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181 West Madison

Evolved.

That’s how I feel 7 months into my journey. This is all thanks to 3 months of focused-driven performance. Ryan Robert, the manager of LifeStart at Laitram Fitness, was the one who proposed the “10-Week Challenge.” Careful planning on his part, fitness, nutrition milestones, and helpful words of encouragement helped to slingshot me into believing in myself. We all are aware that “eating right” and “exercising frequently” can get us into shape, but, if there is no inspiration or focused effort, that goal may as well be unfathomable. However, I had an epiphany: no one is born a professional, which means practice makes perfect. Additionally, all aspects of life are a journey, and, if health and fitness can be viewed as a journey, the steps along the way are imperative in helping one reach their destination. No matter how small, each step counts, and each step adds on to the progress the previous step made. Mighty ravines were once creeks and massive trees were once saplings. If viewing one’s self in this light, one will realize that progress, no matter the size, makes a difference. Thus, my journey started simply with tracking macronutrients and light exercise. Over time, Ryan would highlight the path with slowly increasing difficulty for the sake of improvement. Simple tracking and exercise morphed into meal prepping, strength training, being mindful of nutrition in meals, and extra tidbits to improve wellbeing. Over time, I noticed my weight dropping, bringing me to a total weight loss of 20 pounds of pure fat over the entire program! Now with the steps taken by my own effort along the way, I am able to branch even further into my fitness journey. I will end my story with this - In famous time-travel movies, they say that the future can be jeopardized by even the smallest change in the past; therefore, wouldn’t small changes now drastically change your future?