Beyond the Beach Body Challenge: Amanda’s Story

When it comes to physical fitness, motivation is often a problem. After all, the unhealthy option is often the easiest; cooking something nutritious and delicious is great, but there’s a fast food joint on the way home from work… you could wake up early and hit the gym in the morning, but the snooze button is right there… maybe you own an exercise bike that you want to use from time to time, but the pile of clothes hanging on it has gotten so big…

Amanda’s story is no exception. She was feeling the grind of daily life, found herself taking the easy route more and more, and felt her motivation slipping. When she heard of the Fight Fitness Beach Body Challenge, she saw it as an opportunity to light a fire and get back into shape. What she got out of it was so much more.

An Early Success Story

Getting into shape was nothing new for Amanda. “Just as I’m sure many people will state, I was the fat kid in elementary school,” she says. Following an awkward early-childhood, she turned to swimming for exercise, and took to it like a fish to water.

“I grew into myself as a teenager,” she says, “leaned out as a competitive lifeguard, and my confidence increased.” For the next few years, Amanda was taking care of herself, exercising regularly, and keeping competition-fit.

“Then Came Babies…”

Amanda caps off the competitive, athletic period of her life as many of us do: “Then came babies… those warm, snuggly, amazing and entertaining little beings that wreak havoc on the body of mom, and lovingly occupy every moment of her existence.” She then adds, “And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

This is a story as old as time: When a mom is so completely dedicated to her children, it’s often at the cost of her dedication to her self.

“I lost my ‘me’ time and with that came a loss in attentiveness to what I was fuelling my body with, and what I was doing to make sure I stayed fit and healthy.”

When she decided enough was enough, Amanda signed up to Fight Fitness.

Approaching the Beach Body Challenge

Amanda was a long-standing member of Fight Fitness before the Beach Body Challenge, but saw the challenge as a way to get back into fitness mode. “Kickboxing had become much more of a stress relief outlet…

In a life with a travelling husband, two children that play rep sports, and a stressful, full-time career, there wasn’t much time for ‘me’.

I am a stress eater, and I like to drink, and so the pounds came creeping on. I would promise myself that I would start tomorrow (which was usually promised as I was lying in bed at midnight, disappointed with my eating and drinking from the day prior)… I seemed to lack the ability to move forward. I was stuck. Stagnant.”

Like anyone who has lost their motivation and slipped into a routine, Amanda needed to shake things up. “The Beach Body Challenge was meant to be a jump start,” she says. “A new beginning, the fuel to put the fire back under me.”
“The last time I’d fully committed to a fitness program was with a trip to Las Vegas on the horizon,” she continues. “However, the Beach Body Challenge was different. While there was a ‘Prize’ at the end, which was about half of my extrinsic motivation, the other half came from my heavily competitive nature. I wanted to win. I wanted people to look at me and say ‘Way to go! You’re killing this!’… what I didn’t expect was the intrinsic motivation that developed as the challenge progressed, and how my perception of what I was undertaking changed.”

A Community Challenge

At Fight Fit, all of our challenges are designed to be much more than a ‘carrot on a stick’. We have developed a system that fosters a sense of community among the participants, as well as a sense of empowerment and accomplishment that transitions to the rest of the participants’ lives.

“When I stepped into the gym,” Amanda says, “I met those classes head-on, and gave them everything I had. I found energy I didn’t think was there, and that competitive nature shifted… I found myself pushing and encouraging the other Beach Body Challengers to keep going and not give up. I would find myself yelling across the gym, ‘Come on, just five more’ to someone I likely wouldn’t have reached out to before.” She then adds, “I’m painfully shy. However, the shyness was melting away, and I found myself reaching out and offering help and encouragement to my competitors