When I first stepped into Training For Warriors (TFW) Long Island two years ago today, they had just opened. I really didn't know what to expect. I had just lost 15 lbs and wanted to start an exercise program. It was different than anything I ever experienced, and I couldn't even finish my first workout. The coaches talked about being lean and strong but it was lost on me. I just had a feeling that this was something special. So with blind faith, I signed up.
Two years ago, I couldn't do most of what I could do today. My original deadlift goal is now the warm up set to my warm up set. I had no upper body strength. Any time I tried any upper body exercises, I would throw my back out. I couldn't do a push up, a pull up, or a chin up. It took a while, but I strengthened my lower body, my core, and the upper body strength came too.
There is no doubt that I am physically stronger today than I was two years ago but strength comes in many ways and more important than my physical strength is the mental strength that I have attained. Personally, I know I'm a stronger person now and that has made me a better wife, mother, friend, and teacher. TFW has given so much and in return I have tried to share it with as many of my friends as possible.
While I can go on and on about how great TFW is, I am upset about one thing.
As time went on and the membership grew, The coaches added new equipment and methods of support for the members. One thing they started doing was taking before pictures and measurements of all new clients. Since I joined so early on, they never weighed me, or took my measurements, or my pictures. I had a picture from before my initial weight loss (about 10 months before I joined TFW,) and I knew that I dropped 3 sizes after joining, but I never had a true TFW transformation picture.
Until last week.
If you don't know what timehop is, it's an app that accesses all your social media and tells you each day what you posted on that day the year before,and two years before and three years before, etc. Thanks to timehop, I finally have a Tfw transformation picture.
Two years ago on July 4, I went to Aruba. A few days after I got home from that trip, I joined TFW. Timehop sent me a picture of myself two years ago on July 5. If you compare that picture to one I took this year, you can see major differences in my body. Everything is more shapely and toned. So two years later I am leaner, stronger, and more confident and I could not have made this transformation without the support of my coaches and TFW familia.
While I'm thrilled to finally have a transformation picture, an important lesson has come out of all of this. It's a lesson that has been very difficult for me to learn. While I lost some additional weight after I joined TFW, in the last 8 months, I have gained some of my weight back and I have been very upset. With every monthly weigh in I get frustrated that the weight is returning. When my coach asks me how my clothes fit, I always tell him that they still fit the way they have. Then he tells me to stop worrying about the weight. Let's go back to that transformation picture. Can you believe that I weigh more in the after picture that I do in the before picture? Well, it's true. I guess being 135 lbs is one thing, but being 135 lbs and strong and lean looks and feels very different.
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