Client Stories: "My Life Is Immeasurably Better..."

My thanks to Sarah, for creating a holistic fitness education program that encompassed eating, sleeping and moving and for being the first person who told me that my injury wasn’t going to finish me. - Karen Cummins

Health, belief and 'stoke' are all extremely contagious.  I know that you will be inspired by Karen's story, so I asked her to share a bit of her journey with you all.  She has inspired me with her belief, enthusiasm, willingness to learn and dedication to her new lifestyle and longterm health.  Well done Karen.  I am beyond grateful to have crossed your path and to have the chance to support you on our journey.  I can't wait to see what you do next!

1. What obstacles did you face when beginning your new fitness program?

I had some fear around not being athletic or skilled with gym equipment. Would I be able to do what was expected? I have never really liked the gym environment so wasn’t looking forward to that. I didn’t know how I was going to make the time at first.

My life has changed dramatically

HAPPY FRIDAY!

It's time for another awesome success story from one of our ELM Challengers!  If you have a story you would like to share about your success and adventures with ELM please send it my way!  You never know who you are inspiring...

Joe, you made record changes to your health and fitness during your first 10 week Full On Fitness & Nutrition Challenge.  You lost 27 pounds, 9 inches and dropped 8% body fat...moving from the 'Obese' body composition category to the 'Fitness' category in the process!

I feel proud that I completed the Challenge!

HAPPY FABULOUS FRIDAY!

It's Friday and that means another inspiring story from one of our ELM friends:)  Sometimes all we need is a little inspiration to help us launch upwards!  Enjoy!

During the ELM 10-Week Full on Fitness& Nutrition Challenge you lost 8 pounds, 3.25 inches and 3% body fat...moving from the edge of the 'Overfat' category to the 'Fitness' category for your body composition in the process!  WOW!

How were you feeling before you started the ELM Challenge?

I felt stuck in my routine. I enjoyed getting involved in fitness but couldn’t do more than “dabble” in it. I wanted to make real changes in my health/fitness routines and make it a consistent part of my life.

How do you feel now that you have successfully completed the ELM Challenge?

I feel stronger each week, mentally and physically. I feel proud that I completed the challenge and gave it my best effort despite a few setbacks.

How did the ELM Challenge help you achieve these changes?

Participating in the boot camp classes was a big step for me. It has helped me to feel a part of something that is positive and encouraging and also effective!

The weekly nutrition challenges were good for me to stay accountable to myself for the amount and quality of food I was consuming.

What specific changes did you make to your nutrition during the 10 weeks?

I paid attention to keeping my food “real” and watching portion sizes. I also never really thought much about the whole Carb/Fats/Protein ratio in my day before the challenge.

How difficult were these changes?

I didn’t find these changes too difficult. I always feel better knowing I’m putting healthy food into my body. Logging my food each day was a good way to keep on track and see where I might be lacking that day.

What specific changes did you make to your fitness during the 10 weeks?

I worked out 6 days a week. 2 boot camp days and 4 workouts at home. I would have loved to do more running but it wasn’t to be. Getting up early (5 AM) to do workouts has been a big change for me as well. I like the feeling of knowing it’s done for the day!

How difficult was it to make these?

It was only difficult for me when other area’s in my life got busy and I was struggling for time to do the workout. Again another good reason to complete the workout early.

What obstacles did you face during the ELM Challenge and how did you over come them?

The biggest obstacle for me during the challenge was dealing with the flare up of shin splints over and over again. I had to adjust my workouts at home to be low impact and try other cardio exercises to keep up cardio levels.  I also was modifying the boot camp workouts to compensate for the injury. I did feel very frustrated at times but Sarah was able to always remind me that there was still many things I could do! I will keep working on getting this injury fixed!

How did you stay motivated during the ELM Challenge?

My motivation came mostly from my positive state of mind I was experiencing most days after completing a workout. I could feel changes in my body quite soon after starting. I love feeling the muscle in my arms and seeing the definition get better all the time.

