Hi Josie! Please tell us about yourself.
Hello! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Josie Foxglove. I have lived in Alaska for almost seven years, but I am originally from a very small town in Washington.
My husband, Ben, convinced me to move here when we’d only been dating for a few years. Ben grew up in Alaska, and always wanted to return. The opportunity presented itself when he got a permanent position on the slope at Red Dog Mine where he still works. Both of our families live in Washington, and we have several nieces and nephews, so we visit as often as we can.
I’ve worked at the Alaska Court System for about two years under a division of the Therapeutic Courts as the Project Assistant for the Mental Health Court. Which translates to: my job is NEVER boring, I wish I could tell everyone some stories! My job can be incredibly stressful, but it is VERY rewarding.
It is such a joy to watch all that we can do to help the participants of the Mental Health Court and hopefully they will have happy, healthy and rewarding lives again. I love being able to help people, especially people who society has deemed unfit, or unworthy. It is also satisfying to remind people that not everyone in the legal system is out to get them, and there are still people in the world who genuinely care for them.
My hobbies include: playing in the snow (when we actually have some), reading, spending time with my family, traveling with Ben, getting tattoos, going to NBA games when we can, and going to the movies!
How long have you been working with FF and what motivated you to start training with us?
I have been working with FF for a little over 2 years. It’s amazing how fast time flies!!
At the time I had been working at the Alaska Bar Association with Holly Rhoden for some time, and she continued to ask me to come with her, and while I was incredibly intimidated, I knew I had to give it a shot.
I will never forget that first workout. I couldn’t believe how strong everyone was, and how weak I felt. I had always been someone who enjoyed working out, but I knew when I felt that weak in that moment that I needed to stop making excuses.
I was impressed with the welcoming and encouraging environment that is FF. I had never experienced that in a gym setting before, I knew it was something that would help to motivate me to want to work out.
Motivation was a issue for me, but before the workout was over I knew this was place that would help me to make the necessary changes to get my body to a place where I was happy with it. I don’t think I have been that sore in my entire life. I’m pretty sure it was a struggle to walk for days. Like an entire week. Every sore muscle was worth it!
You regularly attend Boot Camp and Private Personal Training. What are a few of your favorite things about these different programs?
They are so different. I love each of them for different reasons.
I love the community and the energy of Boot Camp. It is always something different, with new exercises and new ways to challenge myself. FF always finds new ways to make me sweaty.
One of my favorite things about boot camp is that when I am losing steam, or don’t know if I can keep working at the same pace, there’s always someone nearby to encourage me to keep going; telling that I can do more, and that I am capable. That’s what makes FF so amazing.
Before I started Private Personal Training I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it has been exactly what I need. I had been really struggling to lose weight, and I wasn’t able to do that until I started Private Personal Training.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do Personal Training with Lela and Steph and it’s been fun to experience the different kind of workouts they have me do, and the different exercises they challenge me with. But without Personal Training I know I wouldn’t be as in shape, or strong as I am right now.
Without Personal training I wouldn’t have been able to lose the last 10 LBS. I really enjoy how I’ve been able to increase my strength through more weight focused workouts.
For me, there is more pressure in Personal Training because I can’t hide, but this pressure helps me see what I can really accomplish. Steph seems to know that I need to be pushed in my workout and she always challenges me, which I appreciate more than I can say.
Boot Camp is more about the group experience, while with Private Personal Training, I am able to check in with Steph weekly about how my week has gone, where my weight is, and I have discovered that I need that extra accountability.
I never feel like Steph is judging me if I happen to gain a few pounds, but she is there to encourage me to keep up on my weight loss journey, to continue to surpass my goals, and to problem solve with me to figure out why that week wasn’t so great.
How about a few of your favorite exercises? Why do you enjoy these exercises so much?
I’m fairly positive that no one is going to be surprised by this, but one of my favorite exercises are the Pendulum Swings. If I have these flexible hips they have to be good for something right?!
Some of my other favorite exercises include: Sparring, Tire Flips, and Agility ladders!
I enjoy all of these for very different reasons. I really enjoy Sparring because it’s a great way for me to get some frustrations out, have some fun with my partner, and also learn how to throw a powerful punch 😉
I am someone who hates running with a passion. I like it when my cardio is more camouflaged, which is why I enjoy the Agility ladder. I am able to work on my agility while doing cardio at the same time, so it’s a double edged sword.
I love that there is always a variation when doing the agility ladders, so I am able to get some cardio in while having fun, too!
