Fitness Models Over 50

Starting weight first program: 133

Ending weight fitness model program: 110

Starting body fat: 31%

Ending body fat: 15%

“I am 50 years old and have successfully completed two programs with Hitch Fit ! My body fat starting point was 31% and my body fat today is 15%! I have to say that was never my goal in the beginning, so to achieve that number, get fit and add muscle in the process is unreal to me.

All of us live through stressful times in our lives. How we handle the stress during that time, can make or break us. After going through some difficult times, I found myself looking for something positive to enrich my life. Having no idea what it was that I was needing, I just knew it was time for a change in my lifestyle. I am the mother of two daughters, one was starting her first year at college and the other was beginning her first year of high school. I also work as a secretary at our local school and it was a crazy busy time!

My eating and exercising habits during my 30’s and 40’s wasn’t working any longer. I was 42 when my metabolism hit bottom. I have always been active and over the years had belonged to gyms, taken exercise classes, biked, roller bladed and walked miles.However, none of it was consistent. The weight would decrease then return and I noticed that I was seeing more flabby areas. Now at almost 50 I knew I needed something different and change the way that I exercised and consumed calories.

Many of you have read and seen the transformation of my niece, Brandi Wisdom. I knew of the transformation she had gone through although at the time had no idea what exactly it was that she had done. Brandi’s sister, Cynthia Rojohn, had recently completed her transformation as well. When I found out that you get both a nutrition program and exercise plan that had my attention. After reading both of their stories and talking to Cynthia I decided to move forward with this opportunity.

The first program I chose was the Couples Boot Camp. I had shared with my husband what I was going to do. He said he was interested in program as well. I received my plan from Micah soon after and I remember thinking – here we go. I read and re-read, and highlighted information. I read his book and watched the DVD several times on lifting weights. I also joined the online Hitch Fit community. I was soaking up all the information that I could get my hands on. Everything was so positive and that was exactly what I was needing! What Micah asked me to do was going to take dedication plus hard physical and mental work. One thing Micah says to do is remove the negative things from your life, anything that is not adding good quality to your life.That is a million dollar question – is it food, people, alcohol, work, excuses, bad habits, negative self talk? This took some inner searching and decision that I was worthy of investing time in myself.

Questions began to arise on how to burn the amount of calories required each week in addition to doing weight lifting. I was not a gym member and wanted to do my workouts at home. I looked for and found ways to get cardio in. I was not a runner but I could walk endless miles! It was a good two to three week learning curve on what and when to eat. Breakfast in the past consisted of grabbing something on the go as I headed out the door for work. Lunch varied from eating out to taking leftovers to work from the night before. My Hitch Fit plan had me eating a lot of food. How on earth was I going to find time to eat that much food. Plugging away consistently is how I managed my first four weeks. Positive changes in my body with pounds and inches lost encouraged me to see the next four weeks through. Ridding my body of all the bad things that I had previously been ingesting began to pay off! Don’t get me wrong. It was hard and there were cravings. Cheat meals are allowed and I tried hard to keep them to a minimum. My mind needed encouragement as much as my body. It became a daily ritual of mine to read motivation and inspirational quotes to keep my mind in the right place. I printed off positive quotes and photos of fit women and placed in my workout area. This program was not without pain, lots of ice bags on my knees and some tears along the way. My biggest obstacle was me! My mental toughness was a challenge daily. Eight weeks on the program I could see my biggest weight and inch loss to date. I was determined more than ever. Physically I became stronger, felt better and finished at 23% body fat. I began maintenance and still followed the online community and read the new transformations. It is full of such positive and supportive people. A big birthday was around the corner for me, I was going to be 50. Age has always been just a number to me and I am happy to have as many as I can. I wanted to see what more I could do! “Why not me” a friend asked me one day, I sure didn’t feel like I was 50. Surprisingly it became more apparent to me that there were very few women in my age bracket that had been featured as a transformation. Confidence had been gained during my first program and on a whim I decided I could do the Fitness Model Program.

