Reclaiming my life one step at a time with Life Time and the 6day. In March I was in the hospital with a full cardiac workup, which thankfully turned out to be fine, however during this assessment my doctor told me that I should seriously consider a life style change given my family history. I was at my home when it hit me. I was looking in my bathroom mirror and although I had done this before, this time was different. I was tired of seeing what I looked like and have never felt so disappointed about myself in all my years. I was determined to stop feeling sorry for myself and really make a change. My story is not one of overnight success. I didn’t take a magic pill. My results were not from a fad diet or a product from an infomercial. My journey has been going very well thus far, some errors, and a collection of milestones along the way, eventually leading to more than I ever expected to gain.

I lost my father and my mother in their 70’s due to heart attacks. Although their life style was a contributing factor and poor diet, their medical history is genetic, so my choices need to be better than what they made. I did my research and found that Life Time would best suit my needs and provide me with the tools to assist me with my goals. My husband and I both joined Life Time and plan to continue this journey together, he is my support system and my cheering squad. I don’t want to fail him and more importantly I don’t want to fail myself.

I have struggled with being overweight for the last 20 years, this is not only causing potential medical issues, but this addiction to food is unhealthy and causing self-esteem problems with my day to day life. For many years of trying to lose weight, I tried a lot of different weight loss diets, programs, and even some gimmicks. I ate a lot of unhealthy food, rarely exercised and this was contributing to the weight gain. I really struck me when I realized that I was heavier now than what I was when I was pregnant for my children.

I joined Life Time at the beginning of May and shortly thereafter the 60day was announced. I was very nervous about participating in this as I had just joined Life Time. My trainer convinced me to do this for something fun to incorporate into my routine and it would give me some valuable insight into food and fitness. I also signed up to have the RMA & AMA completed to give me the best possible kick start to my weight loss and understanding how my body reacted to exercise. I was very impressed to learn how my body functioned during exercise and what my ideal ranges are for optimal body fat loss. I was horrified to learn that my body fat was at 45.9%, this is setting myself up for major health issues. My goals for the 60day were to reduce the body fat, increase muscle mass and overall weight loss. Each week as I weighed in with my trainer, my results were very pleasing. I still have a long journey ahead of me, but the little milestones are the most satisfying to me. I was working out 4-6 days a week for at least 45-90 minutes with a variety of cardio and weight training. My nutritionist has helped me understand nutrition, which was the second key to my success. He taught me how to still eat foods I love without sabotaging my goals and how I could finally get off the fad diet wagon.

I was seeing the results each day, visually and mentally. I feel stronger, happier and have a lot more energy than I have had in a long time. My clothes fit better “3 sizes” better and my confidence is getting stronger. I have enjoyed my trainers at Life Time and the support they have given me through the beginning stages of my journey, they always provide great feedback and offer encouragement. For so long I tried to lose weight thinking I could do it on my own, only to fall back into unhealthy thinking and destructive behaviors. Old habits would sneak back in when I had an emotional day and derail me from any progress I had made. I also tried working out countless hours only to see the scale not budging. By changing the way I thought about myself, I experienced a genuine transformation of soul, mind, and body.

I am making the choice to be a better person, work out more and eat healthier food options. I was a very athletic person in my younger years this is a part of me that I miss desperately.  I am dedicated to continuing my path that I have set before me. My exercise is very rewarding, and my excitement to go to Life Time every day after work gives me a feeling of self-worth and pride that I can do this if I just put my mind to it.