Jess’ Story of Rise Up Glory
“I was 9 months postpartum and needed an extra push to see a body I was proud of in the mirror. Rise Up was about being held accountable and building sustainable, healthier habits. In 6-weeks I created new habits I can do every day.”
When it came time for Rise Up 2022, it had been a few years since I had done the program. At that point, I was 9 months postpartum and needed an extra push to see a body I was proud of in the mirror. Despite wanting to do it an knowing I needed it, my biggest fear was signing up, spending the first 1-2 weeks fully committed and then having one day of going “off track” completely derail my focus, deflate my motivation and lead me back to what I was doing before: not meal prepping on the weekends, rushing around every few days to pull together healthy meals and pouring a few drinks each night.
Before Rise Up, I wasn’t putting enough effort into prepping meals for the week. Instead, I was going to the grocery store 2-3 times a week, scrambling to create balanced lunches and dinners. My weekly scramble lead to my husband and I typically eating out 2-3x/week. And, we all know when you’re eating out, it’s a lot easier to go for the “bad” stuff (aka delicious stuff) on the menu than put together a healthier option.
On top of this, each night I would pour a few drinks while making dinner; tacking on more unnecessary calories to my meal. It was a vicious cycle each week. There was no consistency - only constant fluctuation in prepping one week, then spending the next 2-3 weeks just getting by.
I decided to Rise Up and push past my fears knowing the program included weekly check-ins from my coach, a cookbook with endless options, weekly meals plans / menus, a (private) Rise Up Facebook group, and attendance tracker displayed at the gym to tally our workouts. These things alone guaranteed there was enough to hold me accountable and not only get back but stay on track.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH RISE UP
Before Rise Up, my biggest struggles were meal prepping, portion control and drinking my calories. Once meal prepping became routine, I got in the habit of using our kitchen scale and measuring cups to ensure I was eating enough of the foods I needed: protein, smart carbs, heart healthy fats and veggies. Before Rise Up, I’d throw anything on my plate and eyeball portions. Learning how to properly fuel my body based on recommended portions made me realize I wasn’t eating enough protein and like many, love my carbs and was eating a little more than I should have!
The Rise Up 7 Essentials tracking guides made it visually easy to see if I wasn’t eating enough as well as where I was overindulging. The tracking guides map out everything for you so you know exactly what to do each and every day as well as ensure you are getting enough protein, carbs, fats and veggies. For me personally, I found using red ink to circle spots where I overindulged served as a friendly reminder to stay on track (and to see less red on that page!). Each night, I would make a cup of tea and always felt super accomplished if I could write a “0” under the row “alcoholic beverages consumed”, and if I didn’t have to circle anything in red.
When I first started Rise Up, my goal was grocery shopping Saturdays after my Results Fitness workout and then meal prepping that same day or Sunday. Based on my schedule and which meals felt hardest to prepare during the week, I prepared breakfasts, lunches and veggies for dinners. Having these options available completely eliminated the weekday stress and scramble I dealt with prior to Rise Up. Not to mention, it freed up my time and energy during the week and felt like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders!
Another goal was to eliminate/limit my alcohol consumption. I couldn’t out train my diet, so I had two choices: be accepting of my body or, make a change. Despite a couple social events where I would indulge, eliminating the nightly drinks was a huge reason I was able to see results.
Another perk being part of Rise Up? I loved being part of the (private) Rise Up Facebook group, getting meal ideas and learning new tips and tricks from other members. Also, this time around I had a bigger support system. My husband got on board at home and other members at the gym and I pulled together and started sharing our workout schedules, dinner ideas and motivational stuff found online. It was just nice being able shoot a text to someone who might be having the same struggle. Finding a gym buddy(ies) was HUGE for me.
HOW LIFE IS DIFFERENT NOW
Since completing Rise Up, I’ve created habits I can continue doing every day on my own. There was no reinventing the wheel here; Rise Up was about being held accountable and building sustainable, healthier habits. In 6 weeks, I created new and healthy habits that will carry me on forever.
If you’ve been struggling to find something that works, need support and accountability and want to make changes, my advice is to RISE UP! Get through that 2-week hump because it’s going to be an adjustment. However, after that adjustment settles, the habits start to form. Carve out the time each week to grocery shop and meal prep, those couple of hours spent in one-two days outweigh the stress of not having a meal planned during the week. Step out of your comfort zone, reach out to someone next to you and make a new gym buddy or two, it’s more fun doing 100 Kettlebell swings that way. And lastly, get your a$$ to Results Fitness!