Success By Any Other Name by Melissa

I’ve always been an avid exerciser. I’ve actually been more than just ‘avid.’ I used to work out to the point of insanity, really. I’d get up early and workout, go to work, come home, go to the gym, and then workout till bed time. I basically worked myself to exhaustion, just to get up and do it all over again…and this was on a daily basis. My weekends? Up early…and workout all day long. No exaggeration. My family and friends worried…my mother told me I treated working out like a job…
But I never looked in the mirror and felt happy or content with what I saw looking back at me. I could never build the muscles I wanted or get rid of that fat that I saw. I’m 5’11 and my muscles are different than, say, Cathe’s. In my head, I know this, that I’ll never had that same definition or muscle tone…but I kept working at it, morning, noon, and night. I knew that I was overdoing it, possibly to the detriment of my muscles, but nothing got through…until STS

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I’d been using Cathe’s DVDs for about a year and a half when I started thinking about buying the STS series. I’d been doing the abs DVD for six weeks and loved it, but the price was a little scary, since I’d been one of those oh so lucky few to get a pink slip when school budget cuts were handed down last year. But six months ago, I decided to take the plunge. I figured I couldn’t afford NOT to. I wanted to do something that would stop the insanity that I had placed myself dead center in. I knew if I followed the three month program I would see results, and that was what spurred me on.

I was a bit scared when I got the series and read the book. Only three days of weight training?? I was used to five days a week…but I trust Cathe and decided to put the future of my body in her hands. I already ate well, that was no problem, I just needed to adjust my thinking about what and how to workout.

I just finished month five of STS, and it was the best investment I’ve ever made…maybe I don’t see the guns that the girls on the DVDs have, and maybe my triceps and butt aren’t as tight as I hope they one day will be…but it’s a process. I’m on that road, and I know that if I keep it up, I’ll get there. Since starting STS, I’ve regulated my workouts. Now, I don’t let them run my life. I still slip occasionally and workout way too much, but thanks to STS I know that moderation and change are the key. I’ve left behind my crazy long elliptical workouts and added in STS cardio instead, and I couldn’t be happier (not to mention more well-rested, since I’m able to sleep in later!). My boyfriend swears he sees the change in my body, and that’s great to hear, since I’m the worst judge of what I see in the mirror.

Before STS, I talked, often, of becoming a cycling instructor and personal trainer. Last month, I got my certification in cycling and have taught two classes. I’ve also registered for my personal training course…and I have my group fitness certification. I’m on my way to actually making working out my job, like mom said years ago, just this time it is in a way all my friends and family approve and are proud of me.