I never really considered myself unhealthy until I was face to face with the reality of being put on blood pressure medicine for the rest of my life. Up until this point, I thought I lived a pretty healthy lifestyle. Sure, I overindulged in junk food and potato chips were my Achilles heel, but it never seemed to impact my life or the scale until February of 2021 when I went skiing with my family. Long story short, I fell and tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder and later, my left shoulder. You don’t really realize how much you use your shoulders until you try to shower, brush your teeth, dress yourself, or walk; you get the picture.

After weeks of physical therapy, I was scheduled for surgery, which almost didn’t happen because my blood pressure was too high. I was shocked because my blood pressure had been normal all my life. I was given medicine to take a few days before surgery to ensure it would be low enough.

It took me over a year to recover, and during that time, I packed on the weight as I dealt with depression and inactivity. I was a yoga instructor who loved to hike and I could barely move without pain because my body was not used to the extra weight. At this time, I thought about my older sister, who was in remission from breast cancer, and my older brother and dad, who both passed away from heart disease, and I knew I had to make a change.

Peggy, the Studio Manager at Lifetime approached me about the 60day Challenge and I was actually excited about it. I am competitive by nature, so I thought it would be fun to see if I could truly make a change. Although I was excited, in the back of my mind, I could not shake the doubts of actually following through on my own. It turns out that I didn’t have to do it alone. I had a whole team behind me cheering me on, supporting me, guiding me, challenging me, and helping me see that this isn’t just about changing for 60 days. This challenge truly changed my life.

The Sweat Sessions were the best! I never really worked out with other people like that before. It was nice to be surrounded by a group of people with a common goal. We all wanted to be a healthier person on the other side of this challenge. On days when I did not feel like working out, I thought about my teammates and it pushed me to move past my comfort zone and get going. After a while, working out every day became second nature to me. It was now a part of my daily life.

The first morning I got up and did not feel pain I thought I had died. I really thought I had crossed over because it had been so long since I didn’t feel pain first thing in the morning. Being able to just hop out of bed and start your day is truly underrated. Sure, I looked better, but I was now addicted to the feeling of well-being that was created in part by the 60day Meal Plan and the Life Time Training App that kept me on track. The meal plan helped me say goodbye to junk food and hello to whole foods. The Life Time Training App helped me become less intimidated by the workout machines and weights. I loved the variety of workouts and the fact that I could substitute out exercises because of my shoulder issues. It really took away all my excuses and that is exactly what I needed.

This challenge may be over, but my journey is just beginning. I have no desire to go back to the bad habits that got me to a place where I was facing being medicated for the rest of my life. I do not want a life of self-inflicted chronic pain. I am 45 years old and back to hiking the many trails and parks in Ohio with a smile on my face. Now, I bring the whole family to work out with me at Life Time and I can honestly say that I am passing down healthy habits to the next generation in my family so they can inherit wellness; at least, that is my hope and my why.