Fitness Model Program For Women over 40
I’m so thrilled to share Sonya’s story with you today! As Sonya is approaching a milestone in her life, her 50th birthday, she was getting tired of the way she was feeling, like she was losing the vibrant girl which had always been a part of her. This Fit over 40 mother of 2 decided to tackle a Hitch Fit Fitness Model Program, to challenge herself in ways that initially seemed a little scary. But when this amazing woman tapped into her true potential, she discovered strength and determination she didn’t even realize she had! She is a different woman today, not just physically, but to see her confidence begin growing and her feelings of empowerment grow throughout this program, has been so awesome. Sonya has shed 25 pounds and 12.4% body fat over the course of her program. A true inspiration for women for women who want to be Fit over 40 and Fit at 50!! Congrats Sonya!
Sonya’s Stats:
Starting weight: 142.5
Ending weight: 117.6
Starting body fat: 29%
Ending body fat: 16.6%
Waist: 34 inches to 29 inches
Hips: 30.5 inches to 25.75 inches
Sonya’s Story:
“Last year, when I turned 48 I weighed almost 160 pounds. I’d been carrying around a bunch of extra weight since my ex-husband and I separated almost 5 years earlier. Although I exercised regularly and ate clean most of the time, eating had become my primary form of entertainment, consolation and stress relief. Whatever gains I might have made in my healthy meals and workouts were blown away by treats and late night binging.
I’ve always loved the look of fitness women and dreamed of looking that great myself. I bought fitness magazines for years and imagined what it would be like to compete and be a model like in the photos. I sing in a classic rock band, and I wanted to look hot and be able to move well when I perform. But I wasn’t getting around to doing anything about it. I was starting to feel like a frumpy, middle aged woman stumbling up to her 50th birthday with the last blush of youth dying forever. When I was a younger woman, I usually felt attractive and looked good, although never bikini-ready. But by now I felt invisible, uninteresting, and like I was just fading away.
My work brings me in contact with people who have been injured in auto accidents. One day last fall, a woman came to the office who had been injured several years before in a devastating car crash. She suffered multiple fractures and severe internal injuries that required several abdominal surgeries. She was permanently disabled. She explained that despite horrendous pain and needing a cane just to get around, she had started training and competing in fitness competitions. She had restored her body and gotten her sense of self-love and hope back. When she lifted her shirt for me, I saw a horrific scar running from her chest to her pelvis . . . and the biggest, leanest most incredible abs imaginable.
That moment changed everything me. I had the same dreams as this woman. And I had zero excuse for my pudgy out of shape physique. She was a great inspiration.
I got serious about improving my body in December 2012. I didn’t at first believe I could accomplish very much, but I figured I would just put one foot in front of the other and keep my diet and exercise commitments. I structured my own program based upon Bill Phillips’ book Fit for Life and on Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet book. Per Bill’s advice I decided to eat clean six days a week and have a free day for treats one day a week. I made my food and portion choices from Tosca’s recommendations. I also followed Bill Phillips’ exercise program – 20 minutes of cardio intervals three days a week and 3 days a week of weight training.
It was slow going. I lost about a pound a week. My boyfriend suggested I get rid of the free days, but I just couldn’t imagine how I could cope with that – I felt like I had to have them like a release valve. I wanted to know I could enjoy food and eat whatever I wanted and feel free and give in to cravings and unload my stress one day a week. But the free days were doing me a big disservice. I noticed that I was losing weight from my limbs, but actually gaining weight on my belly with each free day. Although I was losing weight overall, my body was getting more and more out of balance. Also, sometimes I would do a free day and not be able to stop eating junk at the end of the day. Cravings and crazy mental state would take over that could last for many days or even weeks – I would lose my focus, inspiration and belief in my program. It would seem as though it didn’t matter if I just sat and ate Mars bars or a bag of cookies. I’d get back on track eventually, but I would lose a lot of ground in the meantime.
