It’s amazing how quickly we get absorbed in our busy lives and often forget to really take care of ourselves. Are we eating well, exercising, sleeping well, drinking enough water, doing something quiet or peaceful for ourselves? I realized I wasn’t, and I was paying for it. My energy was low, I became a restless sleeper, was gaining weight, and catching more colds throughout the year. I got caught up in this whirlwind blaming my new career as a nurse as the source to how I was feeling. Though I’m sure my new schedule and balancing a new career played a hand in how I felt, I sure wasn’t doing anything to change or help myself.
Finally, in April 2016, tired of feeling like crap and putting things off, I decided to get a body fat scan done. Wow, did the results shock me. I was off the charts and not in a good way. I knew I lost touch with myself, but I didn’t realize how far down I fell. This was the start to regaining control of myself! I set three goals:
+ This had to be a lifestyle change, not a fad or a diet
+ It needed to be practical and efficient to fit my ever-changing schedule
+ Maximize change by burning fat and building lean muscle
Already being a member of Alkalign Studios, I figured I would start here, attending classes 2-3 times per week, incorporating at least one Barre Align and one Cardio Align class each week. Luckily, at this time, Alkalign Anywhere rolled out, and I could add in doing the videos in my own home or when I was out of town. The online workout videos were a game changer for me because of my inconsistent schedule. I got the same great muscle burning workout that allowed me to increase my workouts from 2-3 times per week to 4-5 times per week. I quickly developed a practical routine that was both efficient and enjoyable.
Now that I began tackling my exercise routine, it was time to make adjustments to my diet. I am firm believer of “everything in moderation.” And though I still don’t believe in completely cutting anything out of my diet, I instead learned what works for me and my body. I had already started making small changes when Alkalign Nourish 1.0 started, but I decided to join and embrace it and see what else I could learn. Nourish seemed to hold the same values I did about learning what works for you and making changes that fit your lifestyle. I learned so much about how food affects my mood, my energy, my sleep patterns, and even my skin.
Three months later, July 2016, I already felt a difference in my energy level, sleep patterns, and weight but I wanted a repeat body scan to see if my changes were making the difference I was looking for. Answer: yes they were! I was down 5lbs in body weight, my body fat percent was down 4%, and I was up 1.5lbs in lean muscle. Wow! I couldn’t have been happier. Four months later, I was even down a full size in pants. Even though I love these numbers, and I can’t wait to see the progression, I truly just love how I feel. I look forward to the mornings, I love crawling into bed at night knowing I’m going to sleep peacefully, and I have the motivation and energy to workout and prepare healthy meals. I set out to find a routine that fit my busy life schedule and instead I have adopted a routine that is just apart of my daily life.
