My fitness journey began in October of 2013, I had just given birth to my 3^rd child via c-section and felt like I had been cut in half with zero to no muscles left in my body.  Dramatic?… absolutely.  There are things far more traumatic to go through in life than having a baby but in the world of fitness it did feel like I was climbing from rock bottom.  The short side of my story is that I busted my A, worked incredibly hard, and stayed focused and dropped 60 pounds in 6 months.  The long side of the story is that I have kept that weight off for nearly 6 years. 

Anyone who finds a passion for health and fitness will find it in their own way… I don’t believe there is a wrong way to try to better yourself. “Try” being the key word, because not everything you try is worth sticking with.  Through the ups and downs everyone finds what works for them.   Somewhere along my journey I found a passion for running.  For my first two years working out at Excel Fitness and Performance I was lifting weights, doing high intensity training, functional training and learning the fundamentals of speed and agility so when I began to run, I was GOOD and I was FAST and I had ENDURANCE!  I had never played a sport in my life but being a runner made me an athlete and I loved it.

My husband, who is also my trainer, warned me of some of the down sides to running.

While running I can burn about 100 calories per mile I run.  If I run at a 10 min mile pace I am burning about 600 calories per hour.  While training at Excel I typically burn about 300 calories per session, using body weight and lifting techniques as well as high intensity training I am building lean muscle.  So even though in theory I am burning less calories… building lean muscle causes you to burn a greater number of calories throughout the day because it takes more calories to maintain muscle tissue. My husband’s warning was this… “It’s high IMPACT on your body!  Over time you could suffer serious injury.  You are going to shape your body in a different way.”

Even with that being said it’s still not easy to make a decision on which type of exercise to choose.  So like any good wife… I ignored my husband and became an avid runner!  I went for a run any chance I got!  I ended 2018 having completed 5 half marathons, one full marathon and 500 miles total for the year… yet I was at my worst physically since 2013.  I was suffering from severe pain in my heels making it difficult to walk in anything but slippers, I lost toe nails on both of my feet, and after a long distance run my back and hips would burn for days.

Facebook became the mirror for how I was able to view my progress.  In a memory reminder it showed me a video of myself training at Excel in 2016, my body had shape and muscle… I looked strong and healthy.  New Years Eve of December 2018 a friend took a picture and posted it and I could not believe how I looked… I had literally trained for and ran a half marathon just 36 days before and I looked as if I had put a ton of weight back on.  The kicker:  My weight had not changed AT ALL.  I weighed the same amount but by body and muscle composition had changed completely. 

I did not freak.  I did not ask my dear friend to take the horrible picture down because I truly believe that every body is a good body and I was not going to erase a photo of a wonderful moment in my life because of insecurities.  But I would be a damn liar if I told you I don’t occasionally let insecurities get the best of me, however the picture remains out there is the social networking world. 

So here it is for you to see.  The first two pictures are of me in 2016 when I was training at Excel and the picture at the bottom is of me after running 500 miles. 

SAME WEIGHT ON THE SCALE.

I don’t believe either of these bodies to be bad.  And my doctors would agree that I am so incredibly healthy in both of them.  So why am I sharing this?  Because I plan to take you on a journey with me. 

LEAN IN 2019!  This year I am going to focus on continuing my training at Excel doing strength and conditioning.  Document my eating habits… which will be reasonable… untrendy… with carbs and an occasional Oreo cookie!  I want to see what changes my body will have when I stop running, stop believing that calorie burn is the goal and start focusing on building my body for the needs it requires, both cardiovascular and muscular. I will NOT run more than 2 miles in a day, I will not run more than 2 times a week… unless I am running to support a cause I believe in (there are some awesome 5ks we should all participate in throughout 2019!!!)

Maybe I will have some incredible changes… but either way my success will not be measured by the scale or the shape of my body.  I would just like to see how I can impact change by not obsessing over cardio and staying strict with Excel Training.

There are so many “get thin quick” gimmicks out there promising to change your body by wrapping yourself up, fitting your meals into containers or getting a shot in the butt.

And although they may have some results, I can honestly say that I would not change my experience with weightloss for anything in the world.

I have sweat, I’ve been sore, I’ve been beyond tired, I’ve had successes and failures but nothing in my life has ever built me as a person as much as working out at Excel!

I have suffered with anxiety for most of my life. The thought of being part of a team was terrifying to me. Anything new sent me into a tailspin.

Working out at Excel has made me into the kind of person who isn’t afraid to try anything, someone who is willing to go “all in” for the sake of a challenge, someone who feels alive… Someone who believes in herself.

It sounds silly… But as we become adults we sometimes stop believing in ourselves… Everything seems “too hard” or “not possible”

Imagine being able to believe in yourself again!!!

Believing in yourself feels so good.

Excel has strengthened me from the inside out without me even realizing it. And I have gained such amazing, encouraging, strong supportive friendships…people I consider family.

In a world full of body shamers telling you what you need to change… rebel and be the person who did it for everything you’ll GAIN in life rather than the pounds you will lose!!!

When you make the promise to lose weight or be healthy, do it differently.

Instead of setting goals that might make you feel terrible every time you eat a cookie or slice of bread…

Set goals to achieve things physically.

Join us at Excel to challenge your limits…. Because YOU CAN succeed at that. And with each day of work you put in…. There is success… There is progress and there is change.

It would mean the world to me if you joined us. I promise it will change your life.