On June 4, 2017, I walked into Lifetime Chestnut Hill not realizing how my life was about to change forever. At the age of 26, I weighed 245 pounds, the heaviest I had ever been. At this point I was suffering from high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high levels of triglycerides. I couldn’t bend over to tie my shoes or walk upstairs without feeling winded. I didn’t even like to look at myself in the mirror at how big I had become.

Fast forward to November, down to 217lbs I couldn’t wait to get started with my first 60day. My goals for the winter 60day weren’t exactly cut and dry like many people. They were both about the numbers on the scale but also so much more. I told my coach Alex how badly I wanted to be under 200 pounds. I wanted to get to a point where my clothes were so big on me that I had to give them away. I wanted to be able to do a pull-up, a box jump, hit lifting personal records and jump rope without having to stop to catch my breath. Losing pounds in five, even three pound increments became everything. I worked my butt off (literally and figuratively) to reach those tiny milestones and didn’t stop. I knew that I wanted to develop a healthy, sustainable lifestyle where I could carve the time out every day to get stronger, leaner, and do this for myself and my future.

Life Time slowly became my second home. A friend once told me that telling everyone about your journey will hold you accountable, and that’s exactly what I did. I created a community within the individuals that work at and attend Lifetime; all people who would become SUCH an important piece of my journey. I put my LT bucks that I got from joining the club towards nutrition training, and I’m so glad that I did. Cory taught me about the importance of supplements that would aid in healthy muscle growth and recovery. What I learned from him about making better food choices and creating sustainable habits became the backbone of my meal planning from then on out. The next step was doing my Active Metabolic Assessment. This really opened my eyes to the importance of heart rate training, and when and how my body utilizes fat during exercise. This test gave me the pertinent information about what heart rate zones I should stay in during my workouts to burn fat vs. carbohydrates.

Joining TEAM Alpha was one of the best decisions I ever made. Being educated weekly by my coach Alex in the foundations of Olympic lifting, strength training and athletic movements gave me not only outstanding workouts, but prepared me to train using those movements on my own outside of class. At the beginning of November, I added AMP Cycle to my workout regimen; first 1-2 times per week and now 4 times a week. Two months ago at the beginning of this program I was hiding in the back row… Now? I’m right up front, not only keeping up with the instructor, but pushing myself harder than I ever thought possible. My instructors Katie and Samantha have not only become role models to me, but also two of my biggest supporters through this program. Lastly, the friends that I have made through TEAM Alpha, AMP cycle and even just in the locker room have made going to Lifetime the best part of every day.

This program put everything in perspective for me. I changed my lifestyle in that I now eat to live and not live to eat. I look forward to leaving work every day and getting to Lifetime. I now plan my workouts for the week on Sundays and build the rest of my life around that plan. My lunches and snacks are meal prepped because I know that “failing to prepare means preparing to fail.” Most importantly, I made sure to keep friends in my corner that also have healthy lifestyles and a love for fitness and health.

By no means am I stopping here. At 197 pounds, I still have a way to go before I see my goal weight up on that scale. I plan to continue TEAM Alpha and AMP cycling, plus supplementing these with additional strength training and cardio workouts that I will do on my own. For me, this was about much, much more than just the 60 days. It was about proving to myself that I can have self-control during the holidays. It was about putting myself and my workouts first. I am strong enough to continue making the changes that I need to succeed on this journey.