Katie hunt
Reflecting on what motivated me to take the challenge seriously this time around and what made it work for me went a bit like this:
Step One: Recognize I have a problem. I thought that certainly there was a medical condition that was keeping me heavy and that there was no way this was all me. I went for blood tests and they all came back normal. %^*! I had a problem and now it was on me to make a change. Step Two: OK, I have a problem- what is going to help?
- Katie Hunt, WLG Athlete
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LESLIE RUCKER This is what worked for me, doesn't mean it will work for you...you can't half-ass this and expect major results, but you have to recognize you will have a bad day or a bad week, and know that you CAN get through it!
Mindset - I didn't go into this wanting to be the top person or thinking I could because that wasn't my goal. I've done things before where I have lost a lot of weight quickly, but could never keep it off. I needed to do this the right way, which may also be the slower way, but that is OK. Being healthy is a journey not a destination. Every day you need to eat, so everyday you need to make decisions. I just wanted to do something to lose weight and get healthy without putting so much pressure on myself. There is no end-date, yes the challenge is 12 weeks - but you will be in your body and making decisions about food and activity the rest of your life. So just relax, do this for you and know it doesn't happen overnight. Prizes - Yes, there were some amazing prizes...but I read what they were and kinda forgot about them. I wasn't doing this for the prizes offered, I wanted to do this for the prize of fitting back into all of my clothes I've outgrown, and NEEDED to do this for my health. My regular diet had become garbage x10, and when you eat like crap you will feel like crap. (I suppose this is also mindset) Support - My boyfriend was a huge support system in terms of helping me cook and stick to the meal plans. He cooked MANY meals for me. I have a full time and part time job, so if someone offers to help you -let them! That is what our friends & families are here for in our lives. You can always return the favor - like sharing the food ;) Join the challenge with a friend or family member, and be supportive but not in competition. Teams - I was pretty scared about joining a team. I didn't want to let anyone down and didn't want to accountable to others. But I am so happy I joined. It ended up helping to keep me more motivated and accountable to myself. And it was nice to be able to share some inspirational things, funny and down right torturous things (ie: candy at training haha) It is another way to have support from people that are working towards the same goal. Meal Plans - I'll be honest I was not following the meal plans 100%. Some of the snacks, etc. were a little too hard for me to eat because I spend my days driving around QAC. BUT, I choose to eat other things we were allowed to eat and the correct portions. I also indulged when I went away for the weekend, spent a day at RennFest, etc...but I didn't go crazy. I took my point deductions and looked at how I could make up for those deductions. One day I was having the worst carb craving and instead of eating something really bad, I decided I was not eating the meal I was supposed to and made one of the breakfast sandwiches on the meal plan instead...craving gone and I didn't beat myself up. Don't be afraid to add or substitute veggies in some recipes, or add spices you like (Lol just not sugar) Exercise - Doing something active everyday was probably the most challenging thing for me to fit into my schedule. Some days it just didn't happen, but MOST days I made it happen. Again, when you have support for this it will help a lot. Go walk the trail, take a new class at the gym...try to make it fun. I live in Ridgely, so I was blessed to have all the trails at Tuckahoe State Park or Adkins Arboretum to walk...not only was I able to get my exercise, but it was a break and felt great to be out in nature. Water - I'm adding this because it seemed like a lot of people had a hard time with this...I've been drinking about 4 liters of a water a day for the last 3 years because I completely gave up soda. I was drinking it morning, noonand night (terrible, I know). Having liter-sized bottles of water was an easy way to track how much I was drinking. I was able to make water a habit over time, so it can be done! Maybe it will take you longer than the challenge, but again this is only a 12 week challenge and if you want to be healthy this is a journey... Ultimately, you need to do this challenge for yourself. Don't put too much pressure or try to be perfect, just relax a little and focus on why you wanted to do this in the first place and just try your BEST. This is 12 weeks of getting you in the right direction, but your life doesn't stop when the 12 weeks ends...so keep going :) - Leslie Rucker, WLG Athlete SUZANNE CRAWFORD
The WLG Fall 2015 Challenge was the second WLG challenge in which I participated. My first challenge (Summer Strong 2015) was quite overwhelming at first. The all-day meal prepping on the weekend and the a$$ whoppin’ WLG Fit Camp (omg the pain/muscle soreness) class was a lot to take on. I remember thinking my first meal prep weekend, OMG, all this time wasted cooking diet food and it is not even going to be good because it is diet food. I think the first recipe I made was Lasagna Soup and boy was I wrong the soup was….DELICIOUS!!!! I had made a meal that was clean, healthy and tasted amazing! I couldn’t believe that just happened!
