My Life Time 60day experience was a journey in redemption, reconnecting me with myself, my faith, my community, and my confidence.

I joined Life Time in the midst of a mystery illness that 40+ doctors could not explain. I was tattered and tired, weak, depleted, and emotionally fragile to say the least. For years, I lived with scary symptoms from pain and insomnia, to tremors, panic attacks, muscle wasting, and chronic fatigue. We ultimately traced my health challenges to a blood infection and toxic mold. With the support of functional medicine, lifestyle changes, and my LT fitness fam, I began the process of building back strength, nourishing confidence, and pursuing a full recovery.

Truth be told, being sick left me with a heavy load of trauma. I believed that my body was broken, and incapable of performing like a “normal” one could. The 60day Challenge proved this wrong and shattered these unhealthy thought patterns. Life Time picked up my pieces, put them back together, gave me grace and grit, and helped me to trust that I am once again safe, strong, healthy, and whole.

I will forever sing the praises of the resources and support that Life Time offers through this program.

Acknowledging the cheerleaders who helped me on my way starts to sound like an awards show speech. (I’d like to thank The Academy… the Kids Academy… for making all this possible!)  The list of trainers, teachers, and staff who went above and beyond to show support seems never ending – Scott D, Stan, Rana, Becky, Andrea, Johnathan, the aquatics team, the ops team (you are so appreciated), Kathy (who decorates our club entryway with sunshiny chalk art and inspirational quotes), I have tremendous gratitude for these superheroes and many more at Life Time Gainesville. These people show up, HARD, and helped me achieve my goals of losing 8% body fat and increasing muscle mass. They helped me maximize my workouts, improve my form, dial-in my macros, break out of plateaus, and (most importantly) keep faith in the moments when I felt tired or discouraged.

The very best part was the community and camaraderie. Scott and Stan did an amazing job leading our “60day Squad” of challengers. I built strength and new friendships while taking advantage of special Wednesday Workouts and Sunday Seminars. The Life Time App was a valuable tool for staying organized and on track. Every PR and goal achieved was met with thumbs-ups and high-fives from my squad, and though it may seem like such a small thing, the encouragement really helped me to stay motivated.

In 60 days I saw amazing results

I’m no stranger to Group Fitness but for the first time ever, I found the courage to exercise on the Alpha side of the gym. In January, this was “no man’s land” but now I can Zercher Squat with the best of them. As my strength improved, I made huge gains in performance in my favorite AMP class, and with the encouragement of my Coaches, I stepped out of my comfort zone for new workouts like Ultra Fit, Barbell Strength, and GTX. I even worked in a yoga challenge and loved sweating my way through FLOW, FIRE, and Warrior Sculpt.

Life Time’s meal plans and 60day recipes were the best. What an amazing resource! My meals were as delicious as they were nutritious. As a working mom, I was thankful that the recipes were quick and easy to prepare. The Eggroll Bowl became a new family favorite; my (little) children even enjoyed it with no complaints!

Another one of my goals was eliminating all grains, sugar, and alcohol. Replacing these foods with fresh fruits and veggies felt so energizing and vibrant. My new nutrient-dense diet helped tremendously with decreasing inflammation – so much so that my plantar fasciitis (painful and annoying for nearly a year) disappeared entirely. I went from wondering if I could ever jog again to easily knocking out 4 mile runs and setting a personal record for my fastest 5K.

The Challenge may be over, but I’m just beginning. There’s more work to do and bigger goals to achieve. I’ve signed up to continue with LT personal training, and I can’t wait to see the progress continue.

I enrolled in Life Time’s 60day Challenge hoping to lose the pounds I put on while stress eating my way through the Covid pandemic. I did lose the fluff from all those chocolate chip cookies, but I never expected I’d lose the fear and the doubt I’d been carrying with me since being sick. Because of this program, I put the past down – picked up kettlebells and barbells – and learned more about myself and my strength than I ever thought possible. It’s really quite hard to put into words how much lighter I feel with the weight off my shoulders.

Thanks to Life Time, I’m walking forward with trust, with confidence, and with gratitude for my body and the amazing things it can do. The weight I dropped and the muscle I gained is definitely icing on the cake, but the biggest flex by far is believing that I am capable, healthy, and whole.