Client Success Story: Ashley

Ashley’s Plan:

2, 8-Week Workout Programs; Ongoing 12-month Individual Meal Plan

“Since I was a teenager, I've had borderline high cholesterol. Not because of my weight or the way I ate, but because it runs in my family. I'm not saying that I ate perfectly, but I pretty much stayed away from fried foods, red meat, greasy food, etc. I just never saw cholesterol numbers under 200. I figured that was just the way it was going to be. When I became friends with Madison, I knew I had an opportunity to learn. We started this healthy eating journey several months ago and boy have I learned. I didn't eat horribly before, but I learned that I was eating the wrong things at the wrong times. One of the things I love is that she's not all about cutting out the things I enjoy, she just teaches how to be smarter about what and when I eat and what I choose to pair together. She's definitely the voice in my head these days when I'm making food choices. Do I still indulge? Of course. But not very often and I find it so much easier to jump right back on track if I do stray a bit. The biggest benefit I've seen so far came during my last doctor's appointment. While we were going over my blood work, she said "I don't know why we have you listed as having high cholesterol, your cholesterol is great!" I was confused. I actually thought maybe she was reading it wrong. Nope. My cholesterol was 158. I don't know if it's ever been that low before. I workout a few times a week, but I think this is mostly due to my change in eating habits. I am 47 years old and have better cholesterol than I did when I was 17. I could not have done this without Madison's expertise and guidance. She's so knowledgeable and keeps up with the latest research and trends. I feel so lucky to have crossed paths with her and look forward to where this journey will take me.”- Ashley

When Ashley and I began working together, one of the first things I noticed was how critical she was of herself. She was doing a number of positive things to work towards a balanced, healthy lifestyle but she wasn’t giving herself any credit. I got the vibe that until she fully attained her health-related goals, no part of the process would be considered a success. So, this was absolutely the first thing we worked together to address. I am big on creating sustainable, healthy habits rather than going on a “diet” or committing to a short-term workout regimen. I preached this to Ashley to emphasize that since we are developing lifelong eating habits here, “splurges” are part of life and should be ENJOYED rather than regretted. The first time I heard Ashley say that she enjoyed a treat but wasn’t worried about it because she got right back on track the next day was when I really felt we reached a breakthrough moment in her mindset towards food. Now we are to the point where she might log a treat or two here and there, but she will comment in the notes section of MyFitnessPal saying something along the lines of “I know this is higher in carbs/sugar than we are aiming for, but it was so delicious and I don’t order it often.” This lets me know that a) she was able to ENJOY her splurge rather than feeling guilty about it and/or punishing herself afterwards and b) she is able to leave it at that one splurge and move forward to continue making healthy choices. I am so proud of her for breaking free from these mental chains!

On the note of exercise, we have worked to find a balance of what Ashley enjoys. We started with strength training workouts, which went well, but then became interrupted by injury. There was some frustration experienced in trying to work around this injury, so we explored some HIIT circuits. Both the strength-training and HIIT circuits were completed at home. Amidst both types of workouts, she maintained her 2-3x/week Pilates attendance since that is something in which she finds much pleasure. Throughout this workout process, I have emphasized to Ashley the importance of sticking to what she ENJOYS doing. The most ideal/beneficial type of workout is not ideal at all if it never gets completed due to lack of enjoyment. Giving herself credit for completing the Pilates workouts was another stride, as Ashley came to realize that they were far more beneficial than other types of workouts which she didn’t enjoy quite as much and thus didn’t feel motivated to complete. While we are still experimenting with her exercise regimen to find the perfect balance, Ashley remains motivated to stay active and to credit herself for whatever type of exercise in which she chooses to participate!