“I decided to compete in the most competitive weightlifting competition I have ever been in,” said Peterson. “I was sharing a platform with international and Olympic level athletes. Going in, I thought I would be at the bottom since I just barely qualified, but in the end, there were stronger athletes who finished underneath me. I think I just went in super prepared, and I was ready to do my best.”
And that has always been the motto for this wife and mother of three girls aged 15, 13, and 10: “Doing the best with what you have at the moment.” It was a personal mantra when Peterson launched her small business, RP Fitness and Nutrition, in 2018. She creates custom fitness and nutrition plans for her clients to not only build healthy lifelong habits but also to change their mindset so they can overcome mental barriers and negative self-talk. The certified fitness and nutrition coach started working with mostly friends in her private home studio before going on to do virtual online nutrition coaching. She then brought her services to Life Time Fitness in Summerlin in 2019 to expand her circle of clients.
“I realized doing my coaching online will only take me so far,” said Peterson. “Working at Life Time helped me grow as a coach, and I got to work with all kinds of people of all ages. But
working with moms still had a special place in my heart because that was how I started — as a new mom who was losing her identity and needed someone to help guide her. I found my coach, and now I want to be the one to help others.”
Peterson said one of the biggest concerns she heard from moms, especially those in their 40s, is that they struggle to reclaim their identity. In the process of raising their children, they have lost their confidence and a sense of who they really are. Peterson’s coaching style is about helping her clients see that fitness and strength are more than just about losing weight.
“I have made that same mistake at one point where I would just base my results on what I saw in magazines and what celebrities looked like,” said Peterson. “I want to help my clients see that getting stronger is a personal journey, physically and mentally. In the process of becoming fit and shedding unwanted weight, these moms can also rediscover their dreams and goals that they have put aside as they were raising their kids."
To help create a healthy community here in Southern Nevada and beyond, Peterson uses social media to her advantage. She has an active Facebook group called “Fit and Confident Moms,” where women can get support and a sense of accountability on their health journey. She also has a YouTube Channel where she provides a variety of content, from workout videos to conversations with entrepreneurs and experts in a variety of fields.
As for Peterson’s next personal fitness goal, she wants to continue embracing her journey as a weightlifter and an adult athlete.
“The older I get, the more I feel it’s not too late to dream and go after your goals,” said Peterson. “I used to think that by 30, I was running out of time to do things I wanted to accomplish. Now at 40, I know there’s no end date to set your goals. You can make your own rules. If I can get myself on a platform where I am competing alongside Olympic athletes, having never played sports in my life, I really feel I can do anything I want."
