Jennifer

Gainesville, VA

Jennifer W.

Jennifer’s Story

Maintaining a healthy weight had become an increasingly hard task for me as a woman over the age of 50.  I thought I was doing “good enough” working out on my own to DVD’s in my basement and running on my own. I used to joke to my friends saying “I Run in a Wolf Pack of One” until my friend and instructor at Life Time, Daniele M, convinced me to take a tour of Life Time. I finally scheduled a tour where I was hooked and instantly increased my “Wolf Pack of One” to a “Wolf Pack of Many”!

As a database analyst who sits 9 hours a day, I knew I needed something more. As soon as I joined I was introduced to the 60day.  I realized it was going to be a great tool with a support system and the education I needed to start my new Life Time journey. The 60day team encouraged, motivated, made the entire 60 days fun and that it’s okay to ask for help with my goals during the program and after.  The Life Time team and other gym members, now part of my “Wolf Pack of Many”, provided motivation that ensured consistency and enjoyment while working on reaching my individual goals.

Starting the 60day my goals were to reduce my body fat while building muscle, which I was not achieving on my own.  I signed up with trainer Alyson M. We had our first session and we were able to start a plan that would get me there and keep me there even after the program was over. A valuable tool to reach my goals was the AMA (Active Metabolic Assessment) session and a Scosch heart rate monitor. One of the best decisions I ever made. The AMA determined MY personalized heart rate zones for burning fats and carbs.  I was able to use that combined with my workouts to reach my personal goals. I used to think that I knew enough about heart rate zones and I used a general monitor.  Boy was I wrong! The general cookie cutter calculations didn’t get me to where I wanted to be before the 60Day Challenge. Seriously, ask a trainer about signing up for the AMA and get the Scosch. You will get results!

One of the best parts of the 60Day challenge were the Saturday morning sessions. The trainers were excited to answer any questions we all had and introduced us to new types of workouts.  The weekly Saturday sessions where not just working out effectively there were also classes on nutrition, doing cardio correctly and proper recovery.  We got to try new types of classes like the GTX and Alpha classes. I was a little intimidated when I first signed up for the Alpha and the GTX classes. Some of us ladies used to call it working out in “big boys” section of the gym.  I signed up for the GTX/Alpha classes and found out the class participants were both male and female at all levels. As a beginner I was shown modifications until I got stronger and better and now I wouldn’t miss Stan M’s GTX Cut, Scott O’s Spartan and John M’s Alpha Strong for anything!  We no longer call it the “big boy” section now as Team “Lady Spartan” rules!

Another valuable session I attended during the 60day was the nutrition session. At my age eating properly is half the battle for losing and maintaining a healthy weight.  The Life Time staff nutritionists covered how important proper nutrition was for working out efficiently and to maintain a healthy weight. I scheduled a one on one nutrition session with Shelby and really got a better perspective on what I needed to do to consume the right balance of carbs, proteins and fats now that I was more active in cardio, studio classes and lifting weights. After that session I knew I wasn’t eating enough protein to keep up with my goal of building muscle so I purchased the Life Time Isolate and collagen proteins. Now every morning I make my coffee with the chocolate proteins to make a mocha coffee. The 60day Challenge weekly meal plan included 8 weeks of delicious recipes that the whole family loved. Who doesn’t like bacon wrapped chicken? It was one of my family’s favorite recipes! I also got my kids to eat spaghetti squash by making the Pizza Spaghetti Squash Bake recipe. Getting my family to eat and enjoy healthy foods is a definite win!

Now that the 60day is ending my “after” is just beginning. I realize keeping a healthy weight requires a supportive community to be successful and remain successful, no more “Wolf Pack of One”! My after goals are to enter a Spartan race and to participate in the Life Time ½ marathon in Miami. But my after isn’t just for myself. My after includes increasing my Life Time Wolf Pack by 1 more. My real source of inspiration is my adult son. My son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 10 and it has been a challenge for my son to maintain a healthy lifestyle. He has seen my progress and has become interested in joining Life Time to help manage his condition. I aim to continue to be a role model to motivate him.