Women in Business: Krissi Williford - Xcite Fitness

The key to lifelong health and fitness isn’t fad diets or intense workout programs, exercise physiologist Krissi Williford said. It’s in slow, steady lifestyle changes that add up to something great. “You can’t fix yourself in four weeks,” Williford said. “It doesn’t have to be so extreme.”

Williford has worked as a fitness trainer since 2007 and opened Xcite Fitness in January 2016. After working at several gyms, she decided to open her own gym to promote a slower, more enjoyable path to sustainable fitness.

Williford’s niche is in corrective exercise and injury recovery, and she said keeping people safe as they achieve their goals is very important. She makes sure clients are eating enough calories, maintaining activity levels and taking time to adjust to changes in their workout routine.

“People want to be fit but they can’t be fit unless they’re well,” Williford said.

Each client’s goal and ability level is different, and Williford said she gets personally involved in each client’s life to craft their wellness plan and always be available to them. 

This year, Williford plans to use her master’s degree in corporate health management to create a corporate wellness company as well.

But for individual clients at Xcite Fitness, she continues to change mindsets and teach people to listen to their bodies. “If people are healthy and well, they can do anything. They have no limits,” Williford said.