Rhonda always knew she wanted to be a wife and a mother. Years of making easy food choices and inactivity led to weight gain. It wasn’t just about the numbers on the scale – she had very little energy, her joints hurt, and she knew she wasn’t making the best food choices for her family. She wasn’t living her best life.
This reality became painfully obvious after spending a summer morning in tears and feeling humiliated.
Rhonda and her family were big fans of Roller Coasters. In 2015, when she tried to get on the roller coaster at Six Flags with her family, the attendant told her that he was sorry, but he couldn’t strap her in. She had to leave the ride and was unable to ride with her family for the rest of the day.
She spent the day crying under her sunglasses. She was embarrassed and shocked. How had she let herself get this out of shape and unhealthy?
Embarrassed and shocked, she knew she had to make a change.
She started her weight loss by changing her diet. She dropped some weight but knew that exercise should be part of her life. Four years later, consistency and commitment made the difference.
Everyone knows that being consistent and committed to change is what produces change. But how did Rhonda put that into action? She made big changes and is STILL improving after two years.
How has she succeeded in making large changes where so many others with the best intentions have failed? Read on!
Even $9.99 a month is too much.
Rhonda’s journey is a lot like many of our members.
Rhonda had a membership at the local gym and had been a member of one gym or another all her life. She was paying just $9.99 a month… but even that was too much money since she didn’t get anything out of it!
She’d start to go more frequently and with the best of intentions. ‘This time will be different,’ she thought, ‘I’ll go more often and burn lots of calories.’
She’d walk miles on the treadmill and then move some weight around on a couple of machines. It was the same thing she did every time she went. She wasn’t sure what else to do. The personal trainers were too expensive, and there was no accountability. She’d bail without feeling challenged or feeling like she accomplished much.
She’d start to go less often and then realize it had been weeks… then months… since she went to the gym at all.
Over the years, she spent hundreds of dollars on gym memberships. At that same time, she gradually gained weight and lost who she wanted to be.
She was spending money and going backward. It was a good thing that it was only $9.99 a month, but even that much is too much money to waste each month over the years!
Try a free class, they said. Anyone can do it, they said. Just jump right in! Sounds good, right? NOPE.
A friend invited Rhonda to join her for a FREE trial functional fitness class. It has been life-transforming for many – just hop right in!
Although this is the method Rhonda uses for training now, sadly, you’d be wrong if you thought this was her breakthrough moment.
Throughout her free workout, Rhonda kept looking for the defibrillator. Afterward, she lay on her couch for THREE hours to recover. She knew THIS wouldn’t work, who had time to recover for three hours?!
- There was no assessment to determine her individual goals.
- There was no discussion with a coach to find out her past athletic experience.
- There was no discussion about any past injuries or surgery.
- There was no instruction about what she was supposed to do.
- No one ever followed up with her to see if she was OK after.
- No one called her to see if she wanted to join the gym.
This experience left Rhonda deflated and defeated. It took her a long while to consider that type of workout again!
Unfortunately, Rhonda’s experience at another functional fitness gym, was fairly typical. It left her with a bad taste in her mouth and did not set her up for success.
It was even close to how we operated for our first couple of years until we found a better way to get new athletes moving!
Looking back, Rhonda can see how that FREE trial class, cost her valuable time and actually did her a disservice.
Time passed. Another friend told Rhonda about our gym, Southern Strength and Conditioning. Her friend said her it was different and could help her. It was right around the corner from her house.
Rhonda and her husband, Reece, drove by the gym and thought about it. What would be different than that last experience in a functional fitness class?
Rhonda and her husband, Reece, came by on bikes one evening. They and talked to a coach and some of the members there. She called and talked to the owner about getting started.
- Just like the other gym, he said anyone could do it.
- Just like the other gym, he said that they offer a free class.
But that was where the similarities ended.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW WE SET YOU UP FOR SUCCESS FROM THE BEGINNING.
The owner told her NO.
Rhonda was surprised to find out that the owner wouldn’t allow them to join classes right away.
Their free class was just the two of them with Dan, the owner.
- He asked them about their goals.
- He talked to them about what they did for activity in the past and asked them about past injuries or surgery.
- He instructed them on fundamental movements. Even though they just did bodyweight movements, there was a level of detail she hadn’t heard before.
Her first workout was short but was adjusted differently for each of them and their current abilities.
Reece, a former bodybuilder, left feeling challenged. Rhonda left feeling successful.
Dan followed up with them to find out how they felt after their first workout. He asked them if they wanted to learn more. Over the next several weeks, they learned the movements and completed workouts. It was just the two of them with Dan.
Rhonda was surprised how much they learned before they went to their first class with other members.
Looking back, Rhonda reflects on how this set her up for success. We met her at her current ability level and adjusted the workouts for her.
It’s not easy, but YOU are worth it.
Like many of our members who have gone through a transformation, it hasn’t been easy for Rhonda.
Day after day, she’s had to put in the work. Day after day, she’s had to make better choices.
But day after day, she sees progress and change.
She gained a group of friends that she didn’t even know she needed, but they notice when she isn’t there and encourage her in every workout. Being around people with the same priorities help keep you making good choices day after day.
She’s lost 60 lbs so far. It’s been gradual progress. Consistency and commitment to change has been what has made the difference.
Rhonda and Reece have never looked back!
When asked what her life might be like If she hadn’t found us, she says,
“I think if I hadn’t started, my life would be the same… I would be unhealthy, overweight, lazy. And I’d just be in that mode of going ‘I want to change, but I don’t know how.’ “
Numbers Don’t Lie
Every year, Rhonda participates in her company’s health screening. She kept her health screening numbers and was excited to see the change in her bloodwork.
- Her HDL went up from 42 to 49.
- Her Glucose was 110 and is now 88.
- Her Triglycerides were 147 and are now a fraction of that: 57!
Her employer, who sometimes would poke fun at her for her ‘the crazy workouts’ that she does, told her to:
‘Keep doing what you are doing, since you are the only one NOT calling in sick.’
Training with us has changed Rhonda’s life and her entire family’s lives as well. Rhonda says:
“It’s making a difference. It’s making a difference in my health, I’m a better employee, I’m definitely a better wife and mom. I have more energy. My kids notice a difference… and my oldest has started working out here too because he sees the importance that we are putting on exercise.”
It’s not just exercise, it’s a whole lifestyle.
“I’m stronger and I’m living the life I want to live. I’m finally… my actual life looks like what I visualized.”
And THAT, in a nutshell, is why Southern Strength and Conditioning exists!
Start living the life you want to live. Schedule your FREE Intro today!
