Fitness Success - Michelle has mastered it for herself!
Success Looks Different for Everyone
Dipping into my 40’s with two small girls, the scale was finding new highs on a daily basis. With the lack of sleep thrust upon me at motherhood coupled with hormones moving in all directions as a result of years of fad diets, PCOS and of course – age – I was struggling to make things change. No matter what I did, or how I moved my body on a regular basis or how little I ate, my bodyweight went up. My confidence was wearing thin and I was embarrassed at how my appearance had changed over the years. The doctor told me “some of us are just stuck with genetics” and offered me a handful of pills for depression, anxiety, hormones and insulin resistance. Each came with a different cost to my health and it wasn’t for me. Was this it? Was that my only choice? I was beyond wanting to be “skinny’. I wanted to be back in control.
And so my personal journey to success began with a simple phone call to Sue.
I remember my first session with Sue. It was at her house, in her basement. She sized me up and then pushed me to do things I didn’t think my over-40 body could do. I imagined I was going to pass out and she’d have to call 9-1-1. What the hell was I doing here? I wanted to go home and throw up and hide in a closet. But her enthusiasm and energy was contagious. How could I let HER down? The truth is, I needed to be accountable to someone else after years of being a doting mother and professional business woman and not taking time for me.
Sue always focused on what I needed to do and what my goals needed to be. She was flexible and helped me to shift focus as needed. She’d text me at random times to make sure I was staying on track – or just to say “hi”. She was showing me success was available to me. And in a short amount of time, the scale stopped moving up and I was finding my confidence again!
As Limitless Fitness grew, I was suddenly surrounded by several trainers that cheered me on and helped me to find and meet my goals. I was also surrounded by other fun and encouraging clients that pushed me to do more and be more. At times, I really wanted to quit, but I needed that camaraderie in my life and it kept me (and still keeps me) moving forward.
As schedules changed, I began training with DJ – I swear he has 4 x’s his years in fitness knowledge. He was happy to help me embrace my goals and pushed me to push myself. I was continuing to understand what success looked like for me. I was taking back control of my health. Becoming stronger, becoming healthier and putting forth a healthy lesson about commitment and body image to my daughters. I was becoming strong – inside and out.
Today, I feel ½ my age and nearly ½ my true weight. I can squat and deadlift approximately 130% of my bodyweight and I bench almost 70% as well. I feel amazing and I’m not afraid to try anything new. I can run and play and act silly with my kids and I have more confidence in my body than ever before in my life. My daughters now believe a gym is a place that women go to get strong. I look forward to each and every session with DJ and my badass lifting partner, Siobhan. They both keep me on my toes, make it fun and keep me laughing while lifting ridiculous amounts of weight.
I’m so thankful to Limitless Fitness and all of the trainers and people there. They have all been supportive of my goals and my life…and as soon as my training sessions end, I can’t wait to go back for my next one!