When I started Fit Body 2XR with Steve, I expected a fast turn-around. I thought: I used to be an…read moreaerobics instructor in my 20's, so I can totally breeze through these workouts. Well, 15 years later, 2 kids, lots of ice-cream, and hitting my 40's created a body that didn't respond the way I expected. I had reached a size 14, and weighed well over 160 pounds. Considering I am 5' 4 and 3/4 inches, the fat was definitely not avoidable and it wasn't hard to see. I felt tired all the time, had mood swings, and hated clothes shopping. I didn't feel healthy and I didn't feel attractive. We all want to feel attractive right?
I will be honest with you: Steve's classes are hard. They involve a lot of mental stamina, dedication to not give up, visualizing your goals in order to keep the motivation going, pressing through the feeling of wanting to vomit sometimes. But, he also understands that his participants are all coming to his classes at different levels, with different histories and he is able to cater to those needs. I realize now, that Steve had a sense of the type of person I was from the start: that I demand from myself, and so he worked mentally to push me. He would get close to me when I felt I couldn't finish bear crawl suicides, and say something like "you are a leader, so lead!". When he said that, he tapped into my core, got me going, gave me the will and heart to finish that workout with my best for that day. Steve's workouts change every day and I never get tired of them. I can tell you: you are not going to get a typical fitness club workout with Steve. He is going to push you, and probably push you past the limits you want. But, believe me, you will be grateful in the end, and the results prove it, if you are willing to keep at it. Exercise is not a quick fix. I realize that this is now my new lifestyle. I can't rely on my 20's metabolism, I can't eat pizza after a late night booze binge, and I can't go to birthday parties and eat the cake.
I started working out with Steve once a week. I thought that this would be a good place to start getting back in shape. After a couple months of that, I realized that this was not going to be enough, I had to commit. And, believe me, committing is the first thing one needs to do to reach some semblance of success. So, I upped my workouts to 2-3 times of week. Then I started noticing some results. That's when just being able to get through a workout, do 20 jumping jacks, to be able to get up the stairs without huffing and puffing, turned into some bigger goals. I started losing dress sizes. Although my weight was going down slowly, I was gaining muscle and starting to get a body shape back that I recognized. I got excited. These workouts, these tough muscle aching, cardio thumping workouts that Steve pushed me through with the other participants were really paying off. My body started wanting more, and I again increased my exercise to 4 times per week. I felt great. I felt strong. I started to set goals for myself again...lose 5 pounds, get into a size 12, lose another 5 pounds, get into a size 10...and I had to continue to readdress my goals. Steve measured my progress with weigh-ins and fat percentage measurements (I hate those, but they keep you real). I had reached my goal! It was time to decide: is this good enough for me, or do I want more from myself? I admit: I am a competitive person, with myself. I am a perfectionist, I tend to be hard on myself, and I expect big things from myself. Boot camp has fed into those aspects of me. Every workout challenges my inner stamina. Sometimes I have given in, and have stopped to catch a sip of water, stopped half way through an exercise because my legs were burning, got only 8 push-ups in a row instead of 15 or 20. But you know what? I am still trying, still pushing myself, and it all averages out to an amazing result. Look, we have good days and not so good days. Some days I am not motivated to go to Steve's class, but I get my workout clothes on, ignore the mental garbage that tries to convince me not to go, and get into the car and get to the gym. Once I get there, I am glad I went. That's what has gotten me the results: Steve's creative, hard core, muscle building, cardio building, creative routines - those classes combined with the mental ability to turn the voice inside my head to the "off position" when it tries to convince me that the classes are too hard, or I am too tired, or I deserve a break. My advice: that voice is not telling you the truth, so ignore that voice if you want to see results. It's hard work, and there is no way around it. For more of this review please visit Fit Body 2XR Training and Bootcamps on Facebook.