FitnessGoddess
Cathlete
My story is not as “inspirational” as some of the others you might read about. I am 39 years old & have been a lifetime exerciser. In my teenaged years I suffered from bulimia & really screwed up my metabolism. Once I “recovered,” I maintained a weight of about 105 for about 2 years. At 5’6” tall, I was emaciated. I became pregnant with my daughter & gained close to 100 pounds. After she was born, I weighed around 175. Nothing I did worked for losing the weight. I tried starving myself but wouldn’t resort to purging again. Starving didn’t work because then I ended up eating a bunch of junk when I did finally eat again. I managed to get my weight down to 150 pounds by pure luck.
Five years ago I decided it was time for a change in lifestyle. I was at a plateau of 150 lbs. I started using the Firm Classics & Cross Trainers 3 times a week. I didn’t change my eating. I used these tapes for about a year before someone on the old Firm Forum suggested I try Cathe. I was looking for a “gym” type workout without the cost of a gym. I looked at her website & was convinced this was what I was looking for.
At the time I belonged to a “check-in” on the old Firm Forum & had a secret sister to help me stay motivated. I mentioned that I was interested in trying some of Cathe’s stuff & my secret sister sent me the Pure Strength Series as a gift. I was thrilled! I couldn’t believe that someone would send me these tapes. I tried them & was hooked.
Last year my workouts suffered a great set back. I had a recurrence of severe back pain. I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis & disk degeneration. I went to physical therapy for 3 months & was told to STOP ALL WEIGHT LIFTING EXERCISE forever. I knew this was terrible advice. I have read enough on back injuries & recovery to know that an active person has less pain. I spoke to a friend who is a physical therapist & exercise physiologist to verify that I could continue to exercise. He advised to continue the exercises that I learned in therapy & to continue weight training but reduce high impact cardio. I kept up my exercise routine but didn’t push myself terribly hard.
In January, I had a serious set back with my back. I was in so much pain that I could not stand up straight for 2 weeks. I allowed myself a month to heal but in that time determined that I needed to change my workouts. In early February, I met Francine (from the forums) at Cathe’s gym. I became very motivated! I began exercising again very slowly. I wanted to be stronger & have the physique of a fitness model. I learned what exercises aggravated my back & what my limitations are. I took my before pictures on February 14, 2003. In March, I began following Marlene123’s tank top rotation, which uses all Cathe tapes. I followed this rotation for 12 weeks. I started lifting heavier & cut down on my cardio to just twice a week at about 45 minutes each time.
Unfortunately, my eating was still poor. I read more about different “eating styles,” Body For Life, Body RX, Physique Transformation, & finally found what works for me. I have cut down on junk & started eating more healthy meals. I don’t deprive myself. I still give myself a treat every day but I keep it reasonable. With changes in my nutritional intake & exercise routine, I finally began to see serious weight loss & muscle changes.
Today, I read anything I can get my hands on regarding nutrition & exercise. I want to stay on top of what the “experts” are saying about weight loss, muscle building & endurance. I don’t try everything I read but I keep it in the back of my mind in case what I’m doing at the moment doesn’t work. I am not afraid to try new things to “shock” my body into change.
As of June 12h, 2003 I had lost 11 lbs, I was down to 139. I’ve hit a slight plateau & fluctuated up 2 lbs & back down to 139 for few weeks. I am back beginning a little different routine to shock my body into a reduction pattern again.
While I do have a goal weight in mind, I am trying to keep an open mind about that. I want to go by what I see in the mirror & in the way my clothes fit. I have decided that a fitness model’s body not realistic for me. Those women tend to keep their body fat lower than is healthy when they are in “competition” mode. My realistic goal would be to look like Cathe does when she is in between filming; still a lower body fat but healthy.
As for my back, I continue to do the exercises I learned while in physical therapy & have been relatively pain free for 6 months. I can walk for longer periods of time than I could when I was first diagnosed. When I don’t work out & keep up on my stretches, I find I have more pain than when I am consistent.
