I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was 16 years old, ten years ago. I controlled my blood sugars fine enough but I knew that I could do a better job. Whenever I could stay motivated in the gym and with my diet I would always see a direct improvement with how I felt overall and how my diabetes was managed. I had been with Life Time as a member for the last four years and I had seen improvements here and there, but I hadn’t been moving towards any real goal.

This year as I transitioned into a role as an employee at Life Time and I learned more about everything the club had to offer, I found myself wanting to try everything at the club. I would try this class here and that class there. It still wasn’t enough to start seeing the changes I wanted to see. I was letting other things get in the way.

Once I saw that this 60 Day was happening I knew it was just what I had to do to finally make the change that I needed to make and bring every part of my life into check. So I signed up with a few other team members at my club as a mini support group and we headed off on this adventure together. I didn’t know what to expect, but I did know I would be giving it my all for 60 straight days. No off days, no cheats, just commitment.

I had been working with one of our personal trainers Antonio for a while and he had suggested that I join his team. He told me he knew what I needed to do to begin to shape my life into that I had always wanted it to be. With his help we set out to put together a new, more intense work out plan. A complete overhaul of diet and nutrition plans that was personalized to my goals and health needs.  He was the one that was in my corner, the trainer I needed to whip me into shape. He reminds me of the trainer from one of those old boxing movies. I know this should be all about me and my goals, but knowing how invested Antonio was in my results and my journey made me even more committed. I didn’t want to fail because I knew that he was giving it his all so I had to do the same.

It was tough to start off. I had to change was I was eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. It doesn’t seem like it would be that hard, but it was foods that I wasn’t used to eating. I had to get used to changes in portions, protein, fats and so much more. It was like learning a whole new language. It took some time, but I got used to it. I still won’t get used to eating that much chicken, vegetables and protein shakes…especially for breakfast.

They say that abs start in the kitchen, but that’s not all there is to them. Believe it or not you do still have to workout a couple of times to see a few more than I was used to. Antonio insisted that we meet at 7am, so I went along with it. It’s nice to get in, put in your work and then have your day ahead of you. It’s very empowering and gives you a sense of confidence I didn’t know was possible. It was incredible to see such a change mentally from something so small that I never would have suspected was possible before.

As the 60 Day went on I began to see changes. I had always wanted to be able to learn how to squat and improve my bench press. The number I had always strived for with the bench press was what I liked to call “a plate on each side”, meaning placing two 45lb plates on the barbell, one on each side. It had always seemed like something that was so far off in the distance for me. I had been so far off from that goal I didn’t even want to think about it as a possibility. As I worked and worked trying to push as far as I could each week I saw that number get closer and closer. It became something that I was looking forward to rather than something I was dreading. It was a big day when our game plan included a set of 12 reps with “a plate on each side”. Antonio did everything he could to prepare me for it. I have to admit, I was nervous, but I tackled it head on. I don’t know who was more excited when I put the bar back after completing that set, me or Antonio.

It was a long a winding road. There were high points and low ones. I felt like I was able to keep my head up and was able to push to my limits and get more out of my experience at Life Time than I ever thought I could have. I was shocked to find that my A1C (the metric by which long term diabetes health is measured) had come down from a respectable 7.2 to a stellar 6.1, a number that might actually mean more to me than any I could ever see on a scale. My control as a Type 1 Diabetic has never been better. At times I find that I can almost forget that I have this disease and feel a little bit closer to normal.

Overall this has been one of the most positive journeys that I have ever embarked on in my entire life. It hasn’t been one of the easiest, that’s for sure. It’s something that I know I can be proud of for a long time to come. I know that this complete change of my life style wouldn’t be possible without the whole team here at Life Time and everything this 60 Day has brought with it.