For most of my life I have struggled with my body image. I have tried almost every fad diet and new workout craze. However, it never yielded the results I desperately needed. 

 

It all began in high school when I was convinced that the only way to lose weight was run. So I joined the track team and ran for hours every day. When I went to college, my workouts consisted of getting on an elliptical for an hour a day and hoping that skinny jeans would fit again. Well…needless to say, that didn’t happen. In fact, I ended up gaining weight, nearly 20 pounds. 

 

After college I decided to go on yet another diet and get a personal trainer. I began training with a trainer. I worked out with him for nearly 2 years. The majority of our workouts were cardio based and rarely involved lifting weights. So for me, someone who loved doing cardio, it was pretty easy. After countless hours spent in the gym and several thousand dollars later, I had lost maybe five pounds and 3% body fat. Again, I was left feeling discouraged and like I would never feel comfortable with my body. 

 

I finally decided to join a new gym. It was September 2010 that I began to workout with my new trainer, Josh Garrett. Having already had a trainer for 2 years, I was convinced that I knew everything and went into our workouts as a bit of a know it all. Through a lot of tough love, Josh was about to prove to me that I had been going about working out and dieting the wrong way for years. I was reluctant at first, but slowly I started to listen. I drastically cut back on cardio and began lifting more weights. It didn’t take long until I was finally able to feel and see muscle definition that I didn’t even think I was capable of having. 

 

Josh not only shifted my mindset in the gym, but he also had a very strong impact on my diet as well as my overall lifestyle. He personalized a diet that was specific to my body and what it needed to be strong. He taught me over and over again that it is not what the scale says; it is actually paying attention to the changes in my body. I now have the foundation to be successful and more importantly I realize that it is not just a phase or a fad this time…I now have a healthy, confident lifestyle. 

 

Finally, after years of yo-yo dieting and fad workouts, I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I will wear a bikini this summer and feel confident :) 

 

BMI – 24% down to 18%!