When I decided to participate in this 60 Day challenge, I was unsure at first. I had done it before and failed, in fact I did not even go to my last weigh in because I was embarrassed about what it would say. I have worked at Life Time for almost three years. On top of working at Life Time, I am a full time teacher with a husband and three kids. Every time I would walk into Life Time for work and see those gigantic signs saying that it was time to sign up for the 60 Day I thought to myself, “Maybe this time could be different, and maybe I could finish and succeed.” I would push that thought to the back in my mind and instead hear a voice in my head telling me I cannot do it. After all, I didn’t have time for that. I had two jobs, a husband, and kids in sports that took up all my time. The excuses could go on forever. On top of that, did I really want to step on the scale that I had avoided for so long?  Plus. I was terrified to send in before and after pictures. I didn’t even like pictures of me fully clothed at just the right angle. I was embarrassed about how much weight I had gained over the years.  Even with these fears I went up to the trainer’s desk and told them that I would like to sign up. Jorydnn, my trainer, smiled at me and just looked so excited for me, it was hard not to be excited. When she sat down with me she asked what my “why” was for doing the challenge. I had to really think about “why”? After serval days of staring at the packet that asked me to write down my “why” I only wrote two words. “I’m Enough.” These two words might sound generic to some people, but to me, I had forgotten that I am enough and worth it to live a healthy happy life.

I knew it was going to take one hundred percent commitment on my part, plus some outside help. My goal wasn’t to lose an unfeasible amount of weight in sixty days. I set a goal I thought was achievable to me. I decided I just wanted to make going to the gym four days a week part of my lifestyle, and to try to lose some fat in the process. But how would I achieve this when I was so busy? I knew that I wanted to lose fat so I needed both cardio and weight training.

First, I found my friend, Halie, who also worked at Life Time and had a second job so that our schedules matched. We started taking the first early morning class a few days a week. I found out that if someone is depending on me to show up, it was easier to get there. Especially when it is five in the morning and you didn’t get to bed until midnight or one in the morning. I loved that she would text me at four-thirty in the morning asking if I am up. At first I wanted to write something like, I didn’t get to bed until late so I won’t be able to go. However, I knew that was not an excuse if I wanted to achieve my goal this time.

I was also so thankful for my husband and his workout buddies who invited me and helped me with the weight training side of things. They had been working out in the late evening for a while and was always inviting me to come join them, but because I felt like they were too advanced for me, I didn’t feel comfortable. In the end I realized that it didn’t matter your fitness level, you can make any exercise fit your level. When I went to the gym with friends, it was fun, instead of something I just had to do. I looked forward to going to workout with my friends and my husband.

Since I had taken a couple of nutrition classes at Life Time a couple of times before, I knew that nutrition is the most important thing. I became a meal prepping machine. I found healthy recipes that fit within my allergies and dedicated Sundays to make everything I needed for the week. I found throughout this journey, being prepared is very important. If I had healthy choices, meals and snacks already planned, it was easy to not stop in the drive thru and make bad choices about food. I also found out through meal prepping that I am less stressed about what to eat. This mad me very happy because less stress for me is a great thing.

So at the end of this challenge I learned if you aren’t doing it because you are scared to fail, or you don’t think you are worth it or you don’t have enough time, you are the only one stopping yourself from achieving great things. Take a minute and really think about it. After all these years, I got tired of being sick and tired and decided to change my lifestyle and make it a heathy one. Therefore, this 60 day challenge wasn’t about losing weight so people saw me differently. This was about realizing that I am enough and worth becoming my best self. With the support of my Life Time family, my family, and great friends, I found I am enough and I am worth it! I was able to find myself through this journey of hard work. I’ve learned the most important thing that I wish that I would have learned a long time ago, I learned that I deserve to be happy and healthy!  I have never been happier. I know just because the 60 day is over that my journey doesn’t stop here. I still want