To keep myself inspired I started surfing for “before and after” transformations on YouTube. I found an incredible montage of “before and after” photos from Hitch Fit. I watched that video, listening to the theme music (It’s a Beautiful Day by U2) over and over dreaming about achieving those results for myself. Once I discovered the Hitch Fit website I was there many times a day. I just couldn’t get enough of the success stories, videos and tips from the blog. I was astounded at the progress people made in such a short period of time. Hitch Fit clients were losing way more than a pound a week. I was pretty sure they were doing more exercise, eating more tightly, and of course not having treat days. But I didn’t think I could handle that. My body felt old and creaky – my knees, feet and hips hurt from the running I was doing already. How could I do more exercise? I had been warned about overtraining. And how could I possibly live without my free days? But – if all these other people could do it, maybe I could too.
By the spring 2013 I had lost about 20 pounds. But I kept gaining and losing 5 pounds throughout the summer. I’d eat clean for a few weeks and then binge a week or two. Each time, I’d get more tummy fat. I kept telling myself I could do this on my own. But – boy did I start pining to work with Diana and do a program. Every time I visited the website I wanted to do a program more and more.
In August, a little extra money came my way. I didn’t hesitate. I was so ready. I signed up for the Hitch Fit Fitness Model program. Looking back, the price was staggeringly low for the value I was going to get. It is the best investment I ever made.
The first few weeks were incredibly difficult for me. Just to ramp up from my old routine of 20 minutes of cardio, three days a week to a minimum of 350 calories of cardio for five or six days a week felt monumental. It took me about 55 minutes to do the minimum at first because I couldn’t sustain a fast pace on the treadmill. My body was sore and exhausted for about 2 weeks. I was popping Tylenol just to get through the day. At first my heart rate during cardio was elevated toward the max range, and it took a while to recover when I finished. Every day I congratulated myself that this “old girl” could handle the workout I just did.
But I was amazed at how quickly my body adapted to the load. Within a few weeks my speed increased and I was able to hit the top of the required cardio range in an hour. And, from then on I had no problem with the cardio progression. By the end of my 12 weeks I could do more than double the cardio and maintain a pace of over 6.5 mph for an hour with my heartbeat in a moderate, healthy range for my age. My heart rate recovery is astounding. I’m back under 100 beats per minute within just a minute or so. I bought new shoes at the start of my program and my knees, feet and hips haven’t bothered me since.
Fortunately, the eating plan was easy for me because it was so similar to what I had been eating – just more tightly managed. And, of course, no free days, free meals . . . no free ride at all. I committed to following the nutrition plan 100%. Without the treats, my cravings and crazy mindset have subsided. It has felt so liberating not to crave treats. I feel so much more in control of my life by making mindful, disciplined choices with every meal without exception. It has been very empowering.
At the 6 week mark, I remember looking in the mirror and seeing just a smaller version of the same woman. My pictures, taken in the same outfit in the same spot, looked just the same to me. I felt disheartened by that, but I continued on. From about week 9 to week 12, the changes suddenly became astonishing. Fat was melting off and I could see bones and muscles I’d never seen. My limbs and body began to look longer and elegant in a way I had never experienced. I kept walking by the mirror to see if that strange new woman was still there. People I don’t know started approaching me at the gym and in stores to make comments about my physique or ask questions about my training and eating. I was handing out the Hitch Fit website info right and left.