Tire flips are something I’ve always enjoyed because growing up on a farm, moving heavy objects, or moving tires was always something I would do with my Dad. Now I get to do it for exercise instead of a chore! As my legs have gotten stronger, it’s been fun to test myself and see how many flips I can do in the set time period and compare that to how many I used to do when first starting at FF.
Since adding Private Personal Training to your routine, what kind of progress have you made?
Adding Private Personal Training to my routine has been a game changer. Before starting PT, I was really struggling with my nutrition, and I was struggling with being able to lose weight.
I had actually gotten to a point where I had gained weight since joining Figarelles, which I thought was insane. It is very easy for me to gain weight, but very hard to lose it, and I was starting to feel very frustrated. I talked to Steph about doing Personal Training in the past, but I never ended up doing it.
Since I felt like I had done everything I was supposed to, and I was gaining weight instead of losing, I knew I needed to add something. I don’t know the exact numbers anymore of my actual progress since adding Personal Training but I have lost around 10 pounds, have more muscle definition than I have ever had in my whole life, and lost almost 2% body fat.
I haven’t gotten measured since the end of the Summer Transformation Challenge, but that is something through Personal Training I have learned to ignore. If I pay too close attention to the numbers, I get too obsessed. I am just trying to focus on my nutrition and how my clothes are fitting.
Personal Training has really helped me to focus on my weekly progress, what accomplishments have I had that week. What do I need to change? What isn’t working? AND if it it was a bad week. That’s all it was, a bad week. I get a clean slate to start all over again.
Being able to have that extra individual time with Steph has taught me a lot. She has helped to show me that there is nothing wrong with being a woman and being strong, it is something to praise instead of something to be sad about.
I have had several people tell me that my body is starting to get too muscular, and that I don’t look as feminine anymore. It took some time for me to shrug those comments off, but I am starting to be proud of this body that I am developing. My strength is something to be celebrated, not demeaned by others.
Can you tell us about your nutrition? What changes have you made since starting with us?
Before starting with FF I had this idea in my head that certain foods were bad. There was a lot of guilt with certain foods, and I used to reward myself with food. That is something that I’ve been working to change since the last FF Transformation Challenge.
Over the past few months I haven’t been tracking my food in My Fitness Pal like I should, and as such I have gained a few pounds. Tracking my food is really something I need to do, it’s an accountability measure for me. I can log all my food in and say, “okay that doesn’t work, I need more protein and less carbs, or less fats.” Because I get to play around with a little bit, I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything. I don’t feel like I am on a “diet.” Over the last month or so I have really started to research new recipes and cookbooks to try some new recipes to get more protein in my diet.
I used to eat out at restaurants a lot before joining FF, and now I probably only eat out once or twice a month. It’s an easy way for me to save money, and it’s not something I really want to do. Most of the time if I end up eating out, I usually end up feeling like crap and all bloated, so it wasn’t really that enjoyable of an experience.
The biggest improvement I have made with my nutrition is the relationship I have with food. Now that I write that, it seems so silly.
I work in a fairly unhealthy office where there are all kinds of sugary treats around constantly. But, working there while making changes to my nutrition over the past few months has really helped. It has helped to change my opinion of food.
I can now look at something that doesn’t fit in my macros and think to myself “do I really NEED that ginormous cookie that is going to fuck up the macros I worked so hard to get perfectly?” NO. I don’t need it. Through this process I have learned that it’s okay to have things like ice cream or some kind of dessert, as long as it fits in my macros. There is no reason to feel guilty about eating certain foods.
Before starting the 2016 Summer Transformation Challenge, you had some apprehension about joining, yet this was your most successful one. What was so different about this Transformation Challenge compared to the others you have participated in before?
I actually listened to you! How novel of an idea is that?! I am someone who hates failing at anything. It seriously makes me crazy angry.
When thinking about if I was actually going to do this Challenge or not, I really wanted to rock it and prove myself wrong. I wanted to prove that I could actually finish what I started, and accomplish everything that I set out to.
I didn’t like that I had never finished a Challenge in the past, or that I never accomplished all of the goals I had set in past challenges. So, I sat down and really spent some serious time thinking about my goals.
What were three things that were important enough for me to focus on during the course of the Challenge? And more importantly, what COULD I actually accomplish? I wanted to challenge myself, but not overwhelm myself so much that I would stress out and not accomplish anything.
While thinking about my goals I realized that my fitness goals needed to be about something other than losing a set amount of pounds or inches. I have set those goals in the past, and not be able to meet them because of the stress, and how difficult it can be for me to lose weight.
