I’ve been training Sally since December of 2011 and first on her agenda was fat loss. Both her and her husband Tony are active duty military and they’d just moved to Alaska a few months prior to her contacting me. At the time of our consultation, her husband was deployed to Afghanistan and Sally was deeply motivated to lose weight and get fit while he was away. While she’s certainly achieved her initial goal of losing body fat (22 lbs and 9% body fat), she’s also aced her most recent PT test for the Army and run a 12K race! I recently interviewed Sally, asking about what she’s learned and how fitness has changed her life. Here’s what she had to say:
“I needed to lose some weight after having gained 30 lbs since my arrival to Anchorage in August of 2010. My husband and I are both in the US Army and our lifestyles consisted of working all day and eating out late every night. Needless to say the pounds just kept piling on and on without me realizing it.
Sally (November 2011: 178 Lbs)
In the Army, we have to work out every morning but I was just not motivated to push myself to train harder. At work one day I had to get weighed (it is an Army requirement to get weighed 2 times a year) and they told me my weight. I could not believe how much weight I had gained since the last time. I had never been that weight before. After that, I started to notice that my clothes were not fitting the same way and I had to go up a couple of sizes. I knew I needed someone and something to do to help me lose the weight. I looked everywhere around Anchorage for a gym/personal trainer/cross fit classes with no luck. I tried a couple of places but I wasn’t completely happy with their programs. I was about to give up until I came upon Steph’s website. Her methods caught my attention and I emailed her right away.
Man, I am so glad I did! From the very first meeting, I knew I wanted to work with her. She told me how it was going to be and how hard I was going to have to work to achieve my goals. I liked that about her. No sugar coating, just straight to the point. By this time my husband had deployed to Afghanistan and I had a lot of time on my hands, so I enrolled in Steph’s Boot Camps. From day one I started noticing the changes in my body and energy. It seemed the more boot camps I attended, the more energy I felt. Even now, I love how every boot camp is a new suprise. I love how much you are pushed, not only physically but mentally as well. And of course I love the wonderful and amazing group of people that attend boot camp. They are “normal” people that range from being super fit to beginner, but everyone is so supportive, extremely helpful and just makes you feel welcomed every time you attend, even if it is your first time.
Sally working hard during a Figarelle's Fitness Boot Camp workout (April 2012).
I currently attend boot camp 3 times a week. I also do personal training with Steph once a week. Of course personal training is completely different than boot camp because she focuses your workouts on your unique goals and what you want to achieve. She is always watching and making sure you are doing the exercises correctly and ensures you don’t get hurt. Steph is more than just a personal trainer, she is also a dear friend. She cares about your well being. You are more than just another client to her. She continues to challenge me and others in every single boot camp session and personal training session.
My husband is coming back from Afghanistan on R&R in the next couple of days and I can’t wait for him to see the new me. He has been my strength and motivation that has kept me going through this journey. I am not done yet. I still have a ways to go but all I can say is I am not stopping now.”
June 2012
What kind of compliments have you received since you started your fitness transformation?
My co workers have definitely been complimenting me in regards to my weight loss. They started noticing my uniform fitting a bit loose so they would ask me if I was losing weight. They’ve said I’m looking very healthy and fit and that’s nice to hear!
How have your relationships changed?
My relationships have changed by that I have new friends, friends that I have met through Boot Camp. They all inspire me and motivate me to keep going.
My husband has always been my inspiration and motivation but I noticed our relationship has changed for the better. Since being in Afghanistan, he has also lost weight and has been working out really hard. We always compare each others workouts. It is a friendly competition but it has definitely brought us closer. I can’t wait until he comes home and we both start going to the gym and continue with our healthy lifestyle.
What do you see when you look in the mirror?
June 2012 (156 Lbs)
I see a more healthy and fit Sally. A Sally that is beginning to get definition on her arms and other parts of my body!
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in your journey to become healthy? Who or what helped you overcome it?
Definitely learning the right foods to eat and the optimal time of day to eat them. Because of work, I used to eat very late at night and just eat really big meals so I would go to bed full and bloated. My lunches consisted of going through a drive-thru at a fast food restaurant. Talking to Steph and taking her advice and plugging in what I was eating to the MyFitnessPal app helped me a lot with my diet. I started noticing that the pounds were coming off little by little.
What is most different about your life now (off medications, more energy, more confidence, etc.)?
The difference in my life now is that I am more motivated to work out on my own. Being in the Army requires me to exercise every morning. Before starting with Steph, my “working out” consisted of doing the bare minimum. I wouldn’t put a lot of effort into it. If they said 20 push-ups, I would do 10. Running more than 2 miles was a killer for me. I would be out of breath after a mile and have cotton mouth. If I went to the gym, I would just stare at the machines and then walk away. Ha ha! That was my going to the gym. I wouldn’t know what to do. I didn’t have a clue how to push myself. Now I live for working out. It has definitely become part of my life, I workout 2 times a day (before work and after work), when I run on my own and I run no less than 4 miles. I definitely have more energy than I’ve ever had before.
What are you most proud of?
That I can keep up with all of the workouts and that I complete some of them in a short amount of time. I think that is what has surprised me the most. I never go into a workout trying to see if I can beat a certain time. I just keep going and going, exercise after exercise and next thing I know, I have completed the workout with time to spare. That always makes me feel super good! And of course like I mentioned before, I am proud of just actually being motivated to workout on my own. To be on vacation and wake up early in the morning just to get my workout on. What can I say, I am just addicted to exercising.