Client Spotlight May 2018

LYFERS near and far... please JOIN US in congratulating our fellow LYFER and friend, MICHELLE, on becoming our MAY CLIENT SPOTLIGHT!

Michelle has been on her health & fitness journey for a few years now and most recently, she has joined Fit4Lyfe and become an instrumental part of the Fit Fam and community. Her smile and positive attitude is not only contagious but LIGHTS up the room. She's always one to help others as well as PUSH herself to be the BEST that she can be; in and out of the gym.

We are SOOOO proud of everything that Michelle has accomplished and her FULL story can be found below as well as on our board when you walk into the gym. Please check out her story and CONGRATULATE her on a job well done.

CONGRATS Michelle and CHEERS to a super AWESOME future!!!!

My journey with the Tocci's began before Fit4Lyfe was officially opened. I met Sandy at work, where I was always impressed with her fitness and how she would prep all her meals, and like clockwork made sure she was eating every three hours to fuel her body. I knew I had to do something similar considering I had kept on the baby weight from my first pregnancy. Instead, I always made an excuse that I just didn't have enough time between work, school, a one-year-old baby and everything else life throws at you. I only made up more excuses as I switched to a job that required me to work up to 18 hours a day. I was always stressed out and just ate poorly. Shortly after, I was pregnant with my second child and now I was using my pregnancy as an excuse to not be physically active and eat whatever I wanted. During this pregnancy I just felt horrible the entire time - physically, mentally and emotionally. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror and I wouldn't want to be in any pictures. I was 26 and I was approaching 250 pounds!! I can honestly say I reached my lowest point. It was depressing, and I knew that I didn't want to look or feel this way anymore, and I had to find a way to do something about it. So while I no longer worked with Sandy, I was still in contact with her and reached out for some advice. Together we made a plan that day one after my son was born, I was starting my fitness journey. She told me to find my "Why" and once I had that, there was nothing that could stop me because I would remember why I am truly doing this. After my son was born I couldn't exercise right away because I had a C-section, but I wasn't using that as an excuse. I at least tried to be as physically active as I could and I worked hard on fueling my body with the right foods. Sandy showed me that eating healthy isn't boring and exposed me to a lot of healthier foods that I didn't even know existed. Once I was cleared by my doctor to start exercising, I began doing workout videos from home, also with the help of Sandy and her virtual motivational groups that she would lead. While I was still working many hours and now I had two kids, I didn't let time be an excuse anymore. I had a goal in mind to lose 100 pounds by my sons first birthday. While it was hard, considering my journey started in October and I had to go through all the holidays on this strict plan, I was determined and never once had a cheat meal for the first six months. I was determined! and I knew I had the support I needed. By my sons first birthday I was weighing in at 150 pounds. I was proud of myself that I had achieved this goal but I didn't want to just stop there. However, life happens and shortly after my divorce, I found myself making excuses again on time. I was also not eating as great as I should. I fell into a yo-yo, where I would gain some weight, but then I knew I didn't want to be where I was before so I would start eating healthy again, then after a few weeks I would stop again. It just continued on that cycle for about two years. While I had somewhat continued to maintain my weight, I just felt sluggish all the time. I knew I wanted to be a good example to my kids, who were watching my habits. I had to remember my "why" again. By this time, Fit4lyfe had expanded from being in the Tocci garage to where it is now located. I saw a post of new times being added to the schedule, and figured I could at least try to go twice a week. So I sent Sandy a note and decided to try it out for a month. I took one class and I was hooked! I now found myself making excuses to FIND the time to make it to these classes almost everyday. Then the Awesome August challenge happened and I worked hard to get those 1500 minutes in, and was so proud when I did. I wasn't only proud that I did it, I felt better and stronger everyday. 

I just love the energy at F4L. The people there are just one big family. They are always pushing you to never give up. Sandy is a beastette coming up with these different killer routines daily. Jason watches you like a hawk and always upping your weights and telling you that you can do more. Kim with her fun twist on routines and even including mini-relays at the end of some of them. Alex always checking your form and making sure you get the most out of it. It just makes working out more fun, and I look forward to waking up at 4am to make it to those 515am (now 5am) classes. Not only do I go to F4L about 5 days a week, but I found myself joining the FitFam on new challenges, such as 5K races and OCRs. I NEVER saw myself as a runner, considering I couldn't even run a block without feeling like I was about to collapse. But as I saw the others attending these races and killing their goals, I knew I wanted to be part of that too. As of today I have ran 3 5Ks, am signed up for about 5 more, and have also signed up for 4 OCR races. While I never thought it was possible, I know I have my F4L family by my side every step of the way. I feel so much more energized now, my body has transformed in a way that has made me feel more confident about myself, and even my children enjoy joining me in my journey. For me, this is just the beginning as I continue working toward new goals with F4L. I am so grateful for how awesome the F4L family is, but most importantly Sandy and Jason for opening this badass place, and always supporting and motivating me. They honestly have a huge heart and are a major inspiration to me on so many levels. So thank YOU!!!! 

Love- Michelle