I was an overweight child and young adult and ended up 60 pounds overweight by the time I graduated from college. In my mid-20’s I managed to lose the weight but not in a very healthy way. I drank diet soda instead of eating which left me cranky and low in energy. 

I was thinner than I’d ever been but I didn’t feel healthy and I didn’t have the energy to enjoy the active lifestyle I wanted.

After having my two boys, I decided to prioritize my health and started running 3 times a week. I ran mostly 5K races but eventually completed a half marathon. I’m not a fast runner and my goals was just to finish most races. I typically ran around 10:30 minute miles.

A year ago, I signed up for Tough Mudder, a 10 mile run with extreme obstacles and mud. In April, I realized I had no training plan and 4 months to improve my overall fitness and strength. Tough Mudder is completed as a team and I did not want to be the weak link! Luckily, I happened upon Nickie’s Community Ed Boot Camp class and started attending twice a week. 

In June, I added twice a week Insanity classes at The Warehouse and was introduced to Shakeology. I was honestly surprised at how much of a difference Shakeology made in my training. I felt more energetic and I could see the improvement in my endurance during my workouts. 

I knew I had done the most I could to prepare for Tough Mudder and I’m happy to report that our team rocketed through the course in just under 3 hours! I felt strong and confident throughout the run and on every obstacle. It was thrilling to be able to trust that my body was strong enough to tackle this type of challenge. One of my teammates commented that I was just killing the hills and running up them twice as fast as my normal pace. I tackled every hill as if it was one of Nickie’s circuit stations and focused on giving 100% for that short period of time and getting to the top as fast as I could.

 I still struggle at times with focusing on the number on the scale or those trouble spots, but my new objective is to be strong and continue to improve my overall fitness and nutrition. I feel like I’m as healthy as I’ve ever been and I’m proud of he positive changes I’ve made. The team at The Warehouse and Shakeology have been instrumental in supporting that change!

Katy