Wendy
XSport Get Fit Challenge 2011 Participant" I finally got sick of trying to hide my body, I decided to make a change. "
There's a secret no one ever tells you about gaining weight – you often don't realize how much you've gained until it's too late. At first you go up a size or two in your jeans, but you brush it off thinking, "once I work out for a few weeks I'll get back down to my normal size." When the weight still doesn't come off, other changes start to develop. You avoid wearing jeans altogether (too tight). You start standing behind friends in photos so that when they're plastered on Facebook, no one (hopefully) will notice your weight gain. Before long, you're shopping in the criminally unfashionable plus-sized portion of the department stores and avoiding going out with friends altogether so no one has to see how large you've become. At least that's what happened to me.
I struggled on-and-off with my weight for the past few years, but most of my weight gain started once I began teaching. Staying up late to grade tests and quizzes, I'd eat anything and everything out of the cupboard just to stay awake. By the end of the school year, I could only shop online or in the plus-sized section of stores. After switching from teaching to freelance makeup artistry, I felt even more self-conscious, like I didn't belong in the beauty industry I had worked so hard to become a part of. When I finally got sick of trying to hide my body from the world, I decided to make a change and joined XSport, where I was partnered with Stephanie Hardwidge as my trainer.
As soon as I joined XSport and started working with Stephanie, I knew it was a perfect fit. I've joined other gyms in the past, but the atmosphere was usually not very friendly or inviting – you simply felt like any one of their hundreds of members. XSport has the feeling of a friendly, neighborhood gym. People recognize you and they encourage you, and in turn, you find yourself wanting to make that trip multiple times a week. From the moment I had my evaluation with Stephanie, I knew she was invested in my weight loss goals. At other gyms, I would notice trainers texting on their phone or staring at the clock while they were with a client. When I worked with Stephanie, I knew that she was concentrating on my workout 100% for the full hour. Her dedication even stretched beyond the gym. She would email me various eating plans so that we could figure out what worked best with my metabolism. Pretty soon, I started making noticeable progress. Unfortunately my momentum slowed last year when my husband got sick and needed a kidney transplant. Yet, even while everything was happening with my husband's health, I knew that Stephanie was ready and willing to help me as soon as I could re-focus on my goals.
The 2011 Get Fit Challenge came at the perfect time. My husband was one year post-transplant (thanks to his brother-in-law) and had a clean bill of health. We were starting to think about having kids, and I knew I wanted to be as healthy as possible when we did. When Stephanie suggested I sign up, I told myself that now was the time to finally meet my fitness goals. We re-worked my eating plan, and I started using XSport Chocolate Protein Powder, XSport Glutamine, and the XSport Multi-Vitamins. The protein powder was a great way to curb hunger pains in the afternoon. If I felt myself getting that edgy, hungry feeling I'd just mix a scoop of protein powder with some milk and I would immediately feel better. On days I had an intense workout with Stephanie, I'd mix some of the glutamine with the powder to help my muscles recover so I wouldn't feel as sore the next day. I've had friends who have lost weight too fast and suffered from vitamin deficiencies, so I made sure to take the multi-vitamins to balance out my nutrition plan.
Strength training was another important weight-loss component. The toning and strength exercises Stephanie had me do literally re-shaped my body as the weight came off, so I didn't encounter any of the "flabbiness" that can sometimes happen if you just lose weight but don't build muscle. With Stephanie's fitness and dietary guidelines, I've been able to make the permanent lifestyle changes that will keep me healthy and fit long-term. The best part is that after seeing how committed Stephanie has been to me as my trainer, my husband has started working with her as well. He's in the best shape of his life and our time at the gym has become something new for us to do together. As for me, I'm looking forward to putting on jeans again!
Wendy
Lakeview Gym
