her goal
gain strength and confidence
her story
At the beginning of the 60 day, Coach Anika challenged us to pinpoint the “Why” behind our 60day goals. I have lots of whys, but the biggest one is because I LOVE my body; scars, stretch marks, imperfections and all. I haven’t always felt that way. For years I dieted because I hated my body. I exercised to punish it for not being perfect. That mindset never got me very far. After I had children things started to change. I realized what a miracle my body was. I was amazed that it could carry and nourish life. I started to see it as a gift and realized it didn’t matter what it looked like, what mattered more were the things it could do! Loving my body makes me want to honor it by giving it the best nutrition and keeping it strong and fit! Working out isn’t a punishment anymore, it’s a privilege!
My goals for this 60day were not about making my body look a certain way but challenging it to see what it could really do! No more trying to shrink and take up less space, this 60day for me was all about letting go of the scale and becoming MORE. More powerful, more strong, more focused, more confident.
At the end of this challenge I feel successful and stronger than ever! I have new PR’s in deadlifts, bench press and squats. I knocked off a bucket list goal by nailing my first unassisted pull-up! I increased my box jump by 4 inches and cut almost 2 minutes off my mile time. All of that didn’t happen overnight or on my own. The 60day gave me tools and support every step of the way. There was constant support online through the Facebook page where other members were always quick to give advice and encouragement. I had support and accountability through my weekly weigh ins, access to awesome recipes through the 60day website, and an incredible 360 mile land and water cardio challenge given by Coach Krisie Melsen that turned me into a rowing/running machine! I also couldn’t have been successful without my Alpha Met Con and Alpha Strong coaches Mark Will, Clark Leaders and David Freeman who were masters at pushing me to my limits and unleashing an untapped potential I never knew I had.
After 2 back to back 60days, loving and caring for my body has changed me. I look and feel like a different person. Many people have asked what my secret is. I tell them it’s my 60day community. Anyone can find a great workout and nutrition plan online, but executing it takes support.
After 2 back to back 60days, loving and caring for my body has changed me. I look and feel like a different person. Many people have asked what my secret is. I tell them it’s my 60day community. Anyone can find a great workout and nutrition plan online, but executing it takes support.
It’s so much easier to reach your goals when you’re surrounded by people who believe in and encourage you. If you can harness the supportive power of others there’s no limit to what you can do! That’s why I go to the club and my Alpha Met Con and Alpha Strong classes. Having the support of others is probably the most important “supplement” to my fitness routine and has truly been the secret to my success. At home I don’t get the surge of energy that comes from working out with my team. I can’t ride the high of their encouragement or recreate the competitive fire that lights up inside me when I see everyone else killing it!
Without support it’s easy to hit a wall or lose motivation. I recently started Alpha Strong classes to supplement my Alpha Met Con routine. I remember one day leaving class feeling defeated because I couldn’t lift even close to as much as some of the other girls in the class. When I got home though there was a message on my phone Coach David. He said, “AWESOME WORK TODAY” all in caps. That 3 word message changed everything for me. He didn’t care what the numbers on my dumbbells were, he saw me giving it my all and was proud of me. His positive feedback filled my cup and gave me the motivation to get back out there and keep grinding.
My Met Con coaches Mark and Clark are the same way. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for their support and encouragement. Every Saturday during the most brutal stretches Mark shouts out, “It’s easy to be average!” That message has stuck in my head and helped me let go of wanting things to be easy and instead helped me embrace the challenge of pushing my body to change and grow stronger.
In my personal training sessions with Clark I was also pushed beyond what I thought was possible for myself, but every time I wanted to quit he would say, “You CAN do this.” When I finished it was always so amazing to see that he was right! I COULD do it! I CAN do it! My coaches have taught me to believe in myself, they’ve taught me how to be strong mentally so I can be strong physically.
When you have coaches who are invested in YOU as a person, and teammates cheering you on, and your 60day community supporting you in the club and online, that’s when magic happens! The same is true that when you LOVE your body and honor it every day, it changes you. I’ve changed from the inside out and so has my perfectly imperfect, amazing, powerful, strong body! I love who I am, I love how I feel, and I’m grateful to Life Time for giving me the tools to be the best ME I can be.
check in along the way