Celebrating Successes
For the last week at UBX Experience with Luke Shook, we took our measurements and did our fitness tests again. I set a goal at the beginning of our journey to get back down to 135 pounds. While weight isn’t the only thing that matters, I REALLY wanted to get down to my “before I was a mom” weight. When I chose it, it only seemed like a reasonable number to choose, something that I really wanted to aspire to. I didn’t realize how meaningful it would be.
Luke was a real sport and agreed to let me train the trainer if I achieved the goal. When we weighed in, and I saw that scale hit 134.8, I bellowed loudly and was jumping up and down. Luke smiled and gave me a high five as I bounded through the gym. This whole journey has been so much more than a weight loss journey, it has become a transformation, and not just in my body. My mindset has shifted. I feel like I have found ME again, and that is the greatest gift that this experience could have ever given to me.
Fitness Testing
When we completed our tests, I dropped 6 minutes off on my lower body test time. My time was pretty competitive at the start, so I was very excited about that success. My upper body test time also improved, although not as dramatically. (Luke says that I am getting to the point where it’s hard to shave off a ton of time. In education, we call this the ceiling effect.) These improved times are a testament to the program that Luke has designed. We were never willy-nilly just lifting weights as we pleased. It was a clear program that was designed to get results; we all did just that. A few of the girls in my group cut upwards of 10 minutes off of their times.
Reevaluating Struggles
I still struggled with cardio towards the end of the program. The weather got cold again, and I just wasn’t as motivated to do the work inside. I am working on this. The beauty of the program is that we have flexibility in what we do and when we do it. You can go to the cardio class on Wednesday as part of the program (and I will probably take advantage of this over the summer months.)
Another struggle toward the end was nutrition. I wasn’t eating poorly, but it became difficult to get in enough protein and maintain consistency from day to day because I dropped the ball on planning ahead. Luke reminded me to be sure to log my foods, and I’ve gotten back into the habit. It really does help for me to see the patterns of how food affects my mood, energy, and fitness goals. This is the other part of the program that has been SO helpful. The accountability piece is essential.
The girls in my group and I have a text thread, and we hold one another accountable on nutrition, as well as workouts, and it makes me feel that I really have a team of people invested in my success. I am a team player, and I never want to let down my team. This encouragement and support has been essential to each of us throughout the 12 weeks.
Game Plan
Moving forward, I have decided to continue training with Luke and our small group. We’ve added two new ladies, and I can’t wait to see how we will continue to evolve and grow together. The three days that we meet are some of the best days of the week. I look forward to catching up with them, exchanging ideas, and celebrating successes. Even if I hit a blip in the road, it’s an amazing space to become positive around the trainers and my team. I can’t wait to see where I am at the end of the summer!! If I feel this good already, what’s next? I’m even toying with doing another long distance race again soon.
Take Charge
If you’re looking to take charge of your life and become a better, more balanced YOU, I strongly encourage you to join our group, or, meet with Luke and come up with another individualized plan that works for you and your goals. I promise, you will not regret the investment in yourself. I went ice-skating with my daughter for three hours the other day. I haven’t been ice-skating since I was in seventh grade and it felt AMAZING; I’m positive that I couldn’t have done that three months ago. Thanks, Luke, for helping me get back my life and my joy. I’ll forever be grateful. (But don’t worry, I’m still gonna kick your butt at your workout in two weeks when I “train the trainer.” You’ve been warned.)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]