Carol's Success Story

For me the joy of my job is to see a person flourish and at 64 years old (yes she wanted me to make sure you all knew how old she is and that there are no Spanx under that red dress!) Carol has started to sparkle. Her confidence has improved so much in the last few months it has been wonderful to see. She even lists her confidence boost as something that has surprised her the most about her journey.  I always say that you cannot lose weight in a silo and Carol is another great example that all areas of her life have seen change and improvements right along with her health.  What started as a way to get her cholesterol numbers in check as to not go on medication has grown into so much more. Our wellness is a journey and we should always be looking for ways to be a better version of ourselves. Carol is doing just that with new goals of working on her blood pressure medication, continuing to work on her bodyfat, and improving her balance.

Carol, like many people, may not have been significantly overweight, yet she was not where she feels the happiest at. In this situation support and understanding of why behavior change is important can be lacking from others, especially if your circle of influence may not be the healthiest themselves. To combat this remember to always go back to making change for yourself and keeping your goals and your why in the forefront of your mind! 

For Carol we overcame a lot of excuses like living 30 minutes in the country, traveling a lot to visit family, splitting time at home and at their cabin which made meal planning hard, and family preference of eating a certain way. We kept peeling the layers away and overcoming those barriers. Once she started to see success that really fueled her to continue making changes.  Carol has ​lost​ ​14 pounds​,​ ​11​ ​inches, and 8% bodyfat.

What​ ​is​ ​the​ ​biggest​ ​thing​ ​that​ ​you​ ​have​ ​had​ ​to​ ​change​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​be​ ​successful?

 I​ ​had​ ​to​ ​make​ ​exercising​ ​a​ ​priority.​ ​To​ ​keep​ ​myself​ ​on​ ​track​ ​at​ ​the​ ​beginning,​ ​I​ ​made​ ​a spreadsheet​ ​with​ ​all​ ​the​ ​exercises​ ​listed,​ ​and​ ​actually​ ​wrote​ ​down​ ​how​ ​many​ ​reps​ ​I​ ​did​ ​on what​ ​day.​ ​Then​ ​I​ ​gave​ ​it​ ​to​ ​Ashley​ ​when​ ​we​ ​met.​ ​It​ ​made​ ​me​ ​more​ ​accountable.​ ​(And yes,​ ​I’m​ ​an​ ​organization​ ​freak.)​ ​One​ ​tip​ ​she​ ​gave​ ​me​ ​was​ ​when​ ​I​ ​didn’t​ ​feel​ ​like​ ​working out,​ ​to​ ​say​ ​to​ ​myself,​ ​“I’ll​ ​work​ ​out​ ​for​ ​10​ ​minutes.”​ ​Her​ ​theory​ ​was​ ​that​ ​once​ ​you​ ​get started​ ​and​ ​do​ ​at​ ​least​ ​10​ ​minutes,​ ​you​ ​will​ ​usually​ ​finish​ ​the​ ​workout.​ ​​ ​That​ ​works​ ​for me.

 There​ ​are​ ​still​ ​days​ ​when​ ​I​ ​struggle​ ​to​ ​make​ ​it​ ​priority.​ ​I​ ​have​ ​a​ ​full​ ​life,​ ​and​ ​always​ ​have something​ ​to​ ​do.​ ​​ ​I​ ​just​ ​tell​ ​myself​ ​that​ ​no​ ​one​ ​else​ ​can​ ​do​ ​this​ ​for​ ​me,​ ​and​ ​if​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​take care​ ​of​ ​myself,​ ​I​ ​can’t​ ​take​ ​care​ ​of​ ​the​ ​people​ ​I​ ​love.

 What​ ​surprised​ ​you​ ​most​ ​about​ ​this​ ​journey?

 I’m​ ​surprised​ ​at​ ​how​ ​strong​ ​and​ ​upbeat​ ​I​ ​feel.​ ​I’m​ ​basically​ ​a​ ​happy​ ​and​ ​confident person,​ ​but​ ​I​ ​had​ ​forgotten​ ​what​ ​it​ ​feels​ ​like​ ​to​ ​be​ ​in​ ​good​ ​shape. 

 What​ ​is​ ​your​ ​favorite​ ​workout/exercise?

 I​ ​LOVE​ ​the​ ​circuit​ ​training​ ​I​ ​do​ ​on​ ​the​ ​treadmill!​ ​When​ ​we​ ​are​ ​at​ ​our​ ​cabin,​ ​I​ ​don’t​ ​have a​ ​treadmill,​ ​so​ ​I​ ​just​ ​do​ ​the​ ​same​ ​routine​ ​outdoors.​ ​Actually,​ ​I​ ​first​ ​became​ ​faithful​ ​about doing​ ​it​ ​regularly​ ​because​ ​of​ ​being​ ​outdoors.​ ​I​ ​do​ ​this​ ​routine​ ​a​ ​minimum​ ​of​ ​3​ ​times​ ​a week​ ​and​ ​spend​ ​a​ ​little​ ​over​ ​an​ ​hour​ ​doing​ ​it.​ ​It​ ​was​ ​originally​ ​a​ ​30​ ​minute​ ​workout,​ ​but​ ​I keep​ ​expanding​ ​the​ ​time​ ​between​ ​exercises​ ​and​ ​increasing​ ​the​ ​difficulty​ ​and​ ​number​ ​of exercises.​ ​Listening​ ​to​ ​music​ ​on​ ​my​ ​headphones​ ​is​ ​a​ ​BIG​ ​help​ ​in​ ​motivation!

What​ ​advice/suggestions​ ​would​ ​you​ ​give​ ​others​ ​who​ ​are​ ​struggling?

Remember​ ​for​ ​whom​ ​you​ ​are​ ​doing​ ​this!​ ​It’s​ ​you!!​ ​Don’t​ ​let​ ​other​ ​people​ ​or​ ​that​ ​little inner​ ​voice​ ​distract​ ​you.​ ​YOU​ ​ARE​ ​WORTH​ ​IT!!!