Catherine MacArthur

For this 12 week challenge I changed a few things in my routine. Jordan wrote me a work out plan that included 4 days of strength training with 30 min of cardio. Prior to this challenge I was working out 3-4 days a week with 30 min cardio.  I was not always faithful and would skip a day or if I did I would skip cardio. This would happen regularly or almost every week. The first goal and commitment I made to myself was to follow the workout plan. I never missed a workout except for one week I took vacation and came back sick. I still think I did two days even feeling like crap.  In the challenge group someone asked about steps and walking to do cardio. Jordan suggested 10000 steps which I thought was easy peasy. He also said unless you’re unable to do other cardio not to count walking. At that point I included the stair master once week and stuck to elliptical since I am too short for the bike. Getting steps in became a challenge since I changed job positions and went to day shift. Therefore I had to integrate some treadmill activity to get my steps some days. For the most part I reached my step goal daily unless it was a rest day. Then I had to add some walking around the neighborhood if time allowed.

In addition, I made a choice to have someone meal prep two meals a day for me. It left me with only planning breakfast and snacks. This helped me stay on track and was time saving. My schedule can be crazy between work,kids,and their sports. Doing this was super helpful and made counting my calories and macros much simpler. It also deterred me from eating too much, because to be honest I like to eat.  I made healthier choices gave up sugar in all my espresso shots unless someone made them for me. I also tried not to eat out frequently. I still had events and would try to plan ahead or make healthier choices. However, eating out can be deceiving. You think the food is healthy and it’s not. Before this challenge I probably ate out at least 3-4 meals a week. However on vacation I did not follow any diet plan.  I did gain a few pounds and now I am paying for it still.

Even if I did not win the challenge I am happy at the progress I made and now know I can stay consistent. I wish I would have taken body measurements to see how many inches I lost. With that being said. My goal was to loose 10 pounds, loose body fat, and gain muscle. I lost five pounds,2% body fat, and gained .5% muscle. I really should have made a plan for vacation and I probably would have reached my goal. I still need to loose tons of weight so I plan on tracking that going forward. I also plan to continue with all the changes I have made. I have lost at least 25 pounds in the last two years or however long  since joining the gym. To some that may not be much, but for me it’s a huge win since I have been obese my whole life and weight does not come off easily. I prefer doing this way compared to semi glutide, keto, or some other unsustainable method that makes you feel awful.  To be honest all those have ever done is make me gain back twice as much weight.   I feel better and look much better. I just want to end this by thanking Jordan for all his help and encouragement along the way. He sets a wonderful example for others that want to achieve goals and shows that they are attainable with some discipline and consistency.