When I started the TOTAL BODY CHALLENGE, I weighed my heaviest weight ever. I had been under extreme stress for the past several years due to the death of my parents and switching jobs after fifteen years. I’m the only not to blame for not taking care of myself. I had decided to start 2009 with a new attitude…” it’s all about me”. I wanted to get back in shape to look and feel better. I wanted it be healthy again. What great timing when I got the email from Anytime fitness in January about the 12 week TOTAL BODY CHALLENGE that was about to begin. I signed up without hesitation and I felt like this may be exactly what I needed to be successful.
The body challenge kicked off 01/31/09. I was motivated with my eating and workout plan that CJ had given us. I wrote down everything I ate, counted calories, carbs, proteins, etc and weighed my food. The first four weeks of workouts really surprised me. I felt tired after walking on the treadmill for twenty minutes. I could do about eight mountain climbers, and I could jumping jacks for about twenty minutes. I had realized how out of shape I really was. However I stuck with it and I started to notice that I was building strength and endurance. I was losing weight, I had more energy, I felt more mental clarity, and I was sleeping like a baby. The intensity of the workouts increased. Somewhere around the sixth or seventh week, I was starting to doubt myself. I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to keep up with the class. It’s almost like CJ could read my mind as he said to the class “don’t give up”, you can do this. CJ continued pushing on; I found out that I could do this. All of the sudden, it was almost over! Where did the time go? Now as I sit here writing my story, I must say that this body challenge has been one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I’ve lost over twenty pounds in twelve weeks, but most importantly, I’ve learned new habits. Diet and exercise have become a regular part of my routine and will continue to be for the rest of my life. I just want to say THANKS to CJ and the rest of his team who provided awesome workouts, motivation, and tips to help me be successful.