2020 was not a year anyone could have imagined. Surreal. We started off the year in Time Square watching the new year celebration up close and personal amidst throngs of people. We ended the year sequestered in our home watching the same celebration on TV. 2020 will forever be etched in the memories of all of us. It was a year that reminded us to stop and re-evaluate our priorities. It was a year to focus on family, health, and self-reflection. It made us all stop rushing through life and slow down.

Even before the pandemic, 2020 was already a difficult year. After a year of ER and ICU visits and 24-7 care, my father passed away from an incurable disease just a week before COVID-19 changed all of our lives. My weekly visits to Baltimore to help care for him ended and left me with a lot of time to reflect. Grief didn’t manifest itself in the usual outward ways. For me, it manifested internally. I started feeling general malaise, then severe muscle and joint pains, extreme fatigue, headaches, unrestful sleep, blurry vision, nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, ringing ears, and bloating. Clothes that I’ve worn for years didn’t fit anymore and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever feel pain-free. On top of all this, tele-visits and in-person visits with my doctors led to a series of additional tests and scans for colon, ovarian, and breast cancers. None of the masses were malignant, but it was a wake-up call to “wake-up” and stop sleep-walking through each day.

After being out of the gym for so long and still experiencing health issues, I eased back to Life Time with daily yoga classes for a month – mainly Surrender, but with occasional Root classes. It was great to see familiar faces and instructors who remembered me and took time out to ask how I’ve been doing. It was also reassuring to see how Life Time was ensuring our safety through the newly implement COVID-19 measures. When the You for You 60day Challenge was announced, I didn’t initially intend to join, but as I kept hearing about it through signage, emails, and my husband. I thought it would be a good way to drop some of the weight I’ve gained and start re-building my life from the inside out.

I especially liked the online format which didn’t require me to interact with anyone or be tied to a schedule. The daily tasks and healthy habit challenges made it easy to stay engaged throughout the 60 days. I added our kids to our membership, so I had all the company I needed to stay motivated and on-task. I went to the gym daily, completed the day’s tasks, added in strength-training with barbells and dumbbells (my preferred fitness method), and tracked over 10,000 steps each day. I used the “Lose It!” app as recommended by Life Time to monitor my calories and macros. As it was my first time tracking my food intake, it was interesting to evaluate my usual meal choices and adjust as needed. I also used Life Time supplements including, Vegan Protein, Life Greens, L-Glutamine, Digestive Enzymes, and Women’s Multi-Vitamins.

During this 60day challenge, I lost over 13 pounds and 6.6% body fat. I reached my targeted weight and body fat goals that I set at the beginning of the challenge. I set stretch goals and didn’t expect to actually reach them. My numbers are still not comparable to my earlier 60day Challenges, but these ones are the ones that are the most meaningful as they’ve helped me regain a renewed sense of purpose and outlook on life.

The You for You 60day Challenge may be over, but I’ll continue setting new targets and strive towards reaching them with the life and health skills that I’ve learned. I’ll augment my usual strength-training with exercises from the Total Body Workout, add intermittent speed changes in my cardio training, intersperse Surrender and Flow classes, and continue exceeding 10,000 steps each day. Many of my health issues have improved and/or become more manageable. I still have follow-up scans, but I feel hopeful that I can continue re-building my health with the help of Life Time. AND it feels great to be able to fit into my clothes again!

Yesterday might stink and today might stink as well, but tomorrow is just around the corner and holds the promise of a better day. Hope reigns. I can do it! Welcome 2021! Bring it on!