(Picture from 2014 at Signature Physiques)
Okay, Okay! The moment of truth! I honestly didn’t think that I would be actually writing this. If you have no idea what is going on or you are new here! Hi, I just completed my 8 Week Gym Challenge with Stephitness! A fraction of me didn’t think I would actually complete the entire workout challenge!
BUT I DID THAT!!!
So let me take you back though! Let’s take it back to the beginning! The beginning is really just…well all over the place really. I have always enjoyed working out and I love it just as much as dance. The fitness journey has been off and on since college. I have tried everything from intense group workouts, Crossfit, Zumba, and everything in between! I love it! It’s crazy though because I was very fit back in the day and I thought I was still “fat”. I always use to say it too. I am sure we can all relate to that. But in reality, my hard work always showed. It was not until I got married that I started to actually gain weight! If you are married, you know! We just get a little THICKER! Lol It’s that happy weight! We found the one and we are comfortable! I am also not saying that it’s my husband’s fault either! I just stopped taking care of myself! (Side note: I also feel like it was my hormones and birth control, but that is a topic for another time.) Getting accustomed to married life, working (teaching is stressful) and just trying to adjust my whole life away from my parents was HARD in that season. But before the wedding, honey!!! I was on it! I was even crazy to do a 100 days of working out challenge before the wedding! And boy was I motivated! Lol So here I am again, in 2021 trying to get my body “back”. I had to really take control and discipline myself once again! I also want to add that overtime, I had truly made some unrealistic expectations for myself. For example, that because I was a dance teacher I was suppose to be this fit, skinny, and lean dance teacher. I have always struggled with this and till this day I still do. But I have learned to embrace the way my body is and have learned to love most of it. And can I also add that I have so many before and after pictures and there was no changes. LordT! I know I ain't the only one! Lol
(Pictures of Before & After's from Left to Right: 1. Right before I met Mark, 2.Summer of the Year of our Wedding, 3. The 100 Day Challenge that I gave myself)
If you follow me on social media, you know that I was going to Orange Theory for awhile! (Shout out to my friend P.Eddie for helping me get back on track!) I loved the accountability, the coaches, and the focus on data on how you did in each workout. It was great! I stopped going during shutdown and then because we had C@^!D. So I freezed my membership and because it had that Boujee price and I needed to save money! Lol But around the time that I had my membership frozen, my dad passed away. What was the point of working out at that point?
(Picture in March of 2020 right before the shutdown. I was on a roll.)
The timeframe was August of 2020. I eventually cancelled my gym membership. I was already feeling NOT motivated ALLLLLL throughout the shutdown. I did everything I could at home and running here and there. But I was not consistent and duhhhhhh my eating was not it! But man, loosing my dad had me feeling like I HAD TO be strong and prove to myself that I could get my life back in a sense. This is when I started my first attempt to the Stephitness At Home Challenge. (Thanks to Martha for letting me know about this and always posting her journey!) I would workout in my mom’s garage but I was really avoiding what was inside and trying to keep myself occupied. I did not complete the challenge but I was still very impressed at the transformations at the end of the weeks that flew by. I wanted my own transformation so bad! But I was not mentally & emotionally ready to make that commitment yet.
I signed up for the second At Home Challenge. I failed once again. But at this point, it was a new year! I can do this! This a new chance. Let me try again! Those are the thoughts that I had in my head. But still, no motivation. Teaching was depressing and the list really goes on. I think it wasn’t until I started thinking about my health, my future with kids and Mark, and being my best self that I knew I NEEDED a change! My confidence was going away from me and I was like, “This is not me and it’s not who I am!” So I decided…I decided to do the Stephitness GYM Challenge!
This was my third attempt and I completed it! Words cannot express how thankful I am for this challenge. I will start off by saying that each day I truly started to feel like myself! Each day I felt stronger and I felt more confident! Each day I pushed myself but I also listened to my body! Each day I talked to myself and had nothing but positive mindset. Each day I completed each workout with all that I had. I am so so proud of myself!
As I was reflecting on this challenge, I also realized that the time frame was perfect for me to endure the last weeks of teaching. This was the hardest school year of my entire teaching career but every day I looked forward to going to the gym after work. It kept me going! I don’t know if I would’ve been able to withstand being in such a toxic, not energetic and dreadful workplace. That is truly what it was at some points in the year! And if you know anything about working out, you know that it puts you in a better mood and somehow makes you energetic after! So even if I didn’t have drastic changes, let me tell you it did help me to endure what was going on around me and inside of me. It was my release of everyday. Now, I am officially out for summer feeling more like I can actually enjoy, rest, and truly take care of myself 100% and just BE! Like just not be weary of my days at work! Finally!!!
Before I tell you all about my experience, let me tell you all the details of the challenge and what is provided etc.
1. You must have access to the gym. (not included)
2. You will have 24/7 Acccess to 5 Workouts per week for 8 Weeks
3. It has an example for each workout.
4. A nutrition guide is available (Not a meal plan)
5. Meal Ideas
6. How to Track Macros explanation
7. Tips & Recommendations
8. Email Support whenever you have questions
9. You will need Booty Bands for some workouts. (not included)
10. ANDDDDD 1st, 2nd & 3rd Money Prizes
So with alllll that being said let me tell you allllll about my thoughts on this challenge and my personal experience.
1. Okay so I loved the challenge because I didn’t waste time at the gym trying to figure out what to do next! The challenge includes all the workouts for everyday and they are split up in a way that allows your muscles to rest the next day. So for example, upper body was Monday and Tuesday was lower body but targeting specific muscles.