Lucky for me, I have the BEST friend/neighbor (Katie Hunt) who gets up extra early to run a 4 miles with me at 4:45 a.m. and she did the WLG challenge, too! Having a workout buddy is the greatest thing! I could not/can not do this without her! You hold each other accountable, and she motivated me to get out of bed early in the morning to get my workout on. Why do we get up so early to run?! To avoid the mommy guilt. We run while they are sleeping so we don’t lose our limited time with them in the evenings. Katie and I would also split up the meal plan so we didn’t both have to make everything. Some of the recipes made more servings than what you needed for the week anyway, so it really helped us both out. My takeaways from the first challenge were the importance of a workout buddy, strength training in addition to cardio (running) and learning how to cook GOOD food (thank you Kendra!). I didn’t do so great with the first challenge as far as weight loss. I was still breastfeeding my little one and sleep deprivation is an understatement. I work full time and commute to Baltimore City, so I have very limited time to workout between work, being a mom and a wifey. Prior to my first challenge, all I did was run for exercise and needed to add something more to my workout routine. After goofing off all summer and gaining a few lbs after my first challenge, I was ready to take on another WLG challenge. My head was in it this time. I was going to commit and even try to do the bonus each week. Meal prepping was a lot easier, I had kind of gotten the hang of it and found a few short cuts (thank you Trader Joe’s and Healthy Measures). Katie signed up too and her head was in it as well, so we committed to doing the weekly running bonus. We would run most work week mornings we didn’t go to WLG or C3 (our Perk was C3, which was an awesome addition to our regular workouts) and we would do a really long run on Sunday mornings, followed by 45 minutes of strength training, abs and/or stretching, so most of the long run miles counted toward the bonus. Then we would add a mile here and there throughout the week to get the bonus miles in. It sounds like a lot, but when the lbs start coming off, it is so rewarding and it motivates you beyond measure. There were definitely times when I would be so over the challenge. I remember one morning while Katie and I were running we were complaining about it and we were like if we were pregnant, we wouldn’t have to do this anymore, we could eat and not have to run. For about 3 seconds we contemplated in the thought of how great it would be…and then busted out laughing. The clean eating and gallons of water make you feel better physically and mentally, and again, the food/recipes are delicious! I did order some Healthy Measures food this round of challenge if we had something going on during the weekend and I would have limited time to meal prep. The Healthy Measures food was awesome too! They are Italian and know how to make delicious food! For me, having all my meals ready for the week kept me from going astray and eating out or ordering carryout. Now don’t get me wrong, I did “cheat” a few times for some special occasions (neighborhood bike bar crawl, date night, birthday cake), but I was certain to get the bonus miles in those weeks. I also did the 4 day nutrition workshop with Billie Walton, which was awesome! I knew nothing about nutrition and she really shed some light on it for me and gave me some great ideas, like sprinkling cinnamon on apple slices, oh so good! I lost 24.5 lbs during the challenge and 18 inches. I couldn’t believe it on the final weigh in day! It felt so good to see all of that hard work and dedication pay off! And I felt amazing! The next challenge is coming up and I can’t wait! Bring it! I have some more lbs I want to lose (including a few gained over the holidays) and I want to get stronger. So, I hope to focus on building more muscle. I think this go around I will also do the one-on-one sessions with Billie Walton to get a better understanding of nutrition as it pertains to my goals for myself and getting my family to eat “clean” as well. The WLG team is an amazing group of athletes, who are always willing to help, whether it be reminding what the next station is during a workout or giving you a shout our or extra push to get your through the workout. This is not just a 12 week diet, it is a life style change and it is completely doable! My advice, find a workout buddy and keep each other motivated. Kendra has added some awesome extras to the WLG Challenge to help you succeed, like the nutrition counseling, meal prep services, and a variety of perk options. They are available at your fingertips. Take advantage of them, you won’t be sorry!! They totally help. See you 02/27/16. Let’s do this! - Suzanne Crawford, WLG Athlete BLAKE PHELPS I had thought about doing the challenge after i saw the transformation my good friend Aaron Welsh made when he committed to doing his first challenge. Then i finally decided to sign up when my grandma told me
