Transformation

When I joined two fitness transformation challenges in January, it was because I knew I had put on a lot of weight after having surgery in September and was ready to focus on losing that weight. Little did I know this would change me in other ways as well. I’ve always been a bit neurotic about the number on the scale (despite knowing how fickle that number can be.) In the past I would try to game my morning weigh ins- go to the bathroom, wait a couple of hours after waking before stepping on the scale in hopes that the number would be lower, take off my hair ties or watch to weigh an extra ounce less. It was a horrible mindset and habit. Things changed this time around. According to the scale I’ve only lost about 3 pounds which is a rather insignificant number. Pictures tell a different story, though, and for the first time ever I don’t care what the scale says. I am more confident in my body than ever. I know I am strong. I no longer cringe when I see myself in videos or pictures. On the contrary, I now see those and think to myself how far I’ve come and how beautiful my muscles are. My husband and I attended Wodapalooza in February and my initial thoughts traveling down were that I’d feel like I didn’t fit in with the fit crowd. We arrived and as we walked around my confidence grew. I did belong. We were all there celebrating the progress we’ve made in the gym. It wasn’t about what we looked like, but the hard work and dedication we’ve put in to become better versions of ourselves. We had a shared message of changing the standard of “beauty” to one that celebrated strength and hard work.

Not only are there physical changes, but some pretty major habit changes as well. “Before Danielle” would see sweets and binge the entire tray. Now I can take a bite and feel satisfied with the indulgence, not feel guilty, and not feel like I need to polish off the tray. “Before Danielle” lacked consistency. She would be hyper motivated to start a new program or challenge, get a solid week in, and then slowly fade away until completely giving up. Now, I have followed through with completing this challenge. I consistently made it to Gold’s Gym 3 days a week and Locomotive CrossFit 2 days week (except when children were sick. But again that’s a win- I used to be angry if I couldn’t make it to the gym because of sickness and now I understand it’s just a minor inconvenience and not something to worry about.) The biggest win for consistency though is completing a rowing challenge this month. I found out about the Concept2 “Muddy Season” challenge of rowing a 5K for at least 25 days in the month of March. I discovered the challenge on March 2nd, and yesterday, on March 28th, I completed the full 25 days. I have never completed a challenge with as much consistency and am so proud of the work I have put in. Despite finishing the required amount, I still intend on rowing every single day for the rest of the month. Joining a challenge and having the motivation of something to work towards has truly helped my mindset evolve.

Lastly, these challenges pushed me to finally start taking care of myself. I kept putting off self care. Once I started, a fire was ignited within me to take care of underlying issues. I went in for a yearly physical for the first time in at least 8 years. I scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist to take care of a skin issue that had been going on for months prior. I started waking up early to have at least a few minutes of alone time to enjoy coffee and quiet before children woke up. I started washing my face and finding products that were actually good for my skin and body current product of choice is Beautycounter.) All things I used to think weren’t important but made a huge difference in caring about my body and my self.

As these challenge end, especially in these trying times, I couldn’t be more grateful for my health and wellness journey. Because of the effort I’ve put in regarding fitness and diet I have built a hedge against sickness. My body is better prepared to handle what the world may throw at it. Thank you to RP Stength and Gold’s Gym for creating challenges so we could all work on becoming better versions of ourselves.