I’m a work in progress. I hope to reach my goal by September, 2003. This gives me plenty of time to tweak my workouts and nutrition to get me where I want to go in a safe & healthy way.
http://www.fitnessvideofanatics.com/inspirations/FitnessGoddess.slim
Five years ago I decided it was time for a change in lifestyle. I was at a plateau of 150 lbs. I started using the Firm Classics & Cross Trainers 3 times a week. I didn’t change my eating. I used these tapes for about a year before someone on the old Firm Forum suggested I try Cathe. I was looking for a “gym” type workout without the cost of a gym. I looked at her website & was convinced this was what I was looking for.
At the time I belonged to a “check-in” on the old Firm Forum & had a secret sister to help me stay motivated. I mentioned that I was interested in trying some of Cathe’s stuff & my secret sister sent me the Pure Strength Series as a gift. I was thrilled! I couldn’t believe that someone would send me these tapes. I tried them & was hooked.
Last year my workouts suffered a great set back. I had a recurrence of severe back pain. I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis & disk degeneration. I went to physical therapy for 3 months & was told to STOP ALL WEIGHT LIFTING EXERCISE forever. I knew this was terrible advice. I have read enough on back injuries & recovery to know that an active person has less pain. I spoke to a friend who is a physical therapist & exercise physiologist to verify that I could continue to exercise. He advised to continue the exercises that I learned in therapy & to continue weight training but reduce high impact cardio. I kept up my exercise routine but didn’t push myself terribly hard.
In January, I had a serious set back with my back. I was in so much pain that I could not stand up straight for 2 weeks. I allowed myself a month to heal but in that time determined that I needed to change my workouts. In early February, I met Francine (from the forums) at Cathe’s gym. I became very motivated! I began exercising again very slowly. I wanted to be stronger & have the physique of a fitness model. I learned what exercises aggravated my back & what my limitations are. I took my before pictures on February 14, 2003. In March, I began following Marlene123’s tank top rotation, which uses all Cathe tapes. I followed this rotation for 12 weeks. I started lifting heavier & cut down on my cardio to just twice a week at about 45 minutes each time.
Unfortunately, my eating was still poor. I read more about different “eating styles,” Body For Life, Body RX, Physique Transformation, & finally found what works for me. I have cut down on junk & started eating more healthy meals. I don’t deprive myself. I still give myself a treat every day but I keep it reasonable. With changes in my nutritional intake & exercise routine, I finally began to see serious weight loss & muscle changes.
Today, I read anything I can get my hands on regarding nutrition & exercise. I want to stay on top of what the “experts” are saying about weight loss, muscle building & endurance. I don’t try everything I read but I keep it in the back of my mind in case what I’m doing at the moment doesn’t work. I am not afraid to try new things to “shock” my body into change.
As of June 12h, 2003 I had lost 11 lbs, I was down to 139. I’ve hit a slight plateau & fluctuated up 2 lbs & back down to 139 for few weeks. I am back beginning a little different routine to shock my body into a reduction pattern again.
While I do have a goal weight in mind, I am trying to keep an open mind about that. I want to go by what I see in the mirror & in the way my clothes fit. I have decided that a fitness model’s body not realistic for me. Those women tend to keep their body fat lower than is healthy when they are in “competition” mode. My realistic goal would be to look like Cathe does when she is in between filming; still a lower body fat but healthy.
As for my back, I continue to do the exercises I learned while in physical therapy & have been relatively pain free for 6 months. I can walk for longer periods of time than I could when I was first diagnosed. When I don’t work out & keep up on my stretches, I find I have more pain than when I am consistent.
I’m a work in progress. I hope to reach my goal by September, 2003. This gives me plenty of time to tweak my workouts and nutrition to get me where I want to go in a safe & healthy way.
http://www.fitnessvideofanatics.com/inspirations/FitnessGoddess.slim
