Have you ever done anything for 60 days straight? No, I don’t mean monotonous things like flossing your teeth. I mean hard things like cutting caffeine cold turkey (who in their right mind?). For 60 days, I committed to prioritizing myself, pushing the limits of my body and more importantly, my mind. I discovered my true potential with the incredible support of my Life Time Alpha family and the Fall Flex team.

When I set out on my 60day journey I was coming off a year of big changes: moving home to Minnesota after a stint in Canada, breaking off a long-term relationship, surviving a global pandemic and living on my own for the first time in 30 years. My world flipped upside down. To cope, I ate. I made excuses. My mantra was, “My diet starts tomorrow.” I settled into my body discomfort and dreamed of days I would miraculously change my habits.

So when my trainer Brian McKinney asked our Alpha Conditioning class, “does anyone want to sign up for the 60day Challenge?” I jumped at the idea of accountability and a reason to get my act together. I started with three goals: 1) reset my diet by focusing on simple, nutritious meals; 2) lose fat and weight (10 pounds was my target) and build muscle; and 3) learn more about and introduce supplements. I found my goals started to build off one another as I knocked them out.

I started with my eating. I read every word of the Fall Flex recipe book and prepped enough meals to get me through the first week. I tracked every morsel of food, drank 108 ounces of water daily, ate veggies at every meal and made protein king. I found a smoothie recipe I loved so much that I told anyone who would listen about it (PSA: cinnamon roll shake, recipe book p. 6). I looked forward to Coach Anika’s Tuesday tips about creative ways to incorporate more protein. And guess what happened? I lost nine pounds in the first week; four pounds in the second week; two pounds in the third week. In total I lost 17 pounds. Changing your eating works. Enter my second goal.

I could feel my body getting stronger and leaner. During Alpha class I wasn’t dead last every time and the 5-lap warmup (which I usually dreaded) felt easier. My body was becoming more capable of intense movement, so I started incorporating more. I did 12-3-30 (12 incline, 3 MPH, 30 min) after 6AM class. I no longer made excuses. The running joke with my dad is he would call me after work and ask what I was doing. Before 60day, my answer was, “watching TV.” But I realized if I was going to watch TV on the couch, I could do the same on a treadmill. Now when my dad asks, I tell him, “On my walk (and still watching TV!).” When I’d see Coach Brian and Coach Justin at the club after work, their words of encouragement pushed me forward. I even expanded the use of my Life Time club by going in the sauna and steam room during my D.TOX weeks. Enter my final goal.

It took until week five to feel adjusted enough to start a consistent supplement regimen and I noticed major changes. Since I was moving my body so much, my appetite increased significantly, and vitamins helped fill in the cracks. I was eating more and still dropping weight while finding new ways to incorporate protein. Magnesium and fish oil helped me recover quicker after tough workouts.

My story has been far from perfect. There were days I wanted to give up because I was exhausted and sick of tracking and weighing every bit of food. There were occasions where I ate out and had way too many Crumbl cookies (IYKYK). What I’ve realized though is those occasions didn’t stunt my progress. It tested my mental toughness, but instead of spiraling into a binge (I’ve already ruined the day), I looked at the data and realized being social, eating out, enjoying chips and a glass of wine (or two) doesn’t mean failure. For someone who has a complicated relationship with food, that lesson has been invaluable.

I have accomplished so much in these 60 days, some of which I cannot imagine leaving behind. What will stay: 10K+ steps daily, 100+ ounces of water and weekly meal prep. These habits are maintainable and have kept me feeling my best. What will go: tracking my food. Tracking was eye opening and put into perspective real serving sizes and calories, which was crucial to my initial success. However, I don’t want it to control me.

My confidence is back, my motivation is just getting started and I can’t wait to see what I accomplish in the NEXT 60 days.