all shocking and scary, and I especially didn't want to risk anyone I loved dying from covid because so little was known about it yet.

I remember that first month like it was a bad dream. I missed my Club. I missed all the members and trainers I saw there every day. I missed training my amazing people individually and in group classes. I missed being in an environment focused on health and wellness. I missed seeing people strive for and achieve their fitness goals.

I had been training people who were achieving huge progress, who were committed to continuing with their goals, and now we were facing how or if we could even keep doing that together going forward.

I didn't know how to train, program, or bill as a virtual trainer, because I'd only trained people in person and through gym membership accounts. But my people were all patient and helped me as we basically figured it out together. 😊

Learning an entirely new way to help train people virtually with little to no equipment caused me to become an even better personal trainer. Without a traditional gym, I found ways to still get people stronger, leaner, and more athletic, with nothing but a water bottle and a yoga mat. 😄 I'm like the Chuck Norris of athletic programming... Oh, you've got a throw pillow on your couch, a dining room chair, and a potted fern? Awesome. Let's do this. 🪴💪

I will be forever grateful for those who've been with me on this journey, because we didn't have all the answers but we knew we were better together and we would find them as a team. 🏋‍♀️🏋

It's incredible to be here three years later, training people online, in person, and even going back to school to become a Physical Therapist. 📚

Thank you to each and every one of you wonderful souls who've been on this journey with me. 💕

I really wouldn't be here without you. 💖

12/07/2022

An aspect of healing No. 3.

It's amazing when you stop and think about it.

12/05/2022

Save for the reminder.
Share if others would benefit from the reminder too.

12/02/2022

A new series I'm sharing about components that accompany true healing. I hope you'll follow along and share with others.

11/10/2022

I love this message.

Adjust focus to:
Health and balance over burnout and stress.
Wellness instead of perfection.
Functional movement over being thin.
Muscle, joint and bone strength for high quality of life vs a clothing size.

Take care of yourself. You don't have to do what the media pushes out as your role. Find your own way, what feels best for your personal physical and mental path, and keep people in your circle who want to see YOU THRIVING.

And reach out to me if you want to talk about 2023 goals. 💕
💯

10/20/2022

It's time to stop carrying pain and stress inside the body. We are coming up on a new year, let a resolution be to find a focus for the negative that is outside the temple of your body.

That could look like walking consistently, sleeping regularly, drinking and eating less processed sugar, saying no to anyone or anything that depletes your energy, watching or reading more comedies, lifting weights, riding a bicycle, traveling somewhere new, learning a new hobby, singing, painting, writing, and so much more. There are so many options for channeling energy, it's not necessary to bury it inside of your body systems any more.

In 2023, protect your body and cherish it. Message me if you need ideas.

🏋🛌📚💃☀️⚘️🌲🦋

09/23/2022

I became a National Academy Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Nutrition Coach today!

This certification will help me guide clients even more toward their physique goals by adding relevant nutrition science knowledge to my coaching. 🏋🥕🍎🍇🥑🥦

I haven't shared a lot on this site, but I will share a bit that is personal with you now... I am also attending college again, taking classes toward becoming a Physical Therapist. My ultimate goal is to help people with their physique/health goals, and also to move safely always.

Thank you for continuing to be here with me and for the opportunity to be your Coach too.
Melissa

NASM Certified Personal Trainer
NASM Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist
NASM Certified Nutrition Coach
NASM Certified Golf Fitness Specialist
CrossFit Level 1 Instructor
Tribe Team Training Coach (Life, Punch, Fit)
(and your average college student) 😊📚