I also wanted to feel the pride in being able to tell other people that I stuck to it. I feel like I can inspire others in my life to try and be a little more active and possibly start to feel the positive in it as well.

What advice do you have for others who are looking to make changes to their fitness?  Any tips or tricks that helped you?

Planning your day around an early workout is an effective way to get the workout done without giving too much opportunity for something else to come up and take away your time. 

 

Nutrition wise, I think everyone should get on the Green Smoothie Train, LOL. Such a great way to incorporate some of the essential greens / fruits / vitamins etc. etc. into your diet. And so fun to experiment with!

Is there anything else you would like to add about your experience?

Thank you Sarah for the encouraging words during some of my frustration days. I do believe that I will beat these shin splints.  I feel confident that I can stick to my fitness plan and keep making improvements.

 

Glad I signed up!

-N

I can't believe I actually ran 10k!

HAPPY FABULOUS FRIDAY! 

It's time for another ELM story to inspire you to reach for your health and fitness goals!

"Well  I completed the 10k in 1:03. Great day—sunny and warm with a bit of a breeze at the end (which felt great). Awesome feeling---I couldn’t believe I actually was able to accomplish 10k! I kept hearing your voice in my head especially at the beginning as the adrenaline kicked in and runners kept going past me---start easy and slow!  It worked---I ignored everyone else and just ran for me at my pace.

I do want to thank your leaders for your positive energy and inspiration each week---it was fun! You are all awesome! "

-L

Personal training works for me!

HAPPY FABULOUS FRIDAY!

Over the coming weeks, I would like to share some REAL stories about REAL people who are on their own personal health journey with the support of ELM.  Sometimes all we need to make the change we desire is to SEE ourselves in someone else who has gone before us and I hope that you find inspiration from these great stories!  If you have a story to share about your health journey with ELM then please send it my way so that you can help someone just like you reach their own dreams and goals:)

Say 'Hello' to Shelley Gartside!

"Exercise and fitness doesn’t come naturally to me. At heart I’m more of a creative person that likes to sit and do craft type things. However, eventually I got to the age where everything was starting to hurt. I knew from previous experience with exercise I actually felt better if I exercised more, so I called a personal trainer. I was lucky enough to meet Sarah Seads and ELM when I made this decision, and that call has improved my life so much I wanted to tell people about it.

Most people go to a mechanic to get their car fixed, a dentist to have their teeth done, and a doctor for health problems. Making a commitment to fitness can be hard thing to do on your own. The initial enthusiasm generally wanes within a couple weeks, and then you slowly slip back into your old habits. I know this happened to me…a number of times! However, when you have a personal trainer, it’s not just you that commits to your health. A Personal Trainer commits to your health too!

At first when I started working out with Sarah, I moaned and groaned on the days I met with her because I really didn’t want to be working out. And even though I had paid for the sessions, I would happily have cancelled them, but Sarah always turned up, happy and upbeat, and full of encouragement. Her attitude changed my attitude, and I would leave each session feeling a little better than the last session.

This past summer, in the only week it rained, down poured actually, we spent four days together biking as part of my Personal Fitness Camp. The first day was a LOT of fun. The weather was nice, and we went to Seal Bay Park and I learned some mountain biking skills. I was a little nervous about that, but with Sarah’s encouragement and expertise I was able to maneuver the trails safely. The next day we set to meet up a Comox Lake Dam. That day it was raining so HARD, it was coming down in sheets. I would happily have gone home, but when Sarah commits to something, you don’t give up. So we spent the day traveling thru water on the trails and got soaked! It was fun though, and afterward I felt quite a sense of accomplishment for having completed that ride in that kind of weather. For the next two days of the “Bike Camp”, it continued to rain. Not as hard as the day we were at the Dam, but when you are on a bike in the rain, it feels like it’s raining REALLY hard! Fortunately it was fairly warm, so it wasn’t too bad.

Those four days would have been a lot tougher if I didn’t have Sarah’s sense of purpose to keep me going. That’s the thing about working with Sarah….You can just let her expertise, encouragement, and positive disposition lead you while you (as she says) “Get outside” and have fun!

-Shelley