It’s no mystery that taking care of our bodies is important. What we do and how we eat directly impacts our health and wellness today and tomorrow. As important as it is, somehow it can still be really hard to make a change, make a healthy choice, or start a new habit. That’s where Brooke was at the beginning of her 12-Week Challenge with Lift-STL.
Brooke reflects “I’ve had an unhealthy relationship with my body and food for as long as I can remember. I’m ready now more than ever to take control over my health and wellness. For the first time in my adult life I’m at a job that has consistent hours and a work/life balance that would be ideal for me to take something like this on.”
At Lift-STL they believe in focusing on one goal at a time and having a very specific plan for said goal. Most people don’t have a lot of time to spare for the gym, so Lift-STL wants to make that time count. They have a process and workout plan that maximizes time spent in the gym and most importantly–gets results!
Brooke had the opportunity to pair up with Lift-STL for the plan and personal training, and with Metabolic Meals for the nutrition and premium quality meals. It’s amazing to see what’s possible with the right ingredients and the right attitude!
It wouldn’t be a journey without some bumps along the road–it is called a challenge after all. In the beginning Brooke discussed her biggest obstacle as “reframing my mindset around a new routine. Right now, I mostly workout at home/play tennis. Gyms can be intimidating to me, but having a trainer/coach has always given me the confidence that I need.” And she’s right: getting started can be hard, sticking to the plan can be hard, and balancing all that with the other life responsibilities can be hard. That’s why acknowledging your obstacles early and keeping things as simple and as stress-free as possible makes such a difference.
Tips to Simplify Your Fitness Journey
1. Have a goal. Fat loss, muscle building, maintenance–whatever it is, be clear about what you’re going after.
2. Have a plan. 12-week fitness challenges are great because they can line out the goals and small milestones for each day.
3. Have your meals ready. If you’ve got your meals planned out for each day, it’s one less thing you need to think about.
4. Have a buddy. Whether that’s a friend, a trainer, or maybe even a pet? Just someone that helps motivate and support you when you need a boost can help.
5. Have a “Why”. There will be hard days, and on those hard days if you can remember why you took on this fitness journey, that can make it a little less hard.
How Brooke Described Her Journey
4 Weeks in—Phase 1: “I made it through the holidays, which was maybe my biggest struggle. But all in all, it was super worth it. I’ve been really consistent with my diet. Metabolic Meals has truly made it so easy. I don’t even really have to think, about what I’m eating and hitting my protein goals. And super easy to track. They all pop up in the app and I just hit the check mark.”
Logging your nutrition details highlights good and bad habits which allows you to make better choices over the long run. Scan your Metabolic Meals’ barcodes within your favorite nutrition apps.
“I would say this past week has been my first kind of low energy moment, and then I ended up having one of my better weeks, having to overcome that. Like either mental block or I’m not sure but, I ended the week feeling really, really good and I think my results show that.”
“We upped my step count to 12,000 a day, so that’s maybe been the most challenging difference here in phase two, but it is getting me up and moving and hitting it every day. Also a good, positive, thing I would say is–I’m not feeling hungry. That was a little bit of a concern with, you know, watching my calorie intake, but getting all my protein is really helping me just feel very content throughout the day. I’m not thinking about what I’m eating next or trying to snack in between.”
After 12 weeks, is the end really the end? Not for Brooke.
“The first six weeks were really hard, I was just sore all the time. And I was like, ‘Man, what did I get myself into?’ Then, these last four weeks I really found some momentum. I’m feeling really strong, and now being on the other side of the 12 weeks… I feel more ready to go even further. Normally I would be like, ‘Okay, I hit the finish line, I’m done.’ But now I’m on an upswing of momentum and I just don’t want to stop.”
“I think also, as you start seeing the results, you get more motivated. And motivation doesn’t just happen, you know. It’s a byproduct of doing the hard things.”
“Metabolic Meals really helped me on my journey, through these 12 weeks. It was one decision I didn’t have to make every day with what I was going to eat, and it left out any bad decisions I maybe could have made. I would say it gave me ideas on portion sizes and what hitting my protein goal looks like in a day.”
“My biggest takeaway from this journey is just, little changes every day really get you to your goal in the long run. I’ve always been pretty end-of-goal focused, whereas this has kept me focused every single day on the different tasks. And I think I just need to keep that in mind moving forward. Every small change you make is going to impact the bigger picture.”
Eric from Lift-STL describes the process similarly “You don’t have to wait until you reach your dream body to feel like you are winning. I have found fun in the small, daily successes. Following the “processes” we created in The Lift Transformation books, I know exactly what to do each day, which frees up my brain to make other decisions. I have more energy, and my strength is going up on all of my lifts. The craziest thing is, by switching my mindset from ‘big results’ to ‘these are the actions I need to take today to move the needle forward,’ I’m realizing those results I have been chasing all along.”
There are some other perks and benefits from taking on a fitness challenge like this, too. Brooke shared “this is the most I’ve felt like I have tools going forward. I was telling myself along the way, ‘it’s all worth it.’ Like when you get on the other side, you’re going feel like your best self and it’s going to trickle into every area of your life. Relationships, work, personal, your mental health, all of it has just been so worth it.”
12-Week Challenge Stats | Lost 32 lbs of body fat — Gained 3 lbs of muscle mass
10 rep max strength improvements | +60 lbs Heels Elevated Back Squat +25 lbs Romanian Deadlift +15 lbs Single Arm Bent over Row
Final Takeaway
Losing weight is hard, but there are a few ways to help take some of the stress off your plate. Consider working with a personal trainer to help plan meals and workouts that will meet your needs. In addition, using a fresh meal delivery service will help you ensure you’re getting the quality food and correct portions that you need. Contact us today to find out how Metabolic Meals can help with your own transformation journey.