“The time has come for you to be your own man and take on the world, because somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you’re no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain’t you! You’re better than that!” Boy was she right!!! She’s always been my motivation her and my lovely wife. 12 weeks is a long time 1/4th of a year! and for me it took following the meal plans as best as i could. My work schedule was great for keeping me on track after i would get a little off track on weekends. Tho i didn’t veer to far off on weekends. I also worked out every day at least ran/walked 2 miles (walk at the start of the challenge) and took every opportunity i could to do the “bonus” workouts. Cause if you’re willing to go through all the battling you got to go through to get where you want to get, who’s got the right to stop you? I mean maybe some of you guys got something you never finished, something you really want to do, something you never said to someone, something… and you’re told no, even after you paid your dues? Who’s got the right to tell you that, who? Nobody! It’s your right to listen to your gut, it ain’t nobody’s right to say no after you earned the right to be where you want to be and do what you want to do!… You know, the older I get the more things I gotta leave behind, that’s life. So it takes a lot of hard work and dedication and you have to be willing to put it in! Had a great experience and hope to take everything i’ve learned about healthy habits and use them for the rest of my life! Its going to be hard work but i’ve already proved i can do it! - Blake Phelps, WLG Athlete Stacy D. I have always been an active and athletic person. I played soccer and softball in high school and beyond. Like a lot of people, as I got older, I became less active and gained weight. In 2004 when I was 37, I weighted 154 lbs, and decided to join Curves. As an adult, my weight was usually around 130 lbs. I enjoyed going to Curves and between watching my diet and exercising, I lost 25 lbs. I belonged to Curves for a year until my Father started to experience serious health issues. I just didn't have time to go, and felt like I was wasting my money. Not long after that my mom started to have numerous health problems and I was the primary care giver. Even though I was too busy to work out a lot, I was still able to maintain my weight loss. In 2011 after my mom went into assisted living and I had more time, I joined Golds Gym as a way to do something for myself. Unfortunately, I started to have serious foot problems around six months laterand could no longer work out. My foot issues were so serious I needed surgery. After having foot surgery in May of 2013 I was laid up for three months and not allowed to exercise for one year. Obviously I started putting on weight until I reached my all time high of 159 lbs. I stayed around this weight for a couple of years and was constantly telling myself (and my husband) that I needed to do something about it. I guess I just needed something to motivate me. I bowl with my cousin Lori Casley, and she had been talking about WLG since the 2014 challenge. I can remember her coming to bowling and complaining about how sore certain parts of her body were. She always talked about how tough her trainer was and that this was no "girlie" workout. When the Fall 2015 Challenge was coming up, Lori repeatedly asked me to give it a try. She kept telling me that I needed to give it a try and how it absolutely works. She told me that she wouldn't push WLG so hard if she didn't believe in it so strongly. Even though it was a little far for me to travel, I decided to give the challenge a shot. The fact that I had family members participating, made my decision to join even easier. Well, once I made my decision, I went for it 100 percent. I printed out the recipes, went to the grocery store, and was in the kitchen every Saturday making my meals for the week. I attended the Monday night session with out fail and rode the exercise bike every day, Tuesday thru Sunday. I would also walk at lunch time or on the weekends when the weather permitted. Beginning with week four I also incorporated some of the WLG exercises into my routine. I stuck strictly to the diet and did not skip any workouts. Well the results speak for themselves. I lost a total of 31 lbs, 7 lbs more than my goal. I started the challenge at 159 and got down to 128. I went from size 14 jeans to size 8. I'm in much better condition now and plan to continue working out to stay fit and healthy! - Stacy D., WLG Athlete  COURTNEY MITCHELL When I signed up for this challenge I was scared to say the least. I felt this was my last chance to feel like myself again. I have 4 children, am I really going to have the time it takes to do this? I have Crohns Disease, are they going to expect me to eat nothing but vegetables for 12 weeks? When I tell them I cant do that, will they really have an answer? I am afraid to drive over the Bay Bridge, am I seriously going to drive back and forth over it to get my butt kicked? Is taking all this time for myself selfish when I have so many at home who need me? I've never done a push up, how the heck am I going to do this? What if this is one of those things where I starve to death for 3 months just for an amazing after photo? What next? Are they really going to give me the support and tools I need to make a life change? Most of this challenge takes place at home, how will I hold myself accountable? My family and friends are supportive now, but how long will that last? The questions go on and on. But then I realized that the millions of questions racing through my head where meaningless. There's really only one question that matters. DO YOU WANT THIS? And the answer was YES. All I have to do is choose it. Every second of every day choose it and everything else will fall into place. I WANT THIS is the mantra for my success. I WANT THIS!
