AMY BEFORE STEP IT UP BOOT CAMP .........AMY AFTER 9 MONTHS WITH STEP IT UP!
I have been a yo-yo dieter for most of my adult life. I’d try each new diet plan, lose 30 lbs and then gain it back plus some. Last fall, I was 44 and had yo-yo’ed up to 100 lbs of excess weight. I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without being winded. When my stomach didn’t fit in the booths at restaurants and my rear end did not fit in the ride seats at Six Flags, I knew I could no longer pretend this was okay. And, I had an even bigger problem, my cholesterol was too high and my doctor told me I was pre-diabetic.
At my wits end, I signed up for a Step It Up Boot Camp. I sent an email describing my fitness level and secretly hoping they would say this is not for you. But, thankfully (in retrospect) they said “you can do it”. They were right! The first session was incredibly difficult, but the nutrition guidelines were easy to follow and at the post-test, I saw real improvements. I lost 9 lbs, I was able to run a little further (instead of walk), do a few more push-ups and sit-ups, and best of all, I felt like I had met a challenge and turned a corner. The Step It Up staff were so encouraging and motivating.
Now after 9 months of Step It Up, I have lost 60 lbs. I have run a 5K. My cholesterol and blood sugar are back in the normal range. I feel more confident, and I’m now an official exercise-aholic. I’m training for a triathlon while I work to lose the remaining 40 lbs. My son said to me the other day that he saw me from behind at a store and did not recognize me. My husband said that it is nice to be married to someone who is not “helpless”. But the best part is that I’m living a fuller life and I feel great.
Amy
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Bobby....our very own STEP IT UP Smyrna Instructor
2006 Before STEP IT UP ............ .......... 2007 After STEP IT UP
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
 |
 |
Wendy before. |
Wendy after three months at Step It Up! |
For many years I have been plagued by energy-zapping aching, stiffness, and slow movement. The doctor told me it was arthritis and I was heading for joint replacement of a hip and knee. He told me to lose weight to try to put off surgery as long as possible. But my weight issue was related to my inactivity, pain, and emotions so it was an uphill battle. I tried many exercise plans but my busyness as a working mom made consistency almost impossible and my best efforts were not fruitful.
I had heard about the Step It Up Outdoor Fitness classes earlier in the year. But when I looked into it, I thought that it was a poor choice for a body with arthritis. My doctor said to avoid cool temperatures and running. But when the class was offered close to my house at the only time that I could consistently attend, I signed up on a whim.
I am so thankful! It turns out that my arthritis is not aggravated by cold or running as much as it was aggravated by weight and inactivity. Using those joints consistently, while having fun, and heating them up with activity, was the very thing for me. The eating regiment was easy to follow because I was physically too tired to "emotionally" eat, plus I did NOT want to have to do the exercises required if I didn't follow the program. My energy level soared, I began to sleep like a baby, and......my clothes began
to grow.
I don't know how much weight I have lost, but my jeans are 3 sizes smaller (at least the tight ones that are so much fun to wear), and I'm going to wear my daughter's prom dress to an event this weekend! I still have a bit to go, but for the first time I know that I now have a plan to get there that will work. And it is fun, and involves a group of new friends, and...... I feel like my whole life has stepped up.
Wendy
At the end of September, 2006 I was 41 years old, wieghed 250 pounds, hadn’t exercised in years, I was sleeping poorly due to stress and my diet was awful. After some serious goading from friends and running out of every excuse I could think of, I attended my first fitness camp in October. I am starting my fifth camp next week, I weigh 220 pounds, I have more energy than I’ve had in years, I sleep great at night, I blow off the stress every day and I am eating good food. It has impacted my entire family and my wife is participating in the camps as well. I love it, I wish I had done it sooner!
Jim
________________________________________________________________________________________________
“On the first day we were asked to list 3 goals. With very little optimism, my goals were:
- Eat well: We were checked every day by the instructors and advised accordingly.
- Loose 10 lbs: I lost 12 lbs.
- Survive: The instructors are always encouraging and telling us "push yourself just a little harder". I exceeded my 3 goals.
Moral of the story: Your goals are obtainable you just have to "Step It Up".
Jean
"When my friend and neighbor first told me about ′Boot Camp″ I believe I responded with a resounding: ″Are you insane? What sort of person gets up at that hour to exercise?″ But as I faced the truth of my own health, I realized I needed to be that sort of person. When I started with Step It Up! I could hardly walk the flight of stairs to my daughters' bedroom. Just last week, when my daughter requested something from her room, I jumped from the car, jogged to the front door, up the stairs to her bedroom, back down and to the car again. The look on my teenage son's face was worth every drop of sweat. My increased energy level is worth every aching muscle and those stairs - that used to tire me just by their mere existence - are a conquered mountain worth every lost minute of sleep."
Joyce
“If someone would have told me that I could lose countless inches and pounds and be in comparable shape and fitness to what I was in college 20+ years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it could have been done. Not only have I accomplished that, but I’ve done it in a relatively short time and continue to improve. I also greatly appreciate the commitment and enthusiasm of the instructors towards my improvement.”
Joe
“Step It Up has been great for me! Never have I loved/hated something in my entire life! I loved working out with other people trying like myself to achieve what I never thought I could accomplish! The program and teachers pushed me to levels I never could have gotten to by myself. It was hard getting up so early and doing a lot of the exercises but it was worth those inches in my hips disappearing!! After having three children I was very discouraged with the way I looked and felt...after completing Step It Up I feel so much stronger in my thinking, in my diet and with my self image.”
Tami
“After the first week I started noticing positive changes to my body, after the second week other people did. By the fourth week I was down a pants size. I can't wait to see what changes the next month will bring."
Robin
________________________________________________________________________________________________