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I was a walking disaster waiting to happen. I was doing all the wrong things. With a family history of stroke, the only thing I was doing to help myself was taking Blood pressure pills. I was not exercising, not watching what or how much I ate. And I know better. I had to be careful at work not to hurt my back and I couldn’t lift my grandchildren. I knew I needed to change, but lacked the incentive to start. Andy gave me that incentive. I was watching a poster being printed for him at Staples-the 6 week Challenge of before and after pictures for that group and remarking that it looked like something I should doing. I didn’t realize that Andy was standing at the counter and I heard his voice saying ‘You should do it’. Yes, yes, I should do it. It had the incentive that I know I needed…the carrot of getting my money back if I was successful (I hate losing money) and it offered the support and commitment that I knew I needed to pull it off. What was I waiting for??? Nothing….there was no reason not to join in. So I did.
I’m not going to say it was easy. I haven’t been in a gym since high school….I couldn’t do anything. Dear Christina….she had to coach me through each exercise way more than the others. Those first squats, planks, pull-ins, chest presses, etc. were abysmal. I could hardly lift the 10 lb weights. At the end, we were using 20 and 25lb weights…I’m impressed with myself. And Jennifer had her hands full in her MuscleMix and Spin classes whenever I would join. Again, I was way behind everyone else’s ability but I felt it was making a difference in me. She was very patient and I’m sure the class loved the comic relief…I can’t believe they all can balance on those giant balls! Slowly, well it seemed slowly, my pants got less tight, my stomach area smaller, my legs slimmer and the fat started to come off. Each week the exercises grew more challenging (who thinks up this stuff….really…put your feet on a ball, a weight on your stomach, now lift your bum). There were words we grew to hate…rainbows, burpees, frog jumps…but we were all in it together and together we got through it. Thank you to my lovely compatriots, Julie, Jodi, Michelle and the ever bubbly Sarah. If you could do it, I could try too. And it wasn’t all exercise….there is the meal plan of plain eating. It is something everyone should do every once in awhile. Stop the bad stuff, sugar, flour, fats and let our bodies work at processing food, not gumming it up with crap. That wasn’t easy, trying to stick to the schedule in my life had it’s challenges. I spent hours portioning foods, counting carrots and almonds, but I think it has all paid off.
My weigh in is tonight and I hope I made it. Not so much for the money but to say ‘I did it! I pursued a goal and made it.’ I AM stronger now, I AM carrying less fat, my body IS working better, I CAN lift my grandkids, I DON’T have a back that hurts, my Blood Pressure IS down and I AM HAPPY about all that. As a bonus, I made some new friends along the way. And I want and need to continue this journey. I am setting a new goal: to get down another 15 lbs. by September. Thanks to this program and the team at BodyFit, I am well on my way.