Meet Katie: From Excuses to Results!

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 not sticking with the commitment the entire 6 weeks. I feared I’d give in to excuses and temptations, 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: First, some of my favorite pants were getting too tight. Second, I was reading a lot about nutrition and wanting to put those suggestions into practice. My biggest struggle with nutrition was my lack of meal planning, meal prepping and eating too many bites, licks, and tastes throughout the day. Plus, I was addicted to sugary coffee creamer and dark chocolate. Beyond the changes I wanted to make for myself, I was also motivated to create healthier habits for my family. My kids were eating too much sugar and processed food, and I knew we all needed more vegetables and balanced, nutritious meals. I wanted to prepare more home-cooked meals that were based on macronutrients: proteins, veggies, smart carbs and healthy fats. Even though I knew what needed to change, I needed the accountability—especially with meal planning, food prepping, and portion control. I also wanted help staying on track with working out more often, lifting heavier weights, and getting outside to walk, even in the winter. Enter Rise Up! Before Rise Up, my main barrier was excuses: “I need my sugary coffee creamer because it brings me joy!” … “I can never get up for the 5:30am class!” … “It’s too cold to walk outside!”… 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. These excuses paired with laziness, doom scrolling on social media, fear of failure, and uncertainty about how to start had held me back for years…until I decided to Rise Up! Rise Up helped me push past these struggles! A huge “AHA!” moment that I needed to make serious changes 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 exercises in the Rise Up workbook also helped me confront my excuses and come up with action steps to actually address them instead of just perpetuating the cycle. 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 ways! First, I’ve changed that negative voice in my head that used to tell me I couldn’t do hard things.  Although I battled that voice throughout the six weeks, I’m proud of myself for pushing through and not giving up! Second, I now have more confidence in myself and my ability to challenge myself!  Some new habits I’ve formed include:

• I’m now a 5:30am workout person – no excuses!
• 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.
• I use a pedometer to track my steps and it reminds me to move rather than scroll through social media.
• 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.

The accountability of tracking my food each week and turning it into my very own coach 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. And although I’ve never done another program, 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, being uncomfortable, and pushing through the voices telling you to quit, you’ll not only experience change – you’ll be proud of yourself! And, that pride will keep you moving forward and create lasting change!