So…I have never been a person to “go to the gym”. Sure, in high school I always put in the requested amount of time in the weight room demanded by our coaches, but I never really understood or appreciated it. So, when my husband mentioned joining a gym again, I almost shrugged it off. We had a 21-month-old baby girl, that due to Covid, has/had an extreme case of separation anxiety, let me be honest, so did I. I had trouble leaving her because she’s become such a monumental part of our lives with COVID forcing us to work from home. This change has not been helpful to me ever getting back to “Me”. I was Aspen’s mom, and that’s about it…overweight, according to me mostly, exhausted and lost. Don’t get me wrong, I strive every moment to always be present with her and my husband and to be a good mother and wife, but I had completely forgotten about taking care of myself and putting myself somewhere on the list.

So, my husband suggested Life Time and wanting to go and check it out and see what it was about. We have a friend that is a member, and he loves it and has mentioned the childcare value before, so I was reluctantly hopeful to see what that was about and see if I would even use the club and all it had to offer. Brian walked us through and started explaining things and showing us all the different aspects of the club and I cannot even remember much past the first 10 min. We saw the tennis courts first and then the childcare center. Had I died and gone to heaven? Were we in a different universe? Could I really bear to leave her for more than 15 min? Am I a bad mother because I don’t know if I can? Or am I bad because I desperately needed more than 30 seconds to pee….by myself?

As we walked around and signed up that night I kept thinking about what this meant and what could it do for me. I loved my child, more than the world, but I also thought more about what was going on in my life in general. Things were not great on most platforms of my life.  I had to start making some changes. I wanted to lose some weight and make lifestyle changes that we could keep moving forward. I wanted to look in the mirror and not see a stranger, but maybe a version of myself that I thought was lost or find the new version of myself in this new chapter of life. I wanted to be healthier as I have a laundry list of health issues and I wanted to fix problems and deficiencies within myself. I wanted to prepare my body (I’m 40) for the chance to have another child if we want. I had to stop hiding or sweeping things under the rug and this seemed to be a good place to start. And, if it could give me a couple of moments to myself to really understand and move forward to find that person, we would all be better for it.

So, we signed up, and here was my first time going to a gym, my first time leaving my daughter for more the 30 min (with dad), and my first time ever meeting a personal trainer. To say I was scared and worried would be a vast understatement…I was a complete wreck. We got to the gym and went to hand Aspen off at childcare. I made my husband walk her back because I couldn’t have let her out of my arms. We stepped out and went to the locker room where I cried for a good 5 minutes. Great…blotchy and red-faced I go up to meet my trainer.

Derrion was a ball of energy and his excitement was just the recipe that I needed to get over the anxiety and actually talk with and listen to his take. I cannot thank that man enough for getting me over my fears and anxiety in the first 5 minutes of our conversation and for getting me a program that focused on the areas that I wanted to focus on and improve things that needed to be improved. He really saw me and saw where I wanted to go and set me up to do that. Not just for the 60day but for my future beyond the challenge. His encouragement and good nature (and extreme enthusiasm and energy) have set me on a road to keep improving and making the changes I need to make. The time spent on me in the gym along with the information and plan that Derrion gave me has provided me what I need to be the best I can be and fix the things within myself to make me the person I want to be moving forward. The online resources have been clutch when dealing with the difficult Covid times.

It’s been such a blessing finding all of the wonderful staff at Life Time.  From the people at the front desk to Jaycee and Kennedy (and all the other wonderful kids care staff), to Derrion and the trainers that always have a warm word or smile. Derrion, I’m down over 12 lbs, and 3% body fat, but those numbers do not show the difference in how I feel in my body and how my body is changing, and I know will keep changing. Our lifestyle has changed, for the better. Thank you to my husband for the encouragement and help.

Life Time, you have made us feel right at home and I LOVE going to see you. I’m not a gym person still, but I am definitely a Life Time person, so thank you for being so awesome.