The other day, I was sitting down with a couple for a consultation. One member of the couple was aware of my journey into fitness, the other was not.
I didn’t go into extensive detail, but shared how at the beginning of my journey, I was 220 pounds. I went on to say, I created my gym and coaching service around what “220 pound Candice needed at the beginning of her journey.”
I thought I’d take a moment to share what it was like for me when I first started at the gym. Perhaps people see what I can do and what I have done and my confidence in the gym today and think it was always like that…and it wasn’t.
I didn’t get started till I was 33. I was just a few months shy of 34. I play volleyball in High School, but I wouldn’t say I was great at sports. My parents didn’t discourage sports, but they also didn’t encourage them either.
I had gone to the gym off and on over the years. Locally, I had belonged to the Odyssey (a local globo-type gym) for a little bit. I previously belonged to Planet Fitness. I never really stuck with anything for long. I’d walk in floating from machine to machine just doing random things. I’d do some dumbbell movements that maybe I was familiar with. I never really went in with any kind of plan. Whatever I did do, I don’t think I ever walked in and did the same thing again.
We also had some equipment here at the house. We had a bench with a rack. We had some dumbbells. Again, I’d just kind of do some random things that I was moderately familiar with. Similar to my workouts in the gym, I don’t think I ever did the same thing twice or necessarily tried to challenge myself to go heavier. If anything, I probably threw in the towel for the day when it felt hard.
I can’t forget the home videos. I definitely had a P90X DVD set. I also had some Jillian Michaels DVDs. (Guess what…I never got 6-pack abs in 6-weeks from those videos!). I’d do them in spurts, but I could never quite keep up. Or, I’d do them once, be sore the next day, then not do them again for a week.
Nutrition? I’ve done my fair share of trying supplements, shakes, and pills. Somewhere in there, I might have even done some “belly wraps.” None of it worked of course. I was still eating the very same. I was eating out a lot. I wasn’t cooking the healthiest. Yet, I still expected those products to help me lose weight and improve my life.
There were some stints when I was younger where I did try to eat 1000 calories a day and exercise more. Guess what…that also would only last a few days and I’d be right back to where I was eating before.
When I did make improvements in my nutrition, I then struggled with perfection. I was nervous to go out to gatherings where I couldn’t quite keep my routine and I was nervous with how it would impact me. If I wasn’t perfect, I was concerned with being able to find my way to “getting back on track” or that all my progress would be lost.
Maybe some of that sounds like you. Maybe all of that sounds a lot like you.
When I formed Achieve Wellness & Fitness in 2022…I created it with “220 pound Candice” in mind.
The one who didn’t know much about the gym.
The one who felt like she tried “everything” and nothing worked.
The one who wanted to change, but just didn’t know how.
Tomorrow, I’ll share with you a little bit with what I did differently that was the catalyst for me.
I didn’t get to where I am today because I kept doing random things like I described above.
I didn’t get to where I am today because I kept trying more supplements or starving myself.
I didn’t get to where I am today because I finally nailed how to be perfect.
In summary, I did the complete opposite.
I look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow : )
Sincerely,
Your friend in wellness and fitness,
Coach Candice