Jillian's Story of Rise Up Glory
LIFE BEFORE RISE UP
My biggest fear before signing up for Rise Up was staying consistent. I've always known what I should be doing, but actually implementing it was another thing. I was afraid I would lose steam after a few days and "real life" set in.
However, I was sick of not feeling confident and decided I didn't want to keep living that way.
After reading blogs by others who did Rise Up, I decided to give it a try. For me, it was knowing I’d have the motivation of Rise Up where I wouldn’t just be accountable to myself, but to my coaches as well. Plus, the program would provide me with everything I needed to succeed so this gave me the motivation to make the change.
WHAT HAPPENED WITH RISE UP
Before Rise Up, I had convinced myself meal prepping was something I just didn't have time for. However, while having 2 little kids certainly keeps me busy, I've learned that you absolutely make time for things that are a priority.
Despite my busy schedule, Rise Up taught me exactly how to make meal prep a priority. Once I got started with the program and implemented meal prep, I learned very quickly that I set myself up for success when I have multiple meals ready to go. Meal prep is no longer this ginormous task like I used to think it was.
Since Rise Up, I now batch prep several types of proteins, veggies, and smart carbs every week to use for lunches and dinners. I make smoothies for breakfast and actually find I can make multiple smoothies at once so even breakfast is ready to go!
Not having to think about what to make, or even having to think about making healthy choices, makes all the difference for me. Knowing the food I have ready to go in the refrigerator is all Rise Up approved is great! And, I learned I don’t even mind eating the same thing multiple times.
Rise Up broke nutrition down in a way that is just easy, not intimidating, and made me realize how much processed food I was consuming - especially "healthy" processed food. Following Rise Up portion sizes versus serving sizes on food labels was also a game changer. I quickly realized I was overconsuming pretty regularly.
HOW LIFE IS DIFFERENT NOW
In 6 weeks, I finally feel like myself again! I lost 11 lbs. of body fat, 10 lbs. and inches off my waist.
After having 2 kids, I sort of fell into this mindset that I would never get back to me and to just accept it. While that is certainly true of many aspects in life once you become a mom, I never felt great about the physical part of it. And most importantly, I didn't feel comfortable in my skin.
I have gained my confidence back and I finally feel like me again!! Being confident is a trait I hope to instill in my kids, and now I can lead by example.
Rise Up is different from other programs/diets, etc because it is a lifestyle! During the 6 weeks, I never felt like I couldn't have something. And as my body adjusted to my improved nutrition, my cravings for things I used to love went down. I developed habits I continue to implement past the 6 weeks of Rise Up.
Overall, Rise Up really taught me to be mindful about nutrition. Prior to “rising up’’, I was never accounting for or keeping track of the countless bites /tastes of food from my kids' plates, or handfuls of snacks I'd grab throughout the day. Now, I am more conscious and aware.
I also loved and getting to see and feel what the Rise Up nutrition was doing for my workouts. Seeing those improvements gave me the motivation to keep up with the challenge. I finally felt like I was fueling my body properly.
WHY RISE UP WORKS
I would tell anyone out there who is struggling to just try Rise Up - you would be surprised what you can accomplish when you're truly ready to make changes!
I always thought meal prep was too hard for me and something I wouldn’t be able to make time for until my kids were older. I learned I was able to make the time for it because it became a priority.
Bonus: I also learned I didn't have to spend all day Sunday doing it - that I could meal prep throughout the week so I always had food ready to go. Not having time to meal prep was totally an excuse I made for myself. Rise Up creates an environment where you are motivated and actually excited to make change.
The other thing that really helped me was reading through the blogs and seeing other success stories. It's one thing to see before and after pictures of people you don't know, and another to see progress photos of people you see day in and day out at the gym. That was inspiring for me. Reading through the blogs like this and seeing the progress photos convinced me that Rise Up worked and that if I could just follow it, I would have success as well!
It is intimidating to walk into a gym and see fit people lifting heavy weights. To get to see that some of these people weren't always that way - that they worked hard and did Rise Up to get to that point - was super motivating and encouraging for me. It just made it all seem totally doable.