FMW OF THE QUARTER

Every Quarter we will be selecting an incredible FMW to be featured here to show all of her amazing accomplishments. This month we have selected Frederica! Check her out on Instagram @skippingsoldier or TikTok @elitesoldierfitness

INTRODUCTION

Hello, my name is Frederica Troutman. I was born and raised in Georgia, but I currently reside in California.

Dedicated

I joined the National Guard in high school at 17 years old, but I recently became AGR (Active Guard Reserve) about five years ago. During my time in the Guard reserve I served as a police officer and correctional officer so I’m not a stranger to hard training lol. I’m currently a Staff Sergeant 92A (logistics) at an aviation unit. I’ve been married for almost ten years to the best husband in the world and the best person I know. We have a 14 year old son who is addicted to anime and a straight A student. He’s the best kid in the world.

Resilient
Growing up as the first of four kids living in section 8 to a single mother with multiple jobs, I was responsible for taking care of my siblings. I was always an active kid whether it was playing sports or constantly doing small jobs to make money like cleaning homes, picking up cans and pecans, baby sitting and whatever else I could do to make money. When I wasn’t making money, I was playing any and every sport I could think of, just as long as it involved cardio lol. I just honestly enjoyed moving when I could and as much as I could. Being active was always a stress reliver for me and for those moments, I didn’t worry about the responsibilities I had at home.

Perseverance

I’ve always been an active person, but I never really got into fitness until a few years ago. My husband started introducing me to strength training and weights. I would always go for runs and play basketball, but I didn’t lift weights. As I started my strength training journey, I couldn’t find any enjoyment from it, and COVID hit, so no more basketball and running for a while. My husband suggested I pick up a jump rope to get my cardio and I was not good in the beginning. I even quit for a while, but I eventually picked it back up because I hate being defeated. Picking up that rope was one of the best decisions I ever made. I found a community of like-minded people to learn so many skills from, and a way to share a new passion of my mine with the world. I didn’t realize how important fitness and health would be to me until 2023 and 2024. 2023 I battled a bacteria infection in my gut for over a year and medication I was on was taking everything out of me, including my ability to move. After going through that, I realize I needed to learn more about how to take care of myself, so I started researching healthier recipes for my body and started taking courses to become a personal trainer. 2024 hit me pretty hard, but also made me realize how much jumping rope and working out impacted my mental more than it did my physical. I lost my mom in March 2024 and I had elbow surgery in April 2024, so the moment I needed to be physical to battle my grief and depression was the moment I couldn’t do anything physically. Those months made me realize how much getting up and moving means to my mental health. When I move, I get out of my head and get into a zone. Moving literally brings me peace and a sense of accomplishment. My goal in life is to bring the same feeling of peace and accomplishment to others that fitness brings to me. It doesn’t have to be perfect movement, you simply just have to find something that makes you enjoy moving.