What Does Two Years of Training Look Like?
My Journey
In 2010, I received a pre diabetes diagnosis and knew I wanted a change but I did not take any action. Then 2011 came, and so began my health and wellness journey. Prior, I had never been consistent. I would start, keep at it for a bit then stop. One day it hit me. I had a real conversation with myself about where I wanted to be and what I was willing to do.
My challenge was to just be consistent with my health and wellness (see below for my progress photos from 2011 to 2019). If I was so consistent with school, family and friends, could I apply that same level of commitment to my own well-being? I then committed to a lifestyle of mindfulness, activeness and positivity. I wanted to live a life that could be sustainable with habits and routines that worked for me and not strive for perfection.
In December 2016 I was diagnosed with a herniated disc (L5-S1). I attended physical therapy from Jan thru May 2017. Attending physical therapy changed my life. Pre physical therapy & pre personal trainer I lost 47 pounds. Post physical therapy & having a personal trainer I lost 39 pounds. Total of 86 pounds lost since 2011. It is more than just the scale, it’s about how you feel and committing to a lifestyle. Change takes time. Change takes patience. Habits soon become routine. That routine in turn becomes a lifestyle.
2017
I dived right into online personal training July 2017 w/ Susan. I strength trained 3 days a week and I did cardio 2 days a week. It was my first time strength training. All my workouts were at home. My cardio was just simply walking on the track for 30 mins. I did not get a gym membership till that October 2017 simply because it was getting colder in NYC and I needed a way to get my cardio in. I also decided to go plant based.
Below I provided graphics of my measurements taken in July 2017 and now my current measurements taken in July 2019. In 2017 I was in a caloric deficit. My calories were set at 1600 and I tracked my macros. First time I was exposed to this. I did not have a goal weight. I just wanted to get strong, keep my back safe and assumed weight would come off as a result
I did not know what was in store for my future, I was nervous but I was committed and ready.
2018
The weight continued to come off. I was still in a caloric deficit. I was getting stronger. I was feeling amazing. My back pain and back spasms left. I ran a 5K every month for a year. I went on a fitness retreat to Costa Rica. The list goes on and on. I was becoming the best version of myself.
July 2018 came and I got to a point where I did not want to loose anymore weight. I just felt comfortable in my body and decided I did not want to be in a calorie deficit anymore. I was never focused on the number of the scale.
So I started a reverse diet where my calories were gradually increased from 1600 to a place where my body felt comfortable enough to maintain and not loose weight nor gain weight. I am currently still maintaining my weight. Right now my caloric maintenance is at 2,100. I have maintained my weight for 1 yr. I have never in my life been able to do that. I have always gone up in weight.
I decided I wanted to further educate myself. I became Nutritious Life Certified from The Nutritious Life Studio by Keri Glassman March 2018. My goal was to get a personal trainer certification but not work with clients. I wanted to study for purely educational purposes. I initially thought that in turn training would feel like a “job” and I would lose the passion for fitness. So I started studying August 2018. As I started studying I would have many aha moments. I was able to connect the dots to my own experiences, my own training, all of it. It was so eye opening. I fell in love.
2019
In January 2019, I started personal training w/ Abel and at a gym (whoa!). I do not do cardio anymore (double whoa!). I deadlift weight at 155. I can do chin ups now. I know how to use gym equipment. We are also transitioning me from home workouts to just now solely gym workouts.
In March 2019 I become a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). I also became Adult & Pediatric CPR/AED Certified through the American Red Cross.
I now have a business. I have a small group of clients who I train (triple whoa!). I am simply amazed and extremely grateful of the person I have evolved into. I literally pinch myself everyday. Two years ago I did not envision that this would be my life.
I hope that my Dad is proud of me. My dad James passed away in 2014. He was able to witness the first year of my journey. My IG handle and business name are dedicated to him. If only he could see me now. Despite all of my dad’s health battles he was a fighter through and through. He never gave up. I’m proud to have that very gene and carry on his beautiful legacy.
Conclusion
I would like to thank Susan and Abel for showing me the way. For being my cheerleaders and support system. For being kind and patient. I have learned so much from them both. Saying thank you is simply not enough. I hope you both know how much you mean to me. The work we have done together is immeasurable.
So what’s next? Well this is for life. My wealth is my health. I will continue to get trained, I will continue to train others, I will continue to learn and grow. I am looking forward to every day, week, month and year of my life.
I hope that sharing my personal experience can aide in your own personal journeys as you continue to work on your own personal fitness and nutrition goals.
If you have any questions, comments and/or want to discuss further please contact me. I would love to chat.
xoxoxo,
Jess
“Discipline is consistency of action ”