I had some challenges along the way. A few times I had health issues that kept me out of the gym. In retrospect, they never took me out for more than a few days. I can see how in the past these short lived problems would likely have escalated into a binge-fest and prolonged absence from the gym. But with my program commitments and accountability with Diana I got back in to the gym the moment I was barely able to do so. Emotionally, it has been a good journey. My boyfriend, children and mother have been very supportive and encouraging. I let myself be bothered for a time by changes in my body I didn’t anticipate. The first fat to go was in my breasts. I dropped from a C cup to an A cup in about 3 weeks with a lot of loose skin hanging around. This was hard on me because, given that I was a chunky gal, it had seemed that my breasts were my best feature. Thank God for Victoria’s Secret push up bras. Now I am thrilled that I have a small chest and finally look elegant in a blouse. And for the longest time, I lost fat everywhere but on my belly. So my body looked even more out of balance. I had Linda Hamilton T2 arms, a skeletal chest/ ribs and chubby tummy, butt and thighs. But that evened out pretty well by the end of the 12 weeks. I still have work to do on my backside and thighs. Then, as I finally started to lose fat on my belly, it became apparent that my skin would be loose there for a time. Similarly, the skin is hanging from my bum. I was horrified at first that I would do all this work only to end up looking like an old bag of skin. But I’ve rebounded. My skin is tightening quickly. I couldn’t be more thrilled with how I look and feel now.
One of the most profound changes has come from my perception of myself. When I took my “before” picture, I remember being satisfied that it was a good representation of how I looked. I saw beauty in my face and my underlying muscles. I congratulated myself on having already lost 15 pounds and for being in pretty good shape for a woman nearing 50. My old clothes, lack of makeup and ponytail were typical and seemed appropriate for the photo. Now that I compare the “before” picture to the “after” picture, I cannot believe how extraordinary the differences are. I had no idea I had the potential to look as I do now. I actually told Diana I didn’t intentionally look bad in my “before” photo. And, I must say, there isn’t a candy bar, cake, lasagna, pizza, or chip in the world that could be as satisfying to me now as looking in the mirror or at my photos and seeing the new me. I am not even slightly temped to have a treat.
I am still getting used to my new body. It feels and looks very foreign to me . . . like I am wearing someone else. Trying on clothes is quite the experiment. I am learning what suits me now, and it has been fun. I feel ageless and beautiful now . . . not at all old. I feel excited about the second half of my life and full of enthusiasm for what I can do. Afterall, I did this program . . . what else is possible?
I knew how to eat clean and to exercise before I came to Hitch Fit, but I didn’t have the expertise and experience that Diana has that supercharged me into fast, incredible results. I knew I needed to eat a tighter diet, but I didn’t know how to whittle my food selections to the best choices for losing weight and supporting my strength training and cardio. I knew I needed to train more effectively, but I didn’t know how often or how intensely to exercise to get the results I wanted. I was afraid I would over-train. Once I was working with Diana and following her guidance religiously, I went to bed every night knowing that in the morning I would be fitter and leaner. I weighed and measured myself every week with complete confidence that I was progressing as well as I could. It got to the point where I couldn’t wait to go to sleep at night because I couldn’t wait to get up in the morning and see my progress and have another incredible day making myself better. I could never have gotten where I am on my own. Diana’s guidance was 100% responsible . . . well, I will take some credit for actually doing what she told me to do.
This program required my absolute positive focus and commitment. My days were structured around making sure I could eat and train on schedule. It was the equivalent of a demanding part time job. The planning, shopping, cooking, preparation, eating and cleaning up after my meals consumed the bulk of my attention. My two children gave up a lot of my time. I put in fewer hours in my work. This program was almost all I could talk about, think about or do for 3 months. Worth it? Absolutely! But I am glad to be done with it at this level of intensity (for now).
Now that I have finished the 12 Week Fitness Model Program I still want to progress down to 12% body fat. I’m really excited about carving out a great butt and upper thighs and getting to see my abs. So I’ve been sticking with a tight diet and doing three to four trips to the gym a week. So far, so good. If I am not making the progress I want or if I feel like I need more support, I’ll be back to Diana for another customized program.
Then, my dream is to do a competition prep program with Hitch Fit and get up on stage before I reach my 51st birthday. I have a very healthy respect for how challenging that is going to be.
My deepest thanks go to Diana Chaloux for her incredible program and support and as well to my boyfriend Dave, my mother and my kids for their encouragement, great advice and smiles.”
Sonya’s Program Choice – Fitness Model Program
HOW HITCH FIT WORKS
[/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]Program Choice: Fitness Model
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