A little midweek motivation for ya. July 2014 vs July 2015. I’ve had two vacations in the past 2 months. So all the momentum I had built up felt like it came to a halt. And it’s been extremely hard to get myself back into a routine. So on Monday I told myself okay, I’m gonna own this week. And honestly I was totally scared. Everything felt extra heavy. And extra challenging. I felt like I lost everything I’ve worked so hard for. But then I decided to compare pictures. A year  ago in DC to this past vacation in DC. So instead of getting down on myself I decided to look at the bigger picture. I have completely changed the past year. And I will continue to change. And life is all about balance. Coming back from vacation is always always always going to be hard. But you just have to find that motivation and get inspired. And I feel great. Studio fitness has been buzzin this week and to see all the hard work people are putting in is so so so inspiring. People have been killin it this week. So thankful for my Studio Fitness family for helping me get my motivation back! Just remember a set back isn’t a bad thing. Pull yourself out of it and keep going!

I started with Studio Fitness about 3 months ago and I have felt better and better every day since. After loosing my Thyroid to Thyroid cancer, I had significant weight gain along with the bad habits of poor diet and lack of exercise. Working with Shane and Natalie is not only getting me into shape, but teaching me how to completely change my lifestyle.

It was apparent to me right away that they were giving me their full dedication to not only reach my fitness goals, but give me lifelong tools that I can use the rest of my life when it comes to my exercise, nutrition and overall health. Their dedication to my health is such a huge factor in the progress I am making. While on a recent vacation in Hawaii they went above and beyond to make the effort to check on me and give me workout ideas to keep up with while away. I really appreciate their knowledge, enthusiasm and passion for what they do for their clients. They keep all of my workouts interesting and challenging and keep pushing me toward success. I look forward to my workouts and enjoy feeling successful as I feel and look better. I am very excited to continue on my path to health and fitness with the Studio Fitness family for a very long time.

Almost two years ago I reached my goal weight, dropping over 30 pounds in about four months.  I am happy to say that I have been able to keep those pounds off.  What have I done to make this a life style?  For me, it has involved several things.

First, it’s about the way I look at myself and the value I put on my health.  I AM worth it!  I deserve an active life full of the opportunities that come with good health. I deserve to be happy when I look in a mirror. This is MY triumph!

Second, it’s about being honest with myself.  I am the one responsible for my weight.  Blaming others or my circumstances for what I do or don’t do is a cop out.  I am the one who makes the decision as to what and how much I eat and exercise.  Nobody else can or should do it for me.  I am in control of my weight.

Third, it’s about how I look at calories.  Weight loss and maintaining it really is like balancing a check book; it all about addition and subtraction.  Deduct calories from your diet, add exercise to your day and that results in weight loss.  The opposite is also true.  In the end I wanted to have less calories “in the bank” in order to lose weight, and once I got to the weight I wanted to be at, it was all about “budgeting” the calories.  At the end of the day, if I’ve used more calories than I ate, then I’m in the black.  This helped me make better choices when it came to the food I chose to eat and how much I chose to exercise. It wasn’t so much about willpower, it was more about balancing my calorie count.

Fourth, I changed my “reward” system.  Instead of rewarding myself with food, like I had done before, I reward myself with little things.  For instance, every time I try on something and it’s a size 6 or less (I used to wear a 12/14), I give myself an “atta girl”.  Every time someone says I look great, I put that in the reward category.  Every time I sit in a seat at a public event and have room left over, that’s a reward. When on vacation, by continuing in my exercise program and eating sensibly, I can enjoy a few “extras” that come when one goes on vacation and reward myself by not feeling defeated.  I reward myself with positivity!  That motivates me to keep making good choices both in the food I chose to eat and the amount of exercise I do.