Everything else did fall into place because the WLG team knew I wanted this and made sure to do everything in their power to help me get it. Kendra suggested I take the nutrition classes and one on ones with Billie and not only did she make the meal plan possible for me with Crohns, she helped me through personal issues I was having. Billie is a wealth of information. I will never look at a grocery store the same again. I was afriad of the Bay Bridge and now I'm signed up to run over it in November. The only class that fit my schedule wasn't for beginners, so Kendra gave me constant variations during every class until I didn't need them anymore. In the beginning it took me longer to complete the exercises in class but I wanted to finish and I was never alone. People would stay after to encourage me, get me water and do whatever it took to help me finish. The meal plans are so thoughtful and easy. My kids even enjoyed exercising with me. I chose to do it, and that was my key to success for the 12 weeks and will continue to be for the rest of my life. That attitude did make everyone want to help. My husband cooked my meals, my friends weren't upset I chose not to hang out because I wanted to work out. They were proud and encouraged me. My friend would show up at the gym on the daily, ask me what my goal was and do it right along with me. My friends weren't annoyed - they were inspired. Some plan to do the next challenge with me. To date I have lost 25 pounds, but that makes no difference to me. What I have gained is so valuable. I got WAY more than what I paid for. I can't imagine any other weight loss program being this invested in their clients. I am apart of a team now. I do have a fantastic after photo but since then I have lost more weight and gained all the tools and supporters I need to do this forever. This isnt a diet this is a way of life. This is forever. All you have to do is chose it. Do you want this? MICHELLE PEREZ I had started WLG classes back in early July 2015, I could see the changes in my body soon after I started but I was not seeing any changes with my weight and was very frustrated by this. When Kendra posted about the Fall challenge it was a no brainier I was signing up.
As September 19th soon approached I was very excited, scared and hesitant all at the same time, like what the hell did I just get myself into. So I had to mentally pump myself up and told myself that I was going to give this challenge everything that I had. I set my goal to lose 25lbs and stuck to the meal plans to a tee, drank my water and ate my snacks. I stopped drinking wine all but for a few occasions and the weight just started coming off, I averaged about 2lbs per week. I also became mindful about working out in between the days that I attended WLG classes, with being a mom of 3 boys working full time and the team sports I was busy carting my kids to, homework etc, this was a challenge in itself, but I did what I could and made sure that when I was in class to give 110%. As Kendra always says "if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you". By the end of the challenge my last weigh in I was down 24 lbs! I was amazed how much I really lost, my friends couldn't believe how "skinny" I had become. I was slowly gaining back my self confidence that I haven't had in years. I went from hating what I saw when I looked into the mirror to actually loving the skin that I'm in and I owe all of this to Kendra and her support and the fabulous WLG team. I'm so glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of something so awesome as this and will be certainly signing up for the next challenge, it has changed my life!!! -Michelle Perez, WLG Athlete  12 Weeks to a Knockout Body by Ergo Strength!
Are you ready to get your fight on and get in the BEST shape of your life? This is interval training mixed with real boxing curriculum. Using interval and circuit training, a boxing workout has long been one of the best ways to lose weight, tone up, gain strength physically and mentally, and keep the mind sharp. With one hour a week for 12 weeks you will progressively learn all the boxing basics and get a killer full-body interval workout. No prior knowledge or training is necessary. You will work and learn at your own pace with a program uniquely designed to meet your skill level. This isn’t treadmills and weights - this is real fight training in the WLG non-judgmental setting. We will focus on 10 basic boxing techniques and fundamentals, hitting one skill each week with the last 2 classes for “advanced moves”.
Heather Skipper - 25.5 pounds LOST! 20.7 inches GONE! Heather's Story!!
