This contest has been an amazing journey and I will say that I’m not ready for it to end. The things I have learned along the way have been inspiring, hard, and fun all at the same time. To say it’s life changing, well that may be an understatement! But it’s changed me for good.
I did it. I’ve become someone new in the fitness/health/”take back” of my health and life! I’ve become one of “those” people who talks about their reps, and exercises and “squats” and soreness and muscle fatigue. I’m one of “them” who likes to hurt. “No pain, no gain” actually makes sense to me now! How did THAT even happen? When I entered the Suwanee Get Fit challenge, I told myself to do this (and commit) to a 90 day health challenge. 90 days. 3 months. 1 QUARTER of a year. That was it. I could do that. Then I could go on about my nacho-eating, taco-loving, margarita-drinking life. Stop all these early wake-ups and go back to sleeping and not worrying about water consumption, heathy snacks and no soda. But now I’m close to those 90 days being over and I’m like “What if???” What if I joined a fitness facility and kept this up? What if I keep working on “me” and get even better? What if 90 days becomes my new way of life? WHAT happened??
Anthony happened. Sheri and Shonika and Bill and Kevin and Sue happened. Alicia, Rachel, Angie and Julie happened. REAL people who are also trying REAL hard to get their own fitness game going strong. And seeing it happen for them, and for me well, that changed me. And Anthony might just be the best damn trainer/coach that Alicia could have paired me with. He works me hard and makes me better. He didn’t look at me and give up or tell me to back off or ask me if I really wanted to be there — he just kept putting it out there and I kept showing up and working hard at Alloy where so many OTHER incredible women have been successful and living a healthy life. Not just in 90 days but for 365 days and longer! Thank you to the Alloy Personal Training for Women peeps for encouragement, laughs and success stories! Thanks to Anthony for the support, laughs, workouts, dance moves and encouragement along the way. I do not know that I would have been as successful anywhere else.
So here I am. Realizing that the healthy journey started with a single step 90 days ago and that I LIKE this path. I LIKE getting up at 5:40 am to be at Alloy at 6 am! I LIKE seeing my clothes grow bigger. I REALLY like buying jeans 2 sizes smaller than what I wore in December. I enjoy people telling me to go get some new clothes that are not so baggy! My nacho days are less often. My soda days are over forever and I know how to make better choices. I want to keep doing it! I’m ready to commit to the heart monitor so I can get in my “zone” at Alloy. I’m ready to keep waking up early to go to group workouts. I want my name on that board as a DIVA! And even my tennis game has gotten better — I move on that court and I run down balls I never got to before. My tennis partner doesn’t have to carry me NEARLY as much as before! Right, Cris?
But for all the good that has happened, I still have questions. Like why is the door to Alloy so much heavier when I LEAVE than when I walk in? Why do planks still make my stomach and back hurt? When did I get muscles in between my ribs and how in the WORLD do they get so sore? Why do squats make people toot? Why is it so hard to count to 15 for four sets? And why do I need to write an alphabet from a plank position ON a big ball? AND Why on THIS day when Anthony said “you are done” did I look at him and say “Can I do one more set of something before I go?” I mean WHO is THAT girl?? I guess for the next challenge that I enter, it may be for a support group of healthy people who can’t quit talking about getting fit! Being fit is fun and it is all about working the mind, body and GUT. This may be one of the most rewarding moments in my life. And don’t get me wrong, I have a TON of wonderful things going in my life: I have three wonderful kids, a great husband, an awesome job, great friends, and I kicked cancer’s ass in 2015, but this last 90 days has been RIGHT up there with some of my greatest achievements. I can’t wait to turn 90 days into a fun, fit and fulfilling LIFESTYLE!
