The Summer Shape-Up
Fitness Contest
6-Weeks To An Amazing Summer Body!

The results are in!  After 6 challenging weeks of total fitness activities and tasks, the winners are:

1st Place:  Allison Jensen
2nd Place:  Kelly Dooley
3rd Place:  Greg Rowan

Here's the winner's story (Allison):

   I became a member of Athlon in July 2010 after months of feeling unhealthy, unmotivated and unhappy with my body. After looking into the local gyms within SLO and seeing what each one had to offer I chose Athlon (particularly Athlon Elite) because of the people there – staff and other clients, were really friendly and seemed genuinely excited to help every person meet their goals.  Plus, the workouts were challenging and different than anything I had ever experienced, and for the massive amount of knowledge that I would gain about nutrition, exercise and health in general.

   I haven't regretted a day since joining. In the past year I have lost a little over 40lbs, dropped about 4 sizes, feel physically and mentally healthier than ever and am excited to continue with Athlon in order to reach my final goal as well as to maintain the results that I have already achieved.

   During the course of that year I have been dedicated to training four days per week in their "Elite" group training program.  I noticed my body changing almost immediately.  But after about 9 months of not changing much of my nutritional habits I felt like I had reached a plateau in the gym and in my body – I was no longer losing weight or centimeters during the test weeks and knew that something else had to change. Right around this time the Summer Shape Up program was starting.  The challenges, bonus tasks and nutritional aspects of the program were really intense and seemed almost unreasonable at times (NO bread or pasta for one week!) but I was curious to see the results it would bring as well as having a prize at the end never hurts. And so I began the challenge.

   I bought a small composition notebook that went everywhere with me to keep a food log, (that in itself was extremely helpful). Having to write down everything that I ate and drank, which I was very honest about, was insane to see what I actually put into my body and it made me much more aware about what I was eating, when and how much. When I started adding calories, daily water intake, exercise times and sleep to it, it was even more helpful to be able to clearly see how important ALL of those pieces are to reaching any type of fitness goal. And knowing that my coach at Athlon, Cory Johnston, was going to be reading my log each week definitely made me think twice about what I would put in my body.  :-)  However if I wanted a glass of wine (or three) I drank them and just tried to stay within my daily calories the next day.

   For me the meals were the toughest part (especially at first).  I'm a picky eater and my work schedule isn't always the most conducive  to eating complete meals every few hours. So I had to plan ahead.  For breakfast I bought a protein supplement and made sure that I had a shake within the first hour of getting up each day. For all other meals I went shopping about once a week for fresh veggies, fruits and proteins (chicken and turkey), grains (brown rice, quinoa) and spent a few hours at the beginning of each week cooking enough food to last me. I bought these really helpful tupperware containers from www.fit-fresh.com that have separate sections that are portioned out – 1/2 cup, 2 cups etc., That made it possible to bring a whole meal somewhere and not have to have everything mix together or have to carry a bunch of different containers.  I also got a reusable water bottle that is a third of the amount of water I should be drinking daily so it was easy for me to know how much I drank and how much was left to go.

   Right away, within the first 3 weeks of the program I was getting a lot of comments from people noticing a difference in my appearance and I could definitely see and feel a difference in myself. My clothes fit better and I felt so much more energized and healthier in general. By the end of the program doing the 4-6 balanced meals everyday and sticking with the right amount of calories and water was no longer a "chore."  Instead it had become more of a habit and felt easy and natural.

   I am so pleased with the results of the Summer Shape Up program.  I have integrated most of the bonus tasks and challenges of the program into my daily routine and I'm really excited to continue to see the effects that eating healthy along with regular exercise will have. Thanks again to all of the people at Athlon!

Alley Jensen
 

 

If you'd like more information on Athlon's programs or would like to be another of our success stories click here for your complimentary fitness and nutrition consultation.  It'll be the best decision you ever made.

www.SLOPersonalTraining.com/consult

 

 

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