iFIT and NordicTrack Trainer Hannah Eden Says 'Pushing Myself Has Changed My Life for the Better': 'I Love to Do Hard Things'

iFIT and NordicTrack Trainer Hannah Eden has done some pretty crazy and challenging things in her life, which is why she's all about encouraging other people to pull out all the stops.

"I have always been a pretty extreme person, but I used to apply that trait into negative outlets, and now I have found that this is not a toxic trait when channeled in the right area — fitness — and pushing myself has changed my life for the better. I am pretty sure I found my true will power by setting myself a challenging goal, and with hard work and dedication, I was able to reach the goal. I haven’t stopped challenging myself since. The bar keeps raising higher and higher. I have still got so much untapped potential," the fitness guru exclusively tells Morning Honey.

Eden, who did a darkness retreat and is training for an Ironman, admits she "likes to test my body and mind in extreme situations. I like to see who I find in myself on the other side. It helps me practice what I preach in an extreme way and fall in love with all aspects of self. I have become a more resilient, caring, understanding, human being, and boy, it is a great story to tell my kids when they are old enough to understand or care. I truly believe we all allow fear to hold us back from trying things beyond our comfort zone, but I've found the best parts of myself on the other side of comfort. I simply love to do hard things."

"Working out is a non-negotiable for me. I know who I am with and without exercise, and I am a better human with it. I love moving my body and having an hour of uninterrupted time to focus on me and my goals. I stay motivated by setting myself goals to constantly work toward; it gives my training more purpose. I also take pride in being a practitioner and inspiring people around the world through fitness — I must lead from the front, right?" she adds of inspiring others.

Eden, who is postpartum, is being coached by James Lawrence, a.k.a. The Iron Cowboy, seven days a week for the upcoming race. However, "communicating with my family and planning ahead helps me stay on track," she says, adding that training "has been a massive player in me finding and embracing my new identity. My mindset has been pretty positive during postpartum, and I think fitness has a lot to do with that. I can still do things for me as I show up primarily for my family."

"I never thought I would say this — but swimming long distances at a steady pace has become such a tranquil state for me, getting so present and simply counting my strokes. Flow state unlocked for sure!" she says of what she enjoys the most. "I love interval training, combining strength and cardiovascular focused bodyweight exercises. It is quick, effective and fun!"

Entering the fitness world is not something Eden thought would ever happen. "I wanted to be a famous fashion photographer, but I stumbled into fitness, and it changed my life. It then became my burning desire to try and share that with others," she notes. "I am so grateful this is my career."

Now, Eden gets to train others and be part of the iFit family — something she loves doing.

"It has been an incredible seven years. I have traveled all around the world, creating life-changing fitness content for our members around the globe. I am so blessed to have an opportunity to learn about these incredible locations and share my passion to help others utilize fitness as a tool to empower themselves and find their true potential," she shares. "We have an opportunity to see the world personally, showcase and educate our users on culture and fitness all at once. It truly is a unique product that makes fitness fun and valuable."

"Entirely, I only align with companies that have similar core values, and the people I have had the chance to connect with on the iFIT team are like family — that includes the production team and my fellow amazing trainers. We are all one big family — it is rad," she adds. "We also have the chance to reach so many people with the iFIT platform and the amount of lives I have personally been able to impact with my passion for fitness and inspiring others to fall in love with fitness makes my job extremely rewarding. I love that I GET to pursue fitness for a career, I get to do what I love and am passionate about, I don’t take that lightly. Constantly challenge myself with personal fitness goals, and knowledge in the fitness space."

Whether you're training for something or just trying to set little goals along the way, Eden states: "Enjoy the journey. Yes, the race or event day is the goal, but the real experience is the training days leading up to that day and who you become on the way. Don’t stress the small stuff. Something is better than nothing, commit and do your best!"

"Set yourself an attainable goal because the feeling you get once you reach it, is SO empowering that you can utilize that power to attack the next goal with a little more aggression and slowly raise the bar. There is nothing worse than setting a goal so far out of your reach and not reaching it. The journey there will be miserable, whereas if it is suitable for where you are currently at and you put the work in you will enjoy the journey and build so much momentum on your way! Find something that peaks your interest but scares you a little bit and then commit to it with enough time to prepare yourself mentally and physically. Don’t do it alone, find a community that supports your challenge and have a blast!" she concludes.