1. Hi Erin! Please tell us a little about yourself.
Hi! I’m Erin. I am 30 years old, and I am a product of the AK. I was born and raised here. Most of my family lives here as well. I have one sister who is 6 years younger than me and she’s one of my best friends. I come from your typical Alaskan family. My parents always took us outside. We skied, fished, camped, anything that was outdoors. I attended Service high school and after I graduated in 2002 I chose to work instead of go to college.
When I was 22 I left Alaska and moved to Portland, OR. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life but soon found out that living out of Alaska was very difficult. I decided to go to Dental Assisting school. While I was in school I made to decision to move home once I finished. I came home in 2008. I have been working as an assistant since then. In 2009 I re- connected with my high school crush and it turns out we really liked each other because we are getting married in June, 2015 🙂 I also made the decision to go back to school in 2011. I finished my pre-requisites for Dental Hygiene School and will apply in April 2015.
2. You’ve been working with FF for about a year now. What brought you to us?
Honestly, I came to you guys because I was newly engaged and I wanted to look amazing in my wedding dress. I also had many failed attempts of losing weight on my own, and I knew if I came to you guys I would be successful.
3. I know fat loss has been a goal of yours since starting with us. What kind of changes have you noticed in your body since starting Boot Camp?
Fat loss was absolutely one of my main goals. There has been so many changes in my body. MUSCLES! I can see my muscles! There is a lot more muscle definition in my upper body and stomach. I really worked hard to lean out and build my upper body because I wanted my arms, shoulders, and back to look great not only in my wedding dress but in all of the clothes I wear.
4. What kind of changes have you made to your diet over the last year, and how have those changes helped you?
I log my food. Logging food has been a huge part of why I have been successful. Keeping track of what goes in my body is a great way for me to stay honest. I log everything, no matter what it is. I have also cleaned up what I eat. My fiancé and I prep meals for the week, we put menus together, and make sure we stick to them. I don’t go out to eat much and if I do go out, I can see what I have eaten for the day and base my meal off of that. It might sound daunting but it has become a habit for me.
5. You participated in your first FF Burpee Challenge with us in June to raise money for the Lost Lake race (that raises money for cystic fibrosis). What motivated you to want to come and do 15 minutes of Burpees? And how many did you do?
I participated in the Burpee Challenge because it was for a great cause and who wouldn’t want to help support a fellow Figarelle’s member?! It was something that I had never done before and it took me out of my comfort zone, plus I really wanted to see how many I could do. I ended up with 111 Burpees. Next challenge I am shooting for 130 or more.
6. Tell us about some of the goals you’ve accomplished over the last year.
When I first started a year ago, I didn’t have any real specific goals. I did have a weight in mind and I wanted to lose at least 10 pounds. I have currently lost 17lbs and shooting for 20 lbs. Once I had been educated on fat loss, I wanted to get under 25% body fat. I am currently at 18%, I have lost a total of 10% body fat. I am stronger than I have ever been before and I have never felt as good as I do now.
7. What are 3 big goals you want to accomplish in 2015, and why?
Big goals for 2015:
I will hit my goal weight of 125 pounds. I am so close and I have been working so hard to get to that weight.
My Fiancé and I decided that we’d like to have our portion of the wedding expenses paid off by the end of March, 2015. We are getting married in June and would like to be done paying for everything so we can relax and enjoy our day without any added stress.
I would also like to move forward in my career. I was offered a new position in October and decided to take it. It is completely different than what my current position is and it will be a big change for me. I am excited for that change and I am ready to learn and be even more of an asset in the company.
8. You regularly attend Boot Camp each week. What are a few of your favorite things about FF classes?
There are so many things I love about coming to boot camp! I love all the smiling faces. I love the no bullshit attitudes. I love the camaraderie. Everyone is there for the same reason and the support is just amazing. The work outs are always ass kickers and I always leave feeling great.
9. How about a few of your favorite exercises?
I like full body exercises. I don’t do much cardio outside of Figarelle’s so I like to try and get the cardio in during boot camps.
I like kettle bell swings, push-ups and burpees. When I first started I sucked at doing push-ups and it bothered me, A lOT! So I practiced them all the time. Practice definitely make perfect because my push-up form has definitely improved.
10. What are 3 things you would tell someone who is just starting to workout and eat healthy in an effort to lose body fat and build strength? (Your success tips).
I would tell someone just starting off to make sure they are ready. It takes a certain mindset and I think, at least for me, you have to be fed up and ready to commit. I would also tell them to be patient, trust your self, and trust the process. It’s not easy and it takes time.
Make sure you take care of your body and rest. I always try and take two consecutive days off. It allows me to come back to class with a clear head and a stronger body.
Lastly, don’t beat yourself up. Don’t feel guilty if you have a cookie, or some cake or pizza. If your body is craving something, eat it! Just do it in moderation and enjoy it. Learn it, live it, and love it!
11. You recently hit your goal body fat % for the Transformation Challenge that we’re currently doing, 2 1/2 weeks ahead of schedule. Tell us about your experience with this Transformation Challenge and how it’s compared to previous ones you’ve done in the past.
I think in the first challenge I was nervous. I was still learning how to dial in my food and learning how to manage my macros. It was a little overwhelming for me. I was still able to lose weight and body fat but I didn’t meet my goal. After the challenge I just continued eating and living the way I had been during the challenge.
For this challenge I decided I wanted to do some food prep. When we started the challenge one of my goals was to get to 18% body fat. I know it gets harder the more you lose, so I figured prepping meals would be a good way to stay honest and get to my goal. When I had Steph measure me at the half way point I had already hit my goal for body fat loss. I was honestly surprised. It felt really good to be ahead of my goals. The meal prepping has been a huge success. It is so nice to have good, healthy food pre-made and ready to eat. I am really looking forward to seeing how much more I can accomplish throughout the rest of this challenge and I look forward to meeting and setting new goals in 2015.