For those who know me, fitness is my Zen. I have a very busy work schedule, which includes quite a bit of travel outside of MD and for anyone who has done it, they know that hotels and restaurants can easily get you into a lot of trouble with your diet and fitness routine. About 6 years ago, I became a fanatic about working out, and that includes taking my work out clothes with me on every trip, which made the difference in keeping my rhythm in working out. Before I started with T2F about a little over a year ago, I was working out 3-4 times a week with about 95% cardio and to some extent watching what I eat and I could maintain my weight. But despite my exercise, I started to notice shifts in my body mass and shape each year I got older, and I knew I needed to do something extra, but couldn’t identify what it was. That’s when I would see the FB posts of other testimonials from others (including my classmates) who had worked with Troy over the years, and one day I finally decided it was time to try it out to see if working with a trainer would give me that extra boost. Well, it did. That extra boost that I needed (under Troy’s guidance) was adding the proper strength training to my cardio regimen (adding one more day to take it up to 4-5 days a week), but also with an increased focus on my caloric intake and the types of food that I ate. For some of us, we think cardio alone will do it, but unfortunately, I learned that your body will plateau and despite the same fight to keep the weight off (and you didn’t do anything differently other than become a year older), your progress comes to a halt or even goes south. I will admit that it has become fun (I’m lying LOL) to treat my body as a science experiment to keep trying a different formula to figure out what it will take to keep my metabolic rate functioning at an acceptable level for me to be happy. It came down to choosing better and healthier foods in my meal preparation (protein is power!) to boost my energy levels. I also started recording and preparing my meals for the week at the beginning of the week, which reduces the likelihood of making bad choices or impulse eating. What that also did was to help me discover that some foods that I could eat when I was younger were no longer tolerable and were having a negative impact on me holistically (i.e. switching from coffee to tea helped me realize that lactose is no longer my friend, even in small amounts).
So, thanks to a T2F routine of incorporating strength/core training into an already rigorous cardio commitment, adding an additional day to my regimen, and structuring my food intake, I started building a balance of muscle mass throughout my body and not just my legs. Yes, I love my calves, but I now my arms, too!!! Do I still have my treats- yes! But of course, everything now is in a form of moderation.
I’m thankful to Troy and my faithful cohorts on Saturday mornings who through their camaraderie gave me an additional reason to roll out of bed on a weekend morning and make it happen. Once you get there and put in the work, you feel great when it’s done.
Also, kudos to all T2F fam’ who wrote testimonies before me, as it was you who inspired me to take the leap and continue in making a change to my goals. I know that each of us approaches fitness for different reasons, but in the end, if we all think about it, it all comes down to balance and a commitment to mind, body, and spirit. If we are in sync and we feel good about ourselves, then we look good, and if we look good, our energy permeates the air. Many Thanks TROY- UDaMan! TooEasy!!!
Hide