Meet Deb, IzzyFit's Client of the Month!

Deb joined CleanSlate28 thanks to her brother's introduction to the program (thanks, Brian!). Deb is a high-energy, sharply funny and caring woman/mom/sister/daughter/wife/cancer survivor who was looking to complement her fitness with some nutrition help after getting her workout routine down.  

As a coach, I love witnessing my clients not only take ownership of their journeys but motivating those around them to do the same. Deb is that woman. She decided to commit to the nutrition skills she started honing, the pounds started melting off and all the while she's been able to live a pretty normal food life! She's got so many nuggets of awesomeness below so, without further ado, meet Deb!

Tell me a little bit about yourself and what you've been working on this year with health and fitness.
Along with everyone else, I am on the typical and seemingly endless quest to lose weight. But more than that, I’m focusing on strength and general fitness. Last year, I had a run-in with lymphoma, and that plus the chemo really kicked my butt and trashed my overall fitness. Now, I’ve got my cardio base almost back to where I was before, and am lifting and focusing on eating well.
 
What would you say your biggest challenges have been? 
I think some of my biggest challenges has been about commitment and consistency. It was always difficult for me to see and accept that little changes over time can be far more effective than a drastic “dieting-type” change. Plus, I LOVE food and my “mommy juice.” And, when something like being sick or having my daughter home over the summer keeps me from the gym, it feels like all my good habits have a tendency to slide.
 
What do you think has helped you face those challenges?
The Kickstarter Kit and CS28 really helped me keep my internal motivation charged up when school let out this past summer.
 
You took to CleanSlate28 like a duck to water. What about it clicked with you?
It was a matter of perfect timing. With school ending in June and knowing that my gym time would be down from 4-5 days/week to none, I needed a way to keep focused. CS28 was exactly what I needed. I already had the working out commitment going for me, but not a ton of equipment at home. The gear-free workouts you suggested rounded out my home exercise routines. As for the food thing, I loved how there were no hard and fast rules, nothing to measure or count. I finally felt I had “permission” to make dining choices - good or maybe not so much, and be ok with them. I never felt I was denying myself anything. That empowered me to stay on track and still enjoy myself within reason, and not feel guilty about the occasional splurge. Plus, I was amazed and thrilled with the boost in my energy levels from eating better.
 
What are you looking forward to for the rest of this year into the next?
I’m looking forward to continuing to see positive changes in my body, and to keep feeling awesome and strong!
 
What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started your fitness journey? What advice would you give people just starting out?
I wish I'd known how to eat well without the pressure of DIETING. But, then, I guess I’d be on a different journey now. Ha ha. For those of you who are just starting out, either with CS28 or another path:

• Make your new habits work for you, and not the other way around.
• Getting fit is not a race, nor is it about following someone else’s arbitrary rules (especially when it comes to eating).
• The biggest key to success is that you need to be ready to make positive changes and internalize them.
• Finally, don’t get hung up on numbers (scale or pants size), but enjoy feeling good about yourself and what your body can do when you treat it well.

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