Michelle F.
PROGRAM:
Summer Shape Up - 1st Place Winner!
Improvement of Fitness and/or strength: I feel like so much of fitness is about the habit of showing up. I struggled resuming a weightlifting schedule after having a baby in September 2021. In the past 12 weeks I saw the most progress in my commitment and ability to show up. I only missed one session each of cardio and Body. I am stunned and so proud. It’s helped me see what’s possible. All of my lifts have seen improvement over the last 12 weeks. For me push-ups, chin-ups, single leg movements and deadlifts stand out the most. In the beginning I could maybe do 2 push-ups and now I’m at 10+, chin-ups with band assistance 1-2 in the beginning vs now 10+. Single leg movements for the longest time felt shaky and impossible and now everything feels so solidly connected and stable. I don’t know that my weights went up crazy with deadlifts but I do know my form is so much better and my understanding and confidence in the movements feels locked in. I know for years my hamstrings never used to recover after a deadlift day but that is no longer the case. I know that I’m able to run longer than I ever have or ever cared to and it’s wonderful! All of that has improved how I feel on a hilly hike backpacking a toddler! I feel great!
Improvement of Environment: As I got settled into Summer Shape Up I noticed 3 things I wanted to work on improving. 1. My water consumption 2. Improving sleep by aiming for an earlier bedtime 3. Increasing my daily steps. At the start of the challenge I was struggling to drink 80 oz a day and now I almost effortlessly get 120-130 oz by the evening. Prior to the challenge I was struggling hard with sleep maintenance insomnia, hello 3:30am! It seemed to happen relatively quickly but I began sleeping through the night. I think the increased activity and aiming for an in bed at 10pm habit have worked out well for me. My daily steps have increased 66% since the start of the challenge. It’s been a great jumping off point to increase overall activity.
Improvement of Body Image/relationship with food/and feelings towards movement: I didn’t have any hard feelings about my body image going into the challenge, but I did want to see fat loss after having a baby and then maintaining my weight (with some composition changes) for the last 20ish months. I have such a sense of gratitude and respect for my body, but I was impatient! I quickly shifted from the excitement to finally see change to focusing on movement form and progressively overloading. Being able to shift my thought process from ‘when’ to ‘what/how’ really helped all those small details add up. Regarding food, I’m even more convinced that the good feelings I have for the food I eat no matter if it’s a donut or steamed broccoli—both mmmm!—are really important for success. I thought I didn’t have time for this sort of training, but with a little focus and planning so much was accomplished.
Bonus Stuff: I had a moment a couple of weeks ago that left me so appreciative of my increased strength, muscle awareness, and dare I say agility! I was holding my toddler on our bike path that’s right next to a mini waterfall while trying to hold him close so he could touch the water. Well I didn’t see that the wet part of the path also had a nice coating of algae and we began to go down him facing out and down. In such a short amount of time I was able to shift him upwards and my own balance ever so slightly and we landed softly on my butt, he was still comfortable in my arms and barely realized we were falling. This moment was seconds so it's amazing to me how quickly my mind and body were able to process the situation. I know I didn’t have this agility years ago. I’m keenly aware of how clumsy and awkward it would’ve felt. I’m so grateful for my muscles and the reflexive strength to process that situation.