Meet long-time RF Warrior Katie! Katie’s journey through our 6-week coaching program Rise Up was fueled by a mix of motivation and self-doubt. With a history of struggles in sticking to fitness and nutrition goals, she decided to face her fears head-on and embrace the challenge, eventually achieving lasting change and the best results!
Before I signed up for Rise Up, my biggest hesitation was that I wouldn’t be able to stick with the commitment for the entire program. I was worried I’d give in to excuses and temptations a couple of weeks in, not only wasting the money but, more importantly, disappointing myself.
What made me overcome those fears and take the leap was a combination of things.
Some of my favorite pants were getting too tight, I had skin issues I wanted to address holistically, and I was reading about nutrition and wanted to put those suggestions into practice. I wanted to cook more home-cooked meals that were macro-based, and I knew I needed accountability for meal planning, food prep, and portion control.
My kids were eating a lot of sugar and processed foods, and I wanted to make a change for them too. We also needed to eat more vegetables, and I needed to be held accountable for actually including them in our meals.
Plus, I wanted accountability to workout more often, lift heavier weights, and get outside to walk, even in the winter.
Before Rise Up, my main barrier was excuses. I had thoughts like, “I need my sugary coffee creamer because it brings me joy,” “I can never get up for the 5:30am class,” and “It’s too cold to walk outside.”.
I also struggled with laziness, doom scrolling on social media, fear of failure, and uncertainty about how to start. I was making meals on a whim, consuming too much sugar in things I didn’t realize were a problem, like creamer, dark chocolate, and high-sugar oat milk.
Rise Up helped me push past these struggles. A huge “AHA!” moment was the InBody scan, where I learned my actual body fat percentage – and let me tell you, that data really motivated me to make a change.
The self-evaluation exercise in the Rise Up workbook also helped me confront my excuses and come up with action steps to address them. For example, I always failed at walking in the winter, but by writing it down and brainstorming ways to make it easier (like getting a fleece headband and warmer leggings), I was able to make progress.
A big focus with Rise Up is meal planning and meal prepping,,which was key. Tracking my meals and receiving on-going feedback from Coach Amie each week kept me accountable.
Now that I’ve completed Rise Up, my life is different in so many ways1
I’ve changed that negative voice in my head that used to tell me I couldn’t do hard things. I battled that voice throughout the six weeks, but I’m proud of myself for pushing through and not giving up.
I now have more confidence in myself and my ability to challenge myself! Some new habits I’ve formed include:
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I’m now a 5:30am workout person – no excuses!
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I’ve started meal planning at the beginning of the week and ordering groceries via Aldi Instacart for pickup, which has been a huge time-saver.
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I use a pedometer to track my steps and it reminds me to move rather than scroll through social media.
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I’m eating veggies at nearly every meal and making healthier swaps for some of my favorite foods, like switching to cleaner coffee creamer and oat milk.
Before Rise Up, my biggest struggle with nutrition was my lack of meal planning and prepping, plus eating too many “bites, licks, and tastes” throughout the day. I was also addicted to sugary coffee creamer and dark chocolate and wasn’t eating enough vegetables.
The accountability of tracking my food each week and turning it in to my very own coach, Coach Amie, helped me overcome these struggles.
I was able to make real changes in my exercise and nutrition routine that I haven’t been able to do on my own in years.
In six weeks, I’m now working out five times a week, walking regularly, reducing my consumption of sugary and processed foods, eating veggies and protein with most meals, and drinking plenty of water. Most importantly, I reduced my body fat percentage from 27.2% to 21.6%!
Rise Up is different from other programs because it’s not marketed as a quick-fix or a diet. It’s more of a sustainable approach to learning how to eat and exercise for life. I’ve never done another program, but I love how Rise Up holds me accountable with weekly feedback and guidance.
If you’re struggling with your health, fitness, and nutrition, and you’re unsure how to get results, I’d tell you this:
If you can admit to the excuses you’ve been telling yourself and commit to putting yourself first, be uncomfortable, and push through the voices telling you to quit, you’ll not only experience change – you’ll be proud of yourself. That pride will keep you moving forward and create lasting change.