Like many others throughout the world, the pandemic brought unexpected changes to my lifestyle and I soon found myself overweight and unhappy. In addition to the social isolation, I lost two family members to Covid (prior to vaccinations) and found myself unexpectedly switching careers. As my life spiraled, I lost track of my fitness and wellness routine and gained over 20 pounds. I felt sluggish, depressed, and unhealthy. I joined Life Time, with help of the general manager, Steve Getz, and immediately signed up for training sessions. I was making progress and getting stronger but was struggling with inflammation and challenges related to my diet that kept me from the results I really wanted.

When a Life Time trainer, Leah L, introduced me to the 60day Challenge I was thrilled; the program provided a framework to track my goals, shed unwanted weight, and dive into full body health! I leaned heavily into the 60day programming, logging my nutrition, tracking my step and fitness targets, and using the accountability tools in the Life Time Training app. I trained twice a week with Life Time trainers Colleen, Mary, and Leah, who helped me avoid injury and build my strength. Because I had been training already for several months before the program, I knew I needed to incorporate healthy eating, so I attended the Lifetime D.TOX seminar “Detox the Healthy Way” and ordered the Coach Anika D.TOX program. I brought my fiancé, and both of my parents into Lif Time for the lecture, and we all decided to make the lifestyle change together.

Kicking off the 60day Challenge, I immediately began to lose pounds and inches, averaging around 3 pounds a week, leveraging the Life Time InBody scale to make sure I was maintaining muscle, losing body fat, and eating enough calories. Not only was I losing weight and building muscle, I was feeling so much better. My mood improved, my depression lifted, and I found myself motivating those around me. The results were contagious, by February, my dad was able to reduce his blood pressure medication, my fiancé lost 10 pounds and lowered his high cholesterol, and my mom’s joint pain improved. The most profound impact the program had on me was three weeks ago when my grandmother was visiting me from Minnesota and suffered a heart attack. After a week of hospitalization, she was released to my care for the coming weeks, until she was cleared to fly. Having a house full of healthy, low sodium, whole foods as the Coach Anika program requires, allowed me to seamlessly incorporate my grandmother’s requirements into my existing health routine. She’s now back home, getting stronger each day. This Lifetime program not only changed the trajectory of my life, but has had a huge impact on the lives of those around me.

In addition to infusing what I learned at Life Time into my own community, I’ve also leaned heavily into the community at Life Time, taking dance and fitness classes, Saturday Sweat Sessions, weeknight Alpha classes, and Yoga on Sundays. Using the sauna, pool, and participating in some of the online forums and support related to the D.TOX programs have allowed me to feel connected to like-minded, motivated peers during a particularly disconnected time in our world.

Even though I’ve dropped over 25 pounds, greatly reduced the inflammation in my body, gotten more flexible, more energetic, and built stronger muscles, my journey doesn’t stop here. I am fully committed to continuing to train with Life Time trainers, attending the workshops and sessions, and investing in maintaining my progress toward a stronger, healthier self. Now that health and fitness have taken a stronger hold of my life, and the lives of my family, I know that I can continue working toward greater and sustained health outcomes!