Looking back over the last 12 weeks of the challenge and I've got to say, "Wow!" I feel amazing and STRONG now. When I began the journey at the end of summer I was feeling what I can best describe as fluffy and puffy! We enjoyed our summer, let's just say that. So I told my hubby that I was going to sign up and I told myself I will commit all the way for 12 weeks. What is 12 weeks out of a lifetime right?! Prior to this challenge, I thought my family and I were eating healthy Monday - Friday and I was working out inconsistently. I had about 20 pounds of extra weight sticking to me and it wouldn't budge. So yes this challenge was during football season, lots of tailgate parties, Halloween costume parties and right on up to the holiday parties. Good thing I have an amazing team of friends and family to support me. I packed meals and snacks to take on the go to all the events and moved on. I also hovered over the veggie platters at parties too! Yes I gave up alcohol for the challenge although when we took a Disney cruise I allowed myself some wiggle room each day (though I still worked out daily and made healthy choices with food). What worked? Sticking to the menu and planning ahead. This was my go to: 1) Thursdays: Print the menu and make the grocery list. 2) Friday Nights: Great time for grocery shopping - Food Lion was empty! (Secret: I would also get a head start on some of the more difficult to find ingredients!) 3) Saturdays: Prep and cook for the week ahead. (Sometimes a little prep and cook on Sundays too). My husband and I became a well oiled machine working together in the kitchen to prep. 4) Post menu on kitchen cabinet. Yes, I'm type A so I checked off each meal as I ate them. I also kept a copy at work. 5) I worked out 7 days a week, did my cardio and then picked 3 bonus workouts each week. I put all of this on my calendar for the week ahead to make sure I made time for it. Did it mean that sometimes I was in the gym at 7pm one night at 6am the next morning? Yes, from time to time but it didn't kill me (as Kendra says: this will not kill you, everyone before you has survived!). Some other areas that helped: 1) WLG 101 was a great class to take each Monday evening. It was my first class at WLG and a great way to get started with many others who were in the challenge. Strength in numbers! 2) We had the option of becoming part of a team for the challenge. I didn't know that many folks so I thought it would be great to meet more folks. This was a great idea. We had a team leader and a private Facebook page to access. The FB page was a place to ask questions, share advice, and cheer one another on. It worked - as we won both team challenges and got access to private training with Kendra as a team!! Takeaways: 1) My 6 year old son now talks about "his meal plan." 2) I lost over 25 lbs through hard work, lots of sweat and dedication. 3) It was all worth it! Just set your mind to it, stick to the plan and it will work for you. It doesn't matter what your goal is, if you give it all you have you will definitely be healthier at the end. - Heather Skipper, WLG Athlete DEBBIE O'MALLEY
 Summer 2014 My 6th Challenge with WLG Fit Camp and I was determined this would be the one. I knew this time I was going to have to make some changes from the previous challenges I had entered, this time I needed to get serious and make some lifestyle changes. I'm not going to sugar coat it, it's hard you really have to be dedicated and fit time into your day for exercise, fit camp, bonus points and meal prepping. Friday's were my day for food shopping and meal prep. For the most part I followed the meal plan that was provided to us by Kendra. I would start my day with a protein shake (6am) usually it would be whey protein, banana, spinach, scoop of oatmeal, and almond milk. Around 9am I would have 3 or 4 egg whites w/ avocado. Lunch was usually whatever Kendra had suggested on the meal plan (zucchini lasagna rolls, spaghettini squash lasagna, chicken w/ broccoli, chili, etc.) mid day snack I would slice an apple put in plastic baggie add some cinnamon and almonds shake up sooo good! Dinner again was something from meal plan. I basically ate about six small clean meals per day. Water water and more water I would buy the Dear Park gallon jug and drink at least two of them a day maybe more it just became part of my everyday routine. I worked out basically everyday. Mon, Tues, Wed, Evenings I would lift at gym, Friday mornings also followed by boot camp @ WLG and Saturday morning yoga @WLG. Usually we would run after yoga to get in the bonus points for the week as well as run on Sunday's and fit in a gym work out. I feel good better then I have in quite some time, I have so much energy and just feel good and more confident about working out. Kendra's boot camp is one of a kind I tell everyone to try it just once, you will be hooked you are more then just a paying customer to her you become one of the WLG family members the support you get from everyone there is unbelievable . Thank you Kendra for providing all of us with the opportunity to better our athletic abilities. A special thanks to my husband who spent many nights alone while I was either at boot camp, gym or running and never once complained and how could I forget my work out buddy Jen Haas with out her I never would have gotten this far I complained every work out and she pushed me to never give up! - Debbie O'Malley, WLG Athlete  |
AuthorKendra Eichler, WLG Coach Archives
January 2018
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