If I were to say, “The 60day Challenge changed my life,” that would be an understatement. It didn’t just change my life; it saved my life. There was something very special about this challenge. The help from the trainers and the support from fellow contestants was out of this world. We have grown so close we actually call ourselves “Gym Fam” and we’ve even made T-shirts; it’s that serious! Our communication isn’t limited to the inside of Life Time, but it extends outside as well.

When I started this challenge, I was at my heaviest weight ever. I was so out of shape I would huff and puff walking up one flight of stairs. I’ve studied nutrition and I’ve had a deep understanding about processed foods versus whole foods for decades, but my issue was applying my knowledge and living a healthy lifestyle.

The 60day Challenge saved my life because it miraculously cured me of my eating disorder that I’ve struggled with for 25 years. Yes, you read that right, 25 YEARS. It would take me forever to explain my whole situation, but I will say I’ve been through it all while trying to beat this excruciating starving/binging cycle, even rehabilitation. Nothing ever worked. If anything, I’d come out in worse shape each time.

With this challenge, I completely cleared out my mind and began from scratch. I signed up for a multitude of group exercise classes. I started out using light weights with my workouts and I gradually upped my weights each week. Week by week I felt my strength and stamina increase. I was bursting with energy in a way I’ve never felt before. I practically lived at Life Time throughout this challenge. I was there so often and I loved every minute of it. I paired my intense workouts with incredibly balanced nutrition and what an astronomical difference it made on my life.

The healthy way of eating came naturally to me during this challenge. The more time I spent in the gym, the more of a healthy correlation I made with my food choices. Maybe it was the endorphins from the workouts or maybe it was from the positive atmosphere of the gym or maybe even simply having goals. The goals I had were in fact simple: Get to Life Time every day and allow no added sugars in my diet. I achieved those goals while adding on new ones that pertained to water intake, hours of sleep, limited time with technology. Any time I had to make a decision, I would first think about how it would affect my journey in this challenge. There were a few times I can remember when I felt like giving up, but I pushed through and had zero regrets from those powerful decisions. I constantly reminded myself that it’s all mental because it sure was. Each time I went to Life Time when I didn’t quite feel like it, my self-empowerment would sky rocket to new levels.

I honestly cannot recall a time where I’ve been this happy and this proud of myself. The blood, sweat, tears, and body aches I’ve put in has gotten me to the point where I’ve lost about 40 pounds, over 10 inches around my waist, and almost 8 percent body fat. I feel fantastic and I owe it all to Life Time Fitness. Signing up for The 60day Challenge was the best decision I’ve ever made! The challenge may be coming to an end, but my health and fitness journey has just begun. This was a phenomenal experience and I couldn’t imagine a better way to start out my new healthy lifestyle. I’ll continue to live at Life Time, my second home, and reach new goals I’ve set out to accomplish. This is only the beginning!