Although I’ve had different gym memberships for the past 10 years, I could rarely muster the willpower to go. I always had an excuse – no energy, work was busy, my kids needed me, or I just wasn’t feeling it. I hung onto my unused memberships though because they represented hope that my future-self would eventually find the motivation to get back into my fitness groove.

When I moved to a new city this past summer, I stumbled upon Life Time, and instantly fell in love with the facilities, the Kids Academy, the LifeSpa and LifeCafe. Brimming with optimism, I signed up for a family membership. In order for my lofty gym goals to stick, I knew that fitness needed to become a lifestyle not only for myself, but for my entire family. My 2 and 5-year-old quickly started participating in classes at the Life Time Kids Academy such as Arts & Crafts, Obstacle Courses, and even swimming lessons.

As for myself, getting to the gym on the weekends was no problem. During the week, on the other hand, is when I got caught up with other things or talked myself out of going. To combat any new excuses I might come up with, I signed up for 8 personal training sessions with my coach, Kim, and intentionally scheduled my appointments for Wednesday mornings. I knew that having the accountability of a scheduled training session would keep me motivated to go to the gym mid-week.

When I first met with Kim, I asked her to introduce me to all the equipment throughout the gym. I wanted to think outside the treadmill and not be intimidated by any of the fancy gym equipment. Kim really boosted my confidence and made me feel comfortable to use all the machines and work out in any part of the gym.

When I didn’t train with Kim, I usually attended the group classes. I always switched it up, but my favorite classes were Gluteus MAXout and UPPER Rx. The energy of an entire group working out together kept me motivated and accountable.

Two months in, I felt confident knowing my body could do things it couldn’t do a few months back. But even though I dutifully went to the gym, my weight was exactly where I started. Since eating healthy is half of the equation, I knew it was time to turn it up a notch. I joined the “Life Time 14 Day D.TOX”, a program that combines healthy lifestyle recommendations with a clean diet and supplements to cleanse the body. Intent on keeping my fitness commitment strong, this is when I signed up for the 60day too.

The D.TOX program set me up for success by giving me a clean slate to revamp my diet. By the time the 60day had even begun, I had already ditched my addiction to highly processed foods, dairy and sugary snacks in favor of clean eating. My intense afternoon cravings were gone, and junk food was hardly tempting anymore. I maintained certain healthy habits I learned from the D.TOX program, including drinking a daily shake, throughout the entire 60day. My favorite go-to shake for breakfast was the Vegan Protein Plus All-in-One Shake that I would drink on my way to work during busy mornings. Overall, my healthy nutrition kept my energy up, my momentum going, and the pounds started to fall off. My muscle mass, which I tracked on the body composition scales at the gym, climbed as well.

A few weeks into the 60day, you can only imagine my surprise when I saw a sign announcing my gym’s 60day participants with the highest percentage of body fat lost so far – I was number one on the board! This gave me an extra boost of motivation as I wanted to see myself stay on that board. This journey was just as much mental as it was physical. But I was starting to get used to it, and it was getting easier and easier.

Thirty days in, I was ready for another challenge. I joined the GTX and ALPHA small group training classes, which offered more personal attention from the coaches. My favorite classes were ALPHA Strong, an Olympic lifting program, and GTX Cut, a circuit and strength training program. No matter when I chose to come to the gym, there was almost always a class going on. When there wasn’t, I’d fall back on the workouts that Kim had taught me or I’d go for a swim.

Throughout the 60 days, I fueled my workouts with the Life Time Preworkout Complex. After working out, I supplemented with the Life Time BCAA Recovery and Collagen Peptides for protein.

Even though I lost over 13 pounds during the 60day, it was not a miracle fix. Rather, the program allowed me to accumulate small changes that added up to an entire lifestyle overhaul. Slowly but surely, healthy nutrition and fitness finally become part of my everyday life. Today, my family and I go to Life Time nearly every day. It took me ten years to get back into my groove of going to the gym regularly. But no matter how long you have been stuck, it’s never too late to change.