Meet Ginny and See Her Tremendous Transformation
Meet Ginny - and boy does she have a great story about her transformation! Ginny is almost 40 and lives in North Carolina with two dogs and a rabbit (or her best lifting buddies!) She has been a high school science teacher for almost 15 years.
Ginny told us in her 20s she felt she was young, and in decent shape, with no effort on my end. She could do a Spartan race or hike down the Grand Canyon, without even thinking about it.
But she noticed a change as she entered her 30s and realized her body was losing some of its strength and mobility and recovery time from activities was greatly increasing.
Then in 4 years she gained 30 pounds. While out on a back packing trip with friends Ginny suddenly realized that she was NOT having fun and it was exclusively because she was struggling to move and breath and keep up.
When Ginny arrived back home, she realized she had a decision to make. She could either change her lifestyle to be more healthy and enjoy her adventures or not change and stop going on adventures.
Believe it or not, she chose the second option for nearly a year and had to turn down several traveling opportunities because of decreased health and wellness. Finally when faced with the prospect of saying "no" to yet another trip, Ginny got fed up and said "ENOUGH!" And got started working to become the person she wanted to be.
Ginny told us she had tried all the usual diets over the years, including Weight Watchers, and Keto but didn't stick with them and hated cutting out entire food groups. So she decided to try something different.
She counted calories, but decided that nothing was off limits. She told herself she could eat whatever she wanted as long as it fit into a daily calorie budget. Ginny did research to determine what calorie range worked for her and found a system that became like second nature to follow.
Ginny decided to try Zumba and boxing classes and even worked with a few personal trainers. She loved to lift heavy things - or at least she did several years ago! - but didn't have her workouts planned and so wasn't consistent with the lifting.
Then a friend asked her to join CrossFit. She didn't think it would be a fit, but did recognized she needed the accountability. So off she went to join and was thrilled to find she loved it! She did it 4-5 times a week - and doing it with a friend helps because they motivate each other.
Ginny said the biggest change her for was realizing this had to be a mental and lifestyle turnaround instead of just a short term, "I'm doing this for now/just until I get X Y Z results" short term deal. Having friends around as part of the experience has been a huge benefit as well.
And, she says, at the end of the day, knowing that the work she is doing at the gym and in the kitchen is translating to her being able to live her best, active, adventure filled life and she said "That is what keeps me going!"
She wants everyone to know that she is not some highly motivated, always successful person - she said when this started she didn't think she would stick with anything or have the motivation to even get started. But she had to find her WHY - and that's what she encourages YOU to do!
She wants everyone to know that weight loss and lifestyle change aren't a "one size fits all" process. You can lose weight a million different ways but it's all about finding the one way that works best for you; your body, your lifestyle, your resources and your reasons for doing it in the first place.
And another big part? She said, "Don't feel like you have to do EVERYTHING all the time. And don't feel guilty if something isn't right for you. Find the right reasons for you to do the thing, then try different things until you find that thing that works for you!!"
We are so proud of Ginny and the change she made in her life. We can't wait to hear about al the adventures she goes on with her lifestyle!
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