Laura's Success Story

Laura became a Private Training client in February 2021. She was on a mission to achieve a strong and lean body and the confidence to match it. Like many people, Laura was motivated by her upcoming wedding to focus on her fitness and uncover some muscles. While losing weight was a goal, she also wanted to feel strong and confident.

There are a few things I want to highlight about this process. First of all, the timeline. Laura and I decided on 3 phases of intensity.

The first phase was February-May. This was the foundation period. We did 2 private sessions per week, and Laura did some Pure Barre classes, walking, and Peloton App workouts. Our workouts were challenging, but she was building strength and re-engaging muscles that hadn't been fired-up in awhile. Laura just focused on committing to the workouts.

The second phase was June-August. This was a tricky time. We started to ramp things up in June. Our workouts became more intense with decreased rest time, and more compound movement. More abs, harder arms, harder glutes. Laura began to tone down her alcohol consumption and moderate sugar. She only drank on the weekends and only a couple. She saw the pounds start to come off with this reduction. Laura had a full hysterectomy scheduled for the beginning of July, so I knew we were taking a small break while she recovered. I want to point out the hormonal change that happens with a hysterectomy and also a major surgery causes water retention and bloat. Laura could have accepted that the surgery was a set-back and lost motivation....she didn't. After 4 weeks of recovery, her doctor approved her to resume exercise and we began our slow and steady build. I trained her similarly to a postpartum client. Within 2-3 weeks, Laura was back to her fitness level we had reached in June. Isn't that amazing!! She re-build SO FAST.

The final phase is/was August-November. Laura increased her weekly private training sessions to 3x per week. She added 2 of my on-demand classes per week. Usually, she did Express Barre and 30/30 or Glutes, Back, Abs. She began using a Macro-focused meal service. Laura also increased her water consumption and committed to hitting her daily water goal. Within 2 weeks, Laura saw the scale dip considerably. That provided the motivation to keep the meals and snacks TIGHT! She even started monitoring her steps and wearing her Garmin daily to motivate her to move more. Laura had a couple of trips planned, wedding showers, and bi-weekly travel to Boulder, CO. She allowed for small indulgences, but overall, continued her nutrition and workouts as usual. Laura travelled with her meals, or prepared copy-cat meals at her destinations. We did private sessions in hotel rooms, her house, the Boulder house, Mexico, Florida....wherever! She walked 15K+ steps daily while in NYC for an extravagant birthday weekend. She was able to continue to live her life, have fun, and achieve her goal.

Laura has lost 20 pounds. Take a look at that timeline above. I hope that you see consistency, dedication, and commitment to the goal. We didn't do this quickly because she and I both want it to last beyond the wedding! Laura also listened to advice. When I asked her to increase her daily steps, she did! She realized that workouts alone wouldn't cut it, so she hired someone to help with the food prep. Laura started with workouts, then cleaned up her diet own her own, and finally consulted with a professional to efficiently plan each meal. I want to be clear-- If nutrition is not monitored or planned, you will struggle to see results with workouts alone.

I think it's easy to look at the big picture of a goal and get frustrated. Laura turned 48 a few weeks ago. She has 2 school-aged daughters. She is a single mother working a full-time job. She goes to Boudler, CO every other week. On top of that travel, she is frequently out of town on the weekends visiting friends and family. Her hysterectomy shifted her hormonal state and caused bloating. There are a lot of excuses listed above to give up or decide that you cannot lose weight or find the time for workouts. She did it. She lost the weight, found her muscles again, and even took amazing photos to highlight her success. Aside from the weight loss, she gained so much strength and confidence! She is regularly in a plank, doing push-ups like they aren't any problem. Squats, lunges, deadlifts, all the things! Laura mentioned to me that she stayed focused because she hired a trainer. She said, " I intensely relied on you for motivation and accountability to keep going.".

If you are reading this blog and wanting a change for yourself, reach out to a trainer, nutritionist, friend, someone. Ask for help. It's hard to self-direct yourself into significant change. It does not take grueling 2-hour workouts, copious amounts of cardio, or severe calorie restriction to see change. It does take an intentional plan along with follow through. It also takes patience and a willing attitude to commit to consistency. Even when you can't see the results, keep going. The results will show up when you do.

I appreciate Laura allowing me to share these gorgeous photos and tell her story. It was an honor to train her in preparation for her wedding, and it will be an honor to continue to train post-honeymoon!