My fitness journey over the years has consisted of trying multiple fad diets and joining countless fitness challenges out there. Each attempt led to discouragement because my “wins” were temporary and never resulted in a permanent lifestyle change. I was determined in this 60day Challenge to find out why. My trainer established the true goal of the challenge with these words “If you win the challenge but come back in a year and lost all of your progress, then I failed as a trainer.”

So, instead of doing what I did every other time by taking things to the extreme, I decided to focus on making sustainable changes. I focused on one day at a time. And then evaluated what I could do just a little bit better the next day. Life Time made it so easy with fitness training plans and meal prep guides, and recipes. A huge game changer was the Life Time All-in-One meal replacement shakes. The nutrition-certified coaches helped me to figure out what worked best for me in combination with my workout routine.

Another goal equally as important was to find community. I know I am not alone when I say when covid hit, I lost community. I lost a lot of friends and family in the past couple of years, and it just became difficult to connect with people. I have been at Life Time for 2 years and became acquainted with a lot of people – but I never made it a point to get plugged into the community – until this challenge started. The small group training classes (Ultra Fit, GTX, and Alpha) made this goal a reality for me. I now find myself excited to get to the gym at 5 am – because it’s no longer just a part of my routine, but now my lifestyle. I get to do life with a community of people with a similar goal to live a better life. Self-determination could only get me so far – it’s this strong community at Life Time that will help keep me committed and maintain the change.

These goals were not accomplished without having to learn to overcome both mental and physical obstacles. On the first day during the kickoff event, there was a 10 min sample of the 3 signature group training classes – Alpha, Ultra Fit, and GTX. I remember so clearly when we got to Ultra Fit, and I am sure many others remember it too because I certainly made a scene as I fell off a BOSU that I tried to step on for the very first time. I looked around and wondered how anyone could possibly balance on that thing. And THEN, we were told to sprint for about 15 seconds.

I thought there is NO WAY I could do the full 10 min, let alone an entire hour. In fact, I had no desire to. The thought of combining sprinting and working out on a BOSU terrified me. These thoughts, however, were not what stuck with me. What stuck with me was what the trainer said to me during that class. He said, “positive thinking leads to positive results”.

Well, my thoughts were far from positive, and it was then that I LEARNED THE REASON EVERY OTHER ATTEMPT AT A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. I had not renewed my way of thinking. The coaches at Life Time really train you physically AND mentally. They teach you proper form and technique while also training your mind to believe that anything is possible, and you can do more than you think you can.

Armed with this new mindset, I decided to try GTX, Alpha and even Ultra Fit. As scared and intimidated as I was, I am SO THANKFUL I did. The trainers met me exactly where I was in my journey and taught me to progress during each class. I have now gone from not being able to stand on a BOSU to now being able to do single leg deadlifts on them!!

I also worked up from only being able to run at 7mph for 15 seconds to 11mph!

With the trainers and resources available at Life Time, I have accomplished things I never thought possible. In the reassessment workout of squats, assisted pullups, sit-ups, and lunges, I found out what I could do in a minute, DOUBLED for ALL of them. I ended up losing 28 lbs., lost a total of 30 inches, and went down 4 sizes. In addition, my endurance improved dramatically. I was able to do back-to-back classes like cycle and GTX, or even Ultra Fit then GTX.

I cannot contain the joy I have found in this journey. Life Time really has become a big part of my lifestyle. I am living my best life and I owe that to Life Time! I am so very thankful for the top-notch Life Time trainers, including Janelle, Jordan, Andrew, and Colton, who poured so much knowledge and encouragement into me over the past 2 months. I am also thankful for the planned workouts on the app and the meal-prepping guides that took all the guesswork out of learning to live a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

The next 60day starts at the beginning of the year, and I encourage everyone to embrace the opportunity of all that Life Time has to offer. 60day is an opportunity to build a foundation that you can build from for the rest of your life.

Anyone – any age, any fitness level, can learn and gain (or lose) so much during this challenge.