Chris BurchTestimonial Cont...
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Client: Chris Burch
Trainer: Ashley Williams

Ashley Williams, my trainer EXTRAORDINAIRE has been a part of my fitness journey for over a year now. She saw a woman walk into the gym,41 years old, 50-60 pounds overweight, and very out of shape and probably thought, “Wow, I’ll earn every penny off of this one.!”

So, in all honesty, your fitness journey starts with taking the step to join a gym and get moving. Yes, you can exercise at home, walk outside, meet for Mom’s Day at the park. Which are all great activities, but these are leisure activities and they are done as you find time for them. Joining a gym gives you a sense of responsibility. First, you’re paying for it. Second, if you hire a trainer, they depend on you being there. Third, you must carve the time out JUST for you. You don’t “find time” you “make time.“ No kids, no husbands, no Mom’s club. The time is YOURS and YOURS only. And don’t feel guilty about it. You work hard, some away from the home and managing a family, others just managing a family. You deserve some time for you, and well, now is that time.

Joining the gym. UGH! I can remember being so embarrassed to walk into the gym. So many fit people and I figured they were all looking at frumpy, fat ‘ol me. I just wanted to turn around and walk back out. But as the days in the gym progressed, I came to realize that these are all people trying to accomplish the same goals of being fit. We all have different fitness goals, but the one thing we all had in common - getting fit. So for anyone to be in the gym, there is respect for all regardless of your age, your shape, your fitness level. Most were just proud to see that you were in there doing something to better yourself. The judgment that we all think occurs because our fat rolls are showing…..just doesn’t happen. So just let that go. You are there for you and your fitness, nothing else matters.

My fitness journey began in March of 2009. Let’s just say I had a life changing event that made me realize at age 41, at my weight, with low self esteem, tired, didn’t want to leave the house, none of my clothes fit; I didn’t like the future I saw for me and only envisioned getting heavier and heavier. Actually had a dream that they would have to use a crane to get me out of my bed one day! Not pleasant. My cholesterol was 278, LDL(bad cholesterol was 172) and I have a strong family history of heart disease. After consulting with my physician, he said you have 6 months to get this cholesterol under control on your own, if you can’t; I have no choice but to start you on medication due to your family history of coronary heart disease. Now, that was another EYE OPENER. Talking about my own mortality with my physician at age 41. Goodness, I had so much life to live - why wasn’t I giving myself every opportunity to live the one life I’ve been given in a much better way to ensure longevity?

In March of 2009, I hired my personal trainer, Ashley Williams. In the beginning, I had realistic expectations. Setting small goals, realistic goals, and attainable goals. Ashley gave me the exact workouts structured to my fitness level and goals to get me there. I began this journey at a size 16. My first goal was to get into a size 12. (The scale just isn’t that important ladies. It will never say what we want it to. So measure success by how you feel in clothes or inches, body fat loss; FORGET THE SCALE!) I thought that would be attainable and sustainable. Yep, size 12 and I’ll be good. When that goal was reached, Ashley said, are you sure you can’t work your way down to a size 10. I laughed out loud, literally. I think she may have been a little offended. But I responded, I haven’t been a size 10 since I was 18 years old….that just IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! So, we just went back to our normal training routine.

My workouts consisted of training 6 days a week. 3 days of weight training, followed by 20 minutes of cardio; and 3 days of just 30 minutes of cardio. Just a notation here, that was my routine, my desire to be in the gym 6 days a week. Everyone’s commitment level is different, and that’s ok….JUST GET IN THE GYM! And be consistent. If you decide 3 days a week is what your gym goals are, then be at the gym 3 days a week. No excuses. An excuse is a lazy way of claiming you can’t be doing something that you know you should be. Unfortunately, lazy will not get you the desired result.

With my continued fitness regimen, before I knew it, I was in a size 10! Never did I think this was possible. Ashley did, though. She knew it and that is why she continued to push me. Sometimes we have preconceived notions regarding our abilities. Our head tells us no before we even try. Always try, regardless of what your head says; let your body tell you that you can’t. You will be amazed at what your body can do if you listen to it. And the overwhelming feeling of success when you’ve accomplished something that your head has always told you that you couldn’t do; really no words to describe that feeling; other than it feels fabulous and it just further motivates you to push harder. What else can I do, what else can I accomplish?

Working out, cardio, weight training…all VERY important. But you knew it was coming….YOUR DIET! How are you fueling your body, what type of gas are you putting in to ensure it is running as efficient as possible? Now, I’m not going to lie. I struggled in this area. Of course, I joined Weight Watchers, which is a great program. They helped me knock off my first 20 pounds. Once I had the tools to eat right, I stopped going to meetings. I needed to depend on myself to make the right choices and also be okay with myself when I didn’t. Let’s be real, fitness and eating right are not just a temporary fix to look good at your 25 Year Class Reunion. Fitness and eating right must be LIFESTYLE changes. It has to be “just what you do.” When I finally convinced my body that I DO still have a metabolism (it had been lying dormant for about 15 years, so I think it thought it had moved to Tahiti and retired) I quickly became aware of what I could get away with in my diet and what was going to cause havoc. I made modifications in my diet, most definitely. But I didn’t stop eating the things I loved. Remember, this is a lifestyle change, so was I really going to be able to give up Margaritas for the rest of my life…..UM, NOOOOOO! I found a balance between eating right, eating a little naughty, enjoying an adult beverage and most important…staying in the gym 5-6 times a week.