2. The pace and weights are ALL up to you. You are able to modify where you need to. Start small and go up where you can. Some days I felt strong and some days I took it easy.
3. The nutrition and food part was definitely the hardest! I meal prepped some weeks and some weeks I had to improvise! It is time consuming and I did not track macros because it was still a little confusing. I did track calories though. So I know that I could’ve done better with that. But if I am honest, I wanted to work on my mindset and getting back into working out because like I mentioned I didn’t have motivation to get there.
4. There is no coach around you to tell you what to do or motivate you. You need to motivate yourself and truly dig deep. Usually music helps people and surprisingly I didn’t really listen to music in my headphones. In the past, I would get upset if I did not have my music. Lol But I intentionally used the time at the gym to build up my mindset. Music is just an add on.
5. I loved that we had days to catch up if needed. It’s flexible because it is up to you when you go to the gym. 5 day workouts and if you want to do extra that is also up to you.
6. I feel like I was able to complete this workout because I posted my journey on Instagram. That truly helped me with accountability too.
7. At the end of this workout challenge, I truly do feel a difference in myself and in my drive to continue to go to the gym and that was the major goal. So if you ask me if I reached my goal the answer is YES!
8. Last but not least, Steph, the creator and coach of this challenge, gives you feedback at the end of the challenge. I honestly did not submit pictures for the first two challenges because of the fear that I wouldn't complete it. But this third time I actually did! These were her words, "Look at that waist shrinking and overall body fat decreasing The fact that you stayed motivated and concentrated these past 8 weeks shows how strong you are! It can be hard for a lot of us to workout on our own (especially at the gym), but you definitely didn't let anything stop you from achieving your goals!! From this comparison, I can tell that you made healthier eating choices throughout the challenge, which is key to success. Keep up the great work! Thank you for trusting me help guide you through your fitness journey!
So here are my results yall! What you have been waiting for! Lol
Can ya'll believe it!?! Sheesh!
So happy with my results! I may not have won the prize but I won my own race.
I want to share what I learned from this challenge and some encouragement if anyone needs this…
Know what motivates you and keeps you going. For example, Home workouts are not for me baby! Lol CLEARLY! I actually do enjoy going to the gym. I like showing off, I like being around people, and you get encouraged simply by seeing and being around people who are also in their OWN fitness journey.
Life is going to happen and it’s going to continue to happen. I have lived a blessed life but losing my dad unexpectedly shook my world. It’s still fresh and I replay a lot of what happened in mind often. But we have to keep going in this life. I want to live the life that my dad would want me to strive for. That includes taking care of myself.
Time will still go on whether you decided to start working out or not. I am so glad I did start because the weeks would still pass me by. 8 weeks of commitment. I do not regret a workout.
I feel like I’ve been trying to get fit all my life. The fact is that IT IS a journey! I have been on and off with it. And that’s okay! I am also wanting to have babies so once that is over, it’s time to be a hot wife baby momma. Lol My fitness journey will continue then as well!
ALLLL it takes is us actually getting up to do it. It’s really until we get tired of not being able to try on our old clothes or not feeling comfortable or looking at old pictures and we get annoyed with ourselves. So I was tired of feeling the way that I was feeling. So I did the challenge because I needed that push. I am so glad that I was able to finally get out of the funk that I was in for over a year and half! Restart as many times as you need to.
I am telling you about my journey and failures because I DO NOT HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER! I am telling you this because everyone at some point in their lives struggles with their weight and body. Even the people that you think look “good” or “fit” struggle with this! Like let’s stop acting like our weight is who we are. We are more than our weight. I remember someone posting a beautiful reminder on Instagram that said something about how we should thank our bodies for carrying us through so much throughout our lives: the shutdown, emotions, abuse, trauma, and everything else that life throw at us. That resonated so much with me because I have continuously said mean things to myself about my body and have forgotten what it has carried me through. The way God made us is freaking amazing and beautiful. I am thankful for my body for sustaining me through the most difficult seasons. It has carried me through anxiety, coping with grief, stress and so much more. So thank your body and thank God for the temple that he has given you. Take care of it! I am currently still the biggest that I have ever been. But I am feeling way more comfortable in my body than before. And that for me is enough. I am enough. You are enough.
(Picture on May 26. Shirt from https://fiercelybuilt.com/ Use my code: BUSYBODY for a discount
& Leggings are from Victoria Secret)
Well here it is. The end of this blog. I am super proud of myself. I am not where I want to be, but I am not where I use to be. Small Progress is still progress. If you are interested in joining any of Stephitness Challenges, do yourself a favor and follow her on Instagram! She is having another gym challenge and the last day to sign up is on Friday, June 18! She also has the Home Challenge and In Person Challenge. All the details are on her page! So if you need a push, DO IT! I highly recommend! Let me know if you do! I am still thinking of joining! Haha
This is the link for her website: https://www.stephitnesscoach.com/
This is her Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephitness_coach
Thank you guys for reading! Oh and expect a Boujee and Blessed Workout attire reallyyyyyyy soon!
Until next time!
P.S. I will never forget the times that I told my dad to workout and take care of himself. It's time for me to get back to my own advice. I remember taking him to the gym with me and I will never forget it. He is forever my motivation. I know my Daddy is rooting for me from above and telling me to, "Keep Fighting Princess!" Everything I do is for you. <3