Since I really dedicated time, and thought about what goals actually mattered to me, I was able to successfully accomplish my first Transformation Challenge! To anyone who is on the fence about joining a Transformation Challenge, or if you have not successfully completed one yet, just as Steph always talks about, your HOW, and WHY, when choosing a goal REALLY does make a difference. (See, Steph, I actually listened to you!)
It may seem silly at the time, but on those difficult days when you really just want that HUGE bowl of ice cream, or the donut at the office, or anything that is going to negatively impact your goals during the course of the challenge, you can reflect on those goals, and WHY they mattered to you, and remember how you can say “no.”
You recently joined us at the Goal Setting Seminar a few weeks ago and you mentioned that it was really helpful. Why do you think that is? What new goals do you have planned for 2017?
This Goal Setting seminar was at the perfect time for me. I hadn’t been tracking my food like I needed to, and I hadn’t set any goals since the Summer Transformation Challenge, and I’ve noticed that’s something I need to do to stay on track.
I need to track my food and make goals for myself, it helps to keep me motivated, and gives me something to work toward. The Goal Setting Seminar also set the fire under my ass that I needed to actually write down the goals that are a little scary to me. The goals I have been avoiding.
I like to set just a few goals at a time, and then set a few more once I have accomplished those, so I don’t get overwhelmed. The main goal that I am focusing on right now is positive self-talk. My positive self-talk is TERRIBLE, no, ATROCIOUS. I have very bad views of myself, and especially my body.
I am incredibly hard on myself, and very critical, thus I don’t take compliments very well. I accept what people say, BUT I don’t necessarily believe it because I don’t see what other people see. So, this is something that I am really trying VERY HARD to work on.
To accomplish this goal, I am texting my husband one nice thing, or one compliment, or something I like about myself once a day. (Or telling him in person when he happens to be home).
Another goal I have is to actually track my food every day, I am not going to stress out if I miss one day, but this is new goal for me to remind myself to track my food. During the Summer Transformation Challenge I was able to track my food almost every day, and that made a HUGE difference for me. It really helps to keep me accountable and on track with my overall fitness goals that I have for myself.
Another goal I want to focus on, is traveling with Ben. We have been making excuses for too long to not actually start planning and saving. I know once we pick a country or place to visit, starting to set aside the money for such a trip and the time and all the other details will fall into place, but this is something that I really want us to make a priority. I want us to stop making excuses, we only have one life!
What motivates you to stay on track with your workouts and healthy eating?
I have always been someone who LOVES to workout. Sometimes the motivation to actually want to work out is a little more difficult for me, but once I am actually working out I feel so much better.
I love that we have to cancel at least 12 hours before a workout. On the days I am having motivation issues, it reminds me that I can’t get out of it. I HAVE to go, and once I am there I feel so much better. Plainly put, once I stop being a whiny bitch, I feel better 🙂
Working out at FF really helps to eliminate the stress in my life, and I feel renewed in a sense. It just makes me so happy! I have a very stressful job, so I love when I get to go to Bootcamp and have you guys tell me what to do for an hour. You push me to be better, and to get stronger. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everyone at FF and how much it has changed my life.
As far as my eating is concerned, when I don’t eat the appropriate macros, or track my food, I start to feel it in my body almost instantly. I feel so sluggish and bloated that it’s a reminder to not eat that way. If you eat like crap you feel like crap. Plus, if I don’t eat the right foods, or drink enough water I don’t have the energy I need to get through my day or my workouts.
When we started Private Personal Training back in March, you had a goal of trap bar deadlifting 195lbs for at least 5 reps. We checked that goal off the list within a few sessions. How did it feel to knock that goal off the list so quickly?
I felt so strong! That was the first time that I truly felt that I was very strong, and I couldn’t believe that I could accomplish something that seemed so unattainable so quickly. (It helped that you were very crafty with how much weight you were putting on the trap bar. I had no idea I had just accomplished my goal until you told me).
The motivation behind that goal mostly was to prove something to myself, and to those around me that I could still be a woman and be strong. I have had several people in my life criticize me for how strong my legs are, and how muscular they are becoming.
The moment I knew I completed my goal, and fairly quickly after I set it, I didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought of my body anymore.
Because for the first time in a long time, I felt proud of what I had accomplished. That was such a feat within itself. I knew it was a moment to be celebrated.
Now when I look at my legs and see how strong they are, I am proud, regardless of what anyone says to me about my body. They can’t take that moment away from me.