Like a lot of people that write in, I have always struggled with my weight. Growing up, I danced and would do the occasional step class with my Mom or a friend, but I never exercised regularly.
After living in Oregon for 3 years, we moved to Florida. Along with the beautiful weather, came many trips to my favorite place, the beach. This, of course, meant wearing a bathing suit regularly. Oh, how I hated putting one on!
I decided it was time to lose some weight, again. Of course, I had no motivation. One day after standing in front of the bathroom mirror and complaining about how I looked, my daughter, who was 4 at the time, said to me “Mommy, stop complaining and do some exercise.” How can you ignore that? Nothing like a kick in the butt from your child! So,once again, I went back on a diet. This time I wanted to do things differently. I knew after many times of going through the cycle of losing and gaining weight, I would have to incorpor ate regular exercise. This was something I had never done.
Since we were living in Florida and now had beautiful weather, I started taking daily walks with my kids. It was a small step but a start. I also started doing my elliptical a few times a week. I got bored with this very quickly. I knew I needed a variety of exercises to keep me motivated. The only place I had every had this was at a gym. I did not want to spend the money to join a gym. One day while flipping through the TV channels, I discovered FitTV. I actually sat on the couch and watched a couple of the Cathe workouts. I decided to record one and give it a try. The first one I tried was the Cathe Boot Camp because it didn’t require a step. Wow, did I get a workout, but what fun! I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it!
I noticed that many of the Cathe workouts used a step. I always enjoyed doing the step classes so I went online and ordered a step. I had finally discovered workouts that I enjoyed. I loved t he routines, the challenges, the variety, the music, everything! I actually started looking forward to working out everyday. As I progressed with the more intense workouts, I started wondering if I could run. I know that may seem strange, but I always admired people that ran. Runners were always so passionate about their sport. I thought, If I can handle the Cathe workouts, I might be able to run.
Just a side note: I have NEVER been a runner. When I was in high school and we had to run laps of the parking lot for dance team, I would always be the last one back. I HATED it!
To my surprise, I made it 2 miles on my first run. From this point on, I continued to do my Cathe workouts, but I would alternate days running. On Thanksgiving day, I ran 7 miles and felt on top of the world! I decided to enter my first race, a 15k. In February I ran it, and had a blast! I had found a new passion! In April, I tackled my first 1/2 Marathon. I couldn’t believe it was actually me doing this! During my training for both races, I continued my Cathe workouts. I would do Drill Max and Imax 3 to build up stamina and Body Max 2 (the complete 97 minutes) to build up endurance. I also started incorporating some of the strength training videos. All of these workouts became my “cross-training” for running.
Without discovering the Cathe Workouts, I never would have developed a passion for working out and running. I am now training for my first Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, which I will run in memory and honor of my Grandmother. I am so excited! I honestly would never have reached this point had it not been for the Cathe Workouts. Thank you so much for being so motivating and creating such great workouts!
