The following is a testimonial from Angela, who is a participant in Woman’s Balance Program:

Hey, it’s Angela again and I’m back with an update on my Balance program progress. Can you believe I only have 4 weeks left? Yep, that’s it, believe it or not! I’m not going to lie, it makes me a little nervous knowing that is all the time I have left before I have to let go of my trainer and wellness coach. And let’s be real, I’m super nervous about the reveal of my “after pics”… I hope I don’t disappoint anyone! But, as scary as that might be, it’s scarier to think of all the changes I’ve made in such a short period of time. I’ve noticed significant changes, not only in my physical appearance, but also in my thoughts about food, about exercise and about my overall wellbeing. I have come to really look forward to my time spent at Woman’s Center for Wellness. I have even made the decision to join as a member after the program ends.

One of my highlights throughout the program has been my wellness coach visits each week. At the visits, I weigh in, discuss what has worked and what hasn’t (often it is the wine consumption – see my previous post), and then we dive into a new topic for the week, which has been very interesting. Who knew how much mindfulness and stress management go into daily nutrition?!? I know! I’m a nurse and should know all of this stuff, and maybe I learned it all at one point in a nutrition class 20 years ago, but it has been really nice to be reminded and to think about how these choices affect me now. This has really helped with meal prepping and thinking more carefully about not only the foods I eat, but also the foods my family eats. The coaches have been extremely encouraging, and even on a week where I did not quite meet my goals, it was more of a build-you-up kind of discussion and not a punitive one. All in all, I think this is working, like really working… like, making life changes – not going back to before – working! This has been something I needed and wanted more than anything.

Aside from the focus on nutrition, I have also seen a change in my attitude about physical activity and workouts. That’s right! The workouts have been so enjoyable that I started doing more workouts in addition to my twice weekly trainer sessions. I told myself I would not miss a meeting with my boss, so why am I so apt to cancel a meeting with myself?  I started putting various classes on my calendar and have tried lots of different ones. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and tried Nia, Cardio Kickboxing (I thought that sounded dreadful, and it was far from it!) and Cardio Yoga. And guess what – I really love it! The number and variety of classes available has been really great. I’ve been able to try classes that I wouldn’t have normally tried and been able to test my limits by pushing myself physically. On my upcoming “to try” list I have: Soul Grooves, Pound and Strong by Zumba. I will let you know how those go next time!

Keep the good vibes coming as I continue to work hard at this work/family/healthy life balance!