When Ashley found out I got to a size 10, you all know what her next question was? No, it wasn’t can I take you out to celebrate your accomplishments? (LOL) It was, yes, you guessed it….”Do you think we can get you into a size 8?” This time I didn’t even laugh, I just said flat out, NOT possible. Never have I been a size 8 in my life, so why now at age 42 (had a birthday in there) would I think that I could be! I mean c’mon, it’s supposed to be about realistic, attainable goals, right? So, we continued with our fitness training, which I might add became increasingly intense. Ashley said, you’re fit now, you can do this. I always had my doubts, but she remained encouraging and somehow convinced me to dig deep to the place that says “I can” instead of leaving me in my head saying “I can’t.”

Well, I’m guessing you know how this ended, I did reach a size 8, and now am in a size 6. Yeah, I don’t know how that works either!? When I was in high school, I weighed 121 pounds and wore a size 9/10. (And I thought I was FAT then, silly girl I was.) Now I weigh 160 pounds and can wear a size 6. All the more reason to not use the scale to measure success! I’ve managed to lose almost 50 pounds, I have dropped 8% body fat (Ashley tells me this is the best of all the results I’ve achieved), close to 30 inches and my cholesterol which was at 278, dropped to 171, and my bad LDL cholesterol dropped from 172 to 117. All without medication. Based on these results, my doctor tells me I’ve added at least another 15 years to my life. And seeing how I enjoy Life, I’ll take all the extra years I can get! Won’t you join me?

Now, to be fair to anyone reading this, I have had some plastic surgery. I had lots of loose skin in my tummy, yep the hanging over your underwear kind, can’t hide it in anything you wear kind, sits on your lap kind, 2 C-Section baby’s kind….I think you get the visual. It happens to the best of us, sometimes despite our best efforts to stay fit during pregnancy. Some of us are blessed with the “bounce right back” family genes; others, well we’re blessed with the “stay right where you are and grow bigger with stretch marks” family genes. So, I opted for a tummy tuck, and hey, for good measure through in the breast augmentation. I called it my Mommy Makeover and by gosh I deserved it! But, the surgery is NOT a weight loss procedure. I went into the hospital wearing a size 16 and came out wearing a size 16 and had only lost 3 pounds with the surgery. So for anyone thinking that plastic surgery alone is the answer to your body dysmorphia, think again. It definitely gives you the jump start that you need, but the real results are still only attainable with fitness and eating right. And this ladies and gents, I can speak to on a very personal level. I’ve lived it.

Now that I’ve been training with Ashley for over a year, I’ve achieved a certain level of fitness that a year ago, I couldn’t have dreamed of doing. I’m strong, I have muscles (who knew?) I have endurance - but the best result from my journey, I have my self esteem back. Oh, and I love to shop again! Since I’ve done so much in the gym, I started thinking, what’s next? Maybe compete in a fitness competition, but then I realized none of those girls have stretch marks, so that thought went out the window. Then I thought, maybe a marathon? But then I quickly reminded myself how much I despised running long distances. So that was out. Then I thought, what about a Triathlon? It’s a little bit of everything, but not too much of anything. I have always been competitive in athletics, so this seemed a good fit for me. I am currently registered for my first DanskinTriathlon in June of 2010. I will be age 43 on race day. The triathlon consists of a half mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and 3.2 mile run. My training has obviously shifted as the only time I’m in the gym currently is to weight train with Ashley. The rest of my time is spent swimming, biking and running. While I am being realistic and do understand that I won’t be winning this race. My goal is simply to be competitive within my novice age group. And who knows, maybe I’ll kick a youngin’s behind too! Advice I got from a good friend and fellow triathlete: “Don’t drown, don’t fall off the bike, and run like you stole something.” That will jingle through my head during the race and keep me in a happy place!

I’ve been super heavy at periods in my life, and I’ve done the “yo-yo” thing where I’ve managed to lose the weight for a few months only to gain it all back plus some. Only you can decide when it’s time to stop the insanity. Nobody could tell me, I had to get to a place where it was my decision, my motivation and for the right reasons. Once you get there, the empowerment that follows with the right workout regimen and personal trainer is exhilarating. We as women spend the majority of our time and lives doing for others. Now is the time to do something for yourself. If you don’t, there is a good possibility that your poor health/fitness will get in the way of doing for others. Our families need us, so take some action, take control and be a better you.

Sincerely, your Sista in Fitness and Health:

Chris Burch