Three Month Fitness Challenge
August 12th ended the 90 day fitness challenge that I participated in with Lorenz Total Wellness. I decided at the last minute to join. Each week I met up with others for one hour; 30 minutes of physical training and 30 minutes of nutritional training. I have always been conscious of my health and what I put in my body, but like most of us, my diet was not always the best. I was not considered overweight by and I participated in somewhat of a consistent exercise program. However, my body just did not seem to perform as it should – of which I contributed to age. My decision to take part in this challenge was based on the prospect of educating myself on a healthier lifestyle. I am 54 years old, a teacher, and work pretty much a twelve hour day when school is in session. Stress is what causes much of my problems. My summer has been focused on achieving lifelong habits to sustain me when I return back to school and for the rest of my life. As I began the journey I was immediately encouraged when I began learning and applying the nutritional information. Even though I was not considered overweight by “national standards” (you know those charts that tell you your range for your age), I did have those ten extra pounds I carried in my lower body that I could not just see to lose no matter how much I worked out. I learned that just by drinking the amount of water based on how much I weigh would help me to lose those stored toxins and fat. Each week Aaron added more information on nutrition and homework for applying that new knowledge – eating the right foods, eating it often, and enjoying it! One of the hardest things to do in the beginning was eating eight vegetables a day. I felt like I was eating all the time. In fact, as I learned, this is the best practice for providing my body with a consistent source of energy unlike the feast and famine method I had done before. This prevents my body from spiking and then storing foods not knowing when the next meal will come. Half way through the challenge we had our second weigh and measurement session. I knew I had improved just by the way I felt. I had much more energy and stamina. I felt better and my clothes were fitting differently. I had lost 6 pounds, but better than that I had lost 1.5 inches from my waist 1.75 inches from my hips, and 2.25 inches from my thighs! That’s those pounds and inches I have never been able to conquer! My fat mass decreased 9.6 points, my lean mass increased 3.4 points and my percent body fat dropped from 25.6 to 20.3. This is just after 45 days of following the easiest diet ever – drink more water, eat 8 vegetables, 3 lean proteins, and 1 whole complex carbohydrate a day as well as staying on a consistent exercise program. Today I go in for my last weigh and measure. I am not sure how much more I have improved but I do know that my life has changed. Thank you Aaron for helping me provide quality and longevity to my life. You have given me the greatest gift I have ever received.

Postscript:
I received my results later that day from the last weigh and measure. As I mentioned above, I wasn’t sure how much more I had improved, but I was completely surprised! I lost another 6 pounds, a total of 12.6 pounds – oh my gosh, those 10 pounds were gone and more! I lost a total of 3 ½ inches from my waist, 3 inches from my hips, and 3 inches from my thighs. The total body fat that I lost was 14.91 pounds! All I can say is INCREDIBLE! I have made a commitment to sign up another three months to get me through those first few stressful months of school in keeping me committed to my health and well being. I am also bringing a dear friend of mine who has just accepted my challenge to her to change her life as well. I will be blogging weekly on my progress and what I am learning. Today my husband gave me the best complement - he said "I love the way your body looks; you are extremely sexy to me!" This is coming from a man of few words. I am looking forward to more health benefits coming my way in the next three months!