This time my motivation was to do this program in honor of women in my age group. We don’t have to settle for the muffin top waists, bat wing arms or thunder thighs. Mentally I felt ready for this next challenge. This time my trainer was the beautiful Diana! I was very excited to get my Fitness Model plan. It was going to be a bigger challenge than I had anticipated. Kansas had a long cold wet winter with a lot of snow and illness. Two weeks into my program I became ill. Three full weeks passed before I was healthy enough to get back to my plan. I did the best I could with my eating plan. After consulting with Diana, I decided to start over,I rebounded pretty quickly and was on my way. This plan was intense and my priority became my workouts. Mornings came earlier and earlier to meet my goals. It wasn’t a struggle any more to get out of bed. It was something I looked forward to. My days were better when I got up and got moving before going off for my day of work. After work I would come right home to finish my weight lifting. This was my mental health time! It was a delight when my youngest daughter would get home from school and come find me first thing. She knew were I would be. Secretly I think she was very proud of my hard work and was watching my transformation unfold. People noticed changes, commented on how great I looked and asked what I was doing. My Fitness Model program was not something that I had shared with many. During this time two people contacted me to inquire about Hitch Fit. Upon my encouragement both them pursued their own fitness program with Hitch Fit. Now the pressure was on, they were watching me. I was their cheerleader and it helped me stay the course.

Friends and family supported and encouraged me along the way, good days and hard days. Just when I would think I can’t do this I would hear encouraging words. My oldest daughter would make her way home occasionally and would notice my changes. She too is proud and has shared my story with others. My 50th birthday was fast approaching and I had a vacation planned for Cabo, Mexico with my sister to celebrate this milestone! I wasn’t sure what this meant for my program. I wanted to be able to go and relax and enjoy my time. Completing my program was top priority. I knew I would be ready to go full steam ahead when I returned. Diana was very supportive in helping me continue on this quest to see how far I could go. As the 12th week of my program approached, I became very excited. it was like turning a corner and knowing that the finish line was only a few steps away. Consistent reduction in inches and body fat kept me motivated to not sway from my program. Carb cycling was something that I enjoyed…. mostly!

Of the many things I had read that stuck with me and pushed me was this quote, “it’s when we get uncomfortable that we grow”. Uncomfortable is putting it mildly when I made the decision to do after pictures for the Hitch Fit website. This photo shoot was completely out of my comfort zone. Diana set a date and provided me information I needed to prep for it. On the week the photos were scheduled I had a mental block and almost backed out of it. I was scared to pieces to have my photos on a website for the world to view and judge me. Others opinion of me mattered. Old insecurities resurfaced. With much soul searching and a long phone call to my mom I pressed on. Photo shoot morning was here and as I had anticipated I was beyond nervous. I wanted to just get it done and over with. My body fat was measured and I was astounded to see that I was at 15.5%. I had lost 4″ off of my derriere. I had done it!!! All of my hard work and perseverance paid off. I felt so good physically and mentally. I was in a good place.

Upon arrival at the gym I was greeted by Micah and Diana with enthusiasm and “atta girl”! They both said I looked amazing, and to reduce body fat to 15% for a 50 year old was quite an accomplishment. I must say the photo shoot was a lot of fun, thank you again to Brandi who took my after pictures. Accomplishing this fitness level was only part of my journey. While I am more fit as well as have muscle definition that I had never dreamed of having before. It is still the mental transformation that was unexpected. Almost without realizing it my outlook and attitude became more positive not to mention my stress is manageable. A big thank you to all the wonderful people that supported and encouraged me during this time! Micah and Diana are truly wonderful people with your best interest at heart. Seven family members have gone through a Hitchfit transformation. It is the real deal! To my precious daughters I hope that I have inspired you to continue to seek out positive things throughout your years no matter the number that dates your birth.”