Is your Program in Place?

Body Transformation where do I begin? A story like this is why I love my profession. Seeing someone reach their goal is a great feeling. Seeing someone go above and beyond that goal is amazing! If anyone has had a remarkable Body/Life Transformation it’s Catherine Wright. She would be the first to tell you she was in a bad place at one time in her life. Emotionally and physically. That one time unfortunately lasted many years. She was “plus size” in her mid-twenties a size 18 to be precise and not feeling good about herself. She was unhappy in her own skin, but had come to a realization that she needed to make major changes. She was sick and tired of feeling “sick and tired”.

She knew she had to live her life differently and had to do it on her own terms. When she first started on her journey she didn’t make things complicated. She exercised every day and not with long drawn out sessions. And cut her food portions in half. This worked –yes calories in/calories out! In a year and a half she was able to drop over 100lbs!! That’s amazing! But life sometimes gets in the way. Stress and more stress. Before you know it the weight starts to creep back on and Cat put back on 35lbs. But this didn’t stop her. She made major changes in her personal life and got back on track losing most of the weight she had put on---again great work!

Now in her 40’s she didn’t want to fall into that “yo-yo” syndrome where your weight goes up and down. She was at a comfortable weight but part of her wanted to take her physique to the “next level”. How would she be able to get this done? Yes I first met Cat on that damn treadmill. She was in the hamster section of the gym. Yes the road to nowhere. People I’m teasing!!! How could I convince a “cardio queen” that her routine was in maintenance mode and her body had adapted. That she needed to make appropriate changes in order to get to that “next level”. This wasn’t going to be easy. I just had to be honest. First thing, I had her slowly cut down any steady-state cardio or aerobic classes. This was like taking my Granddaughter’s “oh oh” stuffed toy from her------not easy! If endless cardio has been part of your routine for years it’s tough to move away from it. But if you want to look like an athlete you have to train more like one. That means moderate to heavy weights and that’s your number 1 priority not a 5 mile run or cheerleader class! (Yes send cards and letters to me not Cat!)

Even though Cat was around gyms for a while now. She didn’t wander over to the weight rooms. This was going to be all new to her. So she dipped her toe in the water and jumped in! She was in decent shape but her muscle wasn’t defined and they didn’t have that shape she was looking for. Weight training was going to be in her future and not those pink dumbbells or plastic barbells. Weights and machines. So we made the necessary changes –off the treadmill and headed to the dark side. At this point I no longer had to convince Cat of anything. Her body was changing rapidly. This is all she needed to see. She was hooked!

Seeing how hard she pushed herself was very inspirational. Again it wasn’t 3 hours in the gym every day. Workouts were 45 minutes to an hour and several days a week she did HIT training (her cardio) and we did one of my Group Circuits one-one-one. And most importantly her food plan was more in line with putting on some muscle and losing body fat. We increased her protein intake and cut back her portion size of starchy carbs. Once all these variables were put into place her body responded. Shapely muscles, definition and a smaller waist and without old-school cardio!

How important is a sound exercise program and eating right? You can't separate the two and be successful. She got to this stage right away, and as her trainer, the only thing I had left to do was to bring out the champion that was already in her.

After Phase 1 she was really looking like an athlete and we focused more on her legs and shoulders. Again her body responded. With that improvement we started to set more goals. One of those goals was a Photo Shoot. Why not? And remember, establishing goals is one of the most important things to use when trying to lose weight or transform your body. In fact, goal-setting in general is very important in reaching any of our dreams. See Goal Setting

So she made the appointment with Lucie Wicker Photography. A huge step 8 weeks away. Training once again changed. We needed her to peak for that shoot. Her food plan had to be spot on and it was.

I wanted her to feel and look great for her Shoot, and she did. She was so motivated and listened to all the advice I gave her. She worked hard with me and on her own. I'm so proud of her for setting sights high, and making every effort to achieve that goal. She worked hard and proved to herself and everyone what she was capable of. Accomplishing this while maintaining a home and raising a Daughter is a marvelous achievement. Your determination to reach your goal has been admirable.

You are a great role model!
What’s next for Cat? Get ready………… I hope you've been inspired by her journey and make the decision you can get in amazing shape and reach YOUR goals!!!!!!