Well Hello there!
Chris Keseling, Personal Trainer and Holistic Health Coach
Nice to meet you! I’m Chris.
If we’re being formal, I’m Chris Keseling of CK Health & Fitness — a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Personal Trainer and Reiki Master. We’ll get to that later, but in a nutshell, I’ve dedicated my life to finding solutions that strengthen our physical selves, while enhancing the rest of our lives. It’s all connected!
My journey started with a passion for helping people gain control of their health without gimmicks and without disappointment.
The truth is, you have to look at your overall health versus simply the way you look in the mirror.
You have to decide to invest in it daily, but I can be your guide. Together, we’ll uncover the balanced and best version of you.
How I found motivation for change.
Growing up, I wasn’t exactly the pillar of health. At a very early age (18 months old, to be exact), I was diagnosed with cancer. I received exceptional care at John’s Hopkins Medical Center and have been “clean” ever since! But through high school, I was the typical couch potato. The only exercise I got was playing “tag” during school lunch breaks, and while I wasn’t overweight, I was “skinny fat”—basically, that’s someone who is average or thin in size, but has very little muscle mass.
Upon graduating high school, I enlisted in the US Army as a Counterintelligence Korean Linguist. Let me be honest…I really just wanted to attend the Defense Language Institute (DLI), and I tried every angle to avoid bootcamp (e.g., “Can I join the band?”). But I had to suck it up and do it. And, truthfully, it was bootcamp that began the shift in the way I felt about fitness.
Fast-forward to a bill-paying but unfulfilling corporate career, and I knew that, for me, change was inevitable. One night, I watched a 20/20 episode on gastric bypass surgery. Watching people who could have been my family, my neighbors, or maybe even me, turn to surgery for help really stopped me in my tracks. I knew I could help them find a better way. And I knew I wanted to.
So, TV nudged me in the right direction but my whole story led me here. I received Health Coach Training at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and Personal Training from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and started turning my calling into a career. Nothing is more rewarding than when a client tells me “You helped change my life”.
My goal is to continue helping those who are ready to make a change, who are ready to learn, and ready to implement healthy strategies into their lives. I can’t do the work for you, but I can be a support system to help you make lifelong, lasting decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chris Keseling is the founder of CK Health & Fitness in Franklin, TN. He’s a Certified Holistic Health Coach, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and Reiki Master. A childhood cancer survivor and Army veteran, he’s spent his career helping people get healthy without the gimmicks, the fad diets, or the shame spiral.
Chris earned his health coach training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and his personal training certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). He’s also a certified Reiki Master, which fits his whole-person approach to wellness. Real credentials, not an influencer with a ring light and a protein-powder discount code.
Chris believes your health is about your whole self, not just the number on the scale or how you look in the mirror. It’s all connected. Instead of selling quick fixes, he acts as your guide and accountability partner, helping you invest in your health day by day and build habits that outlast your motivation on a Monday.
His own story did. Diagnosed with cancer at 18 months old, then “skinny fat” through high school until the Army changed how he saw fitness. Years later, a 20/20 episode on gastric bypass surgery stopped him cold. He realized there was a better way to help people, and he turned that calling into a career.
Yes. After high school, Chris enlisted in the US Army as a Counterintelligence Korean Linguist and attended the Defense Language Institute. He’ll happily admit he tried every angle to dodge basic training (“Can I join the band?”), but it ended up being the very thing that flipped his whole view of fitness.
Chris coaches the whole person: exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness, not just appearance. He’s all about sustainable habits over quick fixes, works with you 1:1, and keeps things contract-free so you stay in control. No supplements to buy, no fads to chase, and no one-size-fits-all plan that fits no one.