Lastly, I live by the “five pound” rule.  I weigh myself two to three times a week now, instead of once a week when I was working to reach my goal weight.  If my weight climbs up to five pounds more than my goal weight, I put myself back into my weight loss program.  I keep in mind that losing two to five pounds is a lot easier and quicker to do than losing 10.  I worked too hard to get to my goal weight to let go, and not keeping the weight off that I lost would be like blowing my savings account on incidental and unnecessary items.  What a waste of all my hard work!

Of course, keeping my training up at Studio Fitness is a huge part of all of this.  The atmosphere there feeds my determination to keep at it and not give in to the “take it easy on yourself” mentality that got me to the weight I was when I started this process almost two years ago.  My trainer, Darcy, has always been supportive and honest when it has come to not only my workouts, but also the way I view myself.  She has helped me to keep my balance.

In the end, it hasn’t been so much a life style change. It’s really been a change in my thinking and the way I look at life.  I want to be able to stay in the zone of my goal weight so I can accomplish whatsoever I set my mind and heart on to do and not have my health be the deciding factor as to whether I do it or not.  I am definitely going to reward myself by trying!

When I was born the doctors told my mom something was wrong but they didn’t know what.  Turns out, I was born without the tibia bone, my fibrosis bands were too short and my foot was laying on the side of my leg. The doctors gave my mom the option of leaving me in a wheelchair until I was 16 or at 18 months they could amputate my leg below the knee.  She was told that I would never run, ride a bike or “be like” any other kids but I could get from point A to point B without help and I would have a bad limp. I thank God and my mom for choosing the latter.

I grew up with a determined attitude that I could do anything that anyone else did and fell in love with sports. In junior high, I played volleyball, basketball, track and was a cheerleader. I began lifting weights in junior high and fell in love with it.  I was the smallest thrower in the state for shot put and discus so I had to be the strongest.  In high school I played volleyball and track.

I received a track scholarship and went to EWU and was ranked in the top 10 of the big sky conference.  While writing a college paper on amputee athletes, I found out there were competitions for amputees all over the world.  I was invited to compete in Canada from the president of the amputee athletic association.  I have to admit I thought that wouldn’t be fair since all I ever competed against were “able-bodies”. I decided to participate and it changed my life forever. There were serious athletes around the world that were amputees.  I won 8 gold medals that week and broke 7 world and American records.  I was hooked. After college, I continued to compete in several Paraolympics, world Championships, sports festivals and traveled around the world competing in both track and field and volleyball. 

Once I had my child, I competed for a few more years but at a very early age my son decided he loved sports so it was his turn to shine.  I stopped competing in 1998 and let my son take over the family fun of sports.

Now that my son is in college on a basketball scholarship, I decided it was time for me to get back into shape and start doing things for myself again.

Keane and I work at the same school, so I had heard about Studio Fitness from several people.  It has taken me quite some time to move on from some difficult life situations but with the grace of God, supportive friends and family, life has begun again for me.  Studio Fitness has helped bring back my love of fitness and self confidence that keeps me going every day.  Life is a journey we all must take and our attitude determines which way we go. I love the energy and the people I have met at Studio Fitness.  Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to become a member and find new friends and muscles I thought I’d lost forever.  Positive attitude produces positive results!

Eight months ago, I walked into Studio Fitness. I drove by weekly and was attracted to the Weekend Warriors I saw outside working out together. I knew I was in need of an update to me. I was at one time a collegiate cheerleader, an amazing acrobatic dancer, and physically fit.

I’m down 20 pounds, my body mass index is down, my muscle mass is up and I’m happy to say that I have set personal records I never thought I would.

I am so grateful for Darcy, the trainers, and the camaraderie of trainees all from Studio Fitness. I look forward to my workouts and my “building Joy” time. My body has changes for sure, but it’s the mental benefit for which I most rejoice. I’m back! I’m strong. I’m focused. I’m active. I’m happy. I’m Joy again… and even better than before!

Good work Joe!! All of your hard work is paying off!! We are proud of you. Keep it up!!!!