
ERIKA: LIVING HER BEST LIFE AT 45!
Meet Erika. Her nickname is “Mighty Mouse” and she juggles a lot in her life.
She balances her work, her fitness, and being a single mom to two kids, including a son with special needs – which is no easy task. But her determined attitude and work ethic helps her create a life she’s proud of.
Erika’s no stranger to fitness. She competed in her first bikini competition at age 38, which is quite an accomplishment. And she went back to school at age 42 in 2016.
But, fast forward a few years, and despite her best efforts, Erika was feeling stuck.
Here’s what she said:
“I tried to incorporate things I had done before, and nothing seemed to be working, and I would get frustrated, and I would quit, then I’d start all over, you know, that vicious cycle.”
So I asked Erika what she wanted to accomplish in our initial consultation. This is what she told me:
“When I get dressed every day I want to be able to say ‘hell yeah, I look good.’ I do want to be leaner – I love being active and working out and right now I feel like my body doesn’t reflect that. I feel fluffy. I want to be healthy and people to say ‘it’s obvious she works out.’”
Now, Lifestyle-180 is a different approach than the run-of-the-mill “diet yourself lean.” We go way deeper than just nutrition and training – and touch on the mindsets and patterns that cause us to fail.
One of Erika’s biggest struggles was with “boredom snacking.” She ate healthy snacks, but even healthy snacks can wreak havoc your progress when not contained. She found herself bored and lonely in the evenings, especially when her kids were gone. So she’d stumble to her cupboards to feast as a way to distract herself.
It wasn’t exactly easy, but it didn’t take long for Erika to change her old habits with Lifestyle-180.
And I don’t just mean in terms of measurements or on the scale! No, I also mean things like getting to the gym even when she was struggling with “mom guilt” with her kids being home all day and she didn’t really feel like it.
She told me the added accountability and weekly challenges helped her stay motivated and on track.
And another unintended benefit is she’s had major wins in her career too! Whenever work stressed her out, she’d go up to the vending machine and order a Pepsi. But not anymore!
Here’s what she said:
“We wear the saying ‘I’m so busy’ like a badge of honor – I don’t want to wear that badge anymore. After a week off, I came back to a desk overwhelmed by paper and it felt like I was making no progress.
My usual reaction has been ‘I need something to get me through the rest of the day like a Pepsi (my weakness and known trigger)’. However, today I left my desk, went outside and walked around the building, sat back down, took and deep breath and said ‘okay, priority #1 on the list.’”
These are the kind of things that look small on the surface, but represent major changes happening behind the scenes!
And sometimes, the best wins we have aren’t noticeable. Erika told me that she’s become more assertive. Specifically, she said:
“Of course I love that my clothes are fitting differently, but it’s other things too, like learning to say no to the things I don’t really want to do, instead of feeling obligated.
I have so much more confidence in my ability to stick to my goals.”
Having a coach in your corner providing support and accountability is a game changer. Erika already had a great work ethic. We just needed to address a few challenges, particularly with her mindset, that were holding her back.
And she’s not the only one who has noticed these changes:
“Physically, I look leaner – the trainer at the gym even commented on it. My daughter actually told me on Tuesday that I seemed “happier and more relaxed”. I also have less stress around food/mealtimes and feel like I have more control.
And! I’m definitely stepping outside my comfort zone, I’m going to an actual boxing club, doing sparring and making the decision to keep going. I am enjoying finding other things I enjoy doing besides lifting weights in the gym.”
I wanted to know what she thought was helping her most and what she liked best about Lifestyle-180. This is what she told me:
“[I love] that the program has a focus on daily goals. It makes it not so overwhelming.The check ins and food tracking [too]. I respond well to being accountable to not just myself.
Also, I love that my family is noticing the changes! My mom!! Commented right away that I looked smaller and seemed more relaxed.”
The best part about it is, she can keep doing this, because, in Lifestyle-180, there’s no hard rules or cutting out entire food groups.
Lifestyle-180 is not a diet. It’s a lifestyle transformation that you can keep doing for years to come.
Erika is proving that age is no barrier, and she’s just getting started!
Is it time for your own Lifestyle-180?
If you’re ready to ditch dieting for good, go shopping in your closet again, wear clothes you thought you’d never fit into, walk into a room with confidence and energy … it’s time for YOUR Lifestyle-180!