What’s my after? A Healthier, Happier, and Stronger ME.

My ‘before’ picture was a real wake-up call. I easily could have mistaken it for one of my maternity photos. But instead of glowing and patting my belly with the pride of a new baby, there was this tired person who just needed something to change. I knew exactly how I got there (one too many pizza nights and a missed gym week here and there had help grow this food baby). My 60Day goal was simple: get my diet and exercise routine back on track. Before this challenge I was constantly tired, dragging from one day to the next and I thought I knew why. I would tell myself it’s the result of 2 young kids and being over 40. It had to be, right? Nope. Within 2 weeks of starting this challenge I realized how wrong I had been. My lifestyle was my problem.

For this challenge, I started tracking and planning my meals with the help of 60Day recipes. I replaced a carb heavy diet with lean plant proteins and saw my energy do a 180 within the first 2 weeks. I stopped hitting the snooze button every morning and got up for a short run. Not only did these runs give me my own time before jumping into the chaos of the day, but I also found my appetite was curbed and I would approach the day with so much more energy. The challenge started pretty strong for me, but half way through I started to flat line on my results and I was starting to get discouraged that my hard work was not being reflected in my weekly weigh-ins.

Then two pivotal things happened. 1. At the end of a barbell strength class, Brigit the instructor mentioned to see her if you were struggling to shed excess fat. I spoke to her and she introduced me to UCAN and the StrengthStack Kit from Life Time. Within a week of putting these supplements into my fitness routine, I began to see a change again. I felt stronger during my workouts and my weight and bodyfat started going down again. 2. I met with my trainer Derek who encouraged me to try TEAM Cut. TEAM Cut was a game changer. With the small class format, Derek was able to point out when my form was off and to challenge me to have a more effective workout. After these classes I always felt stronger and saw my body changing.

This challenge has truly put me back on track for a healthy lifestyle. Another unexpected positive result was the change we saw in my son. A commitment to the gym meant that I was going to have to bring him to the child center while his sister was in school, something he was not comfortable with. When I first started, he would hang out behind the check in desk, unwilling to explore and play. The staff at the child center was nothing short of amazing with him (especially Stevie). They would gently talk to him to make him feel secure and encourage him to play or color. By the end of the challenge, he would be playing in the back and making friends on his own and would get happy when I would tell him he was going to play at the gym. Stevie and the rest of the staff shared our excitement to see the changes in him as he started to blossom and we are so thankful for that.

Going forward I know there is still work to be done. It didn’t take 60 days for the weight to come on, and it will take longer than 60 days to take it all off. But I have the motivation and a proven plan to keep going. I’ve already signed up for the next TEAM Cut and will continue to focus on a protein heavy diet with the help of the 60Day recipes to continue to achieve my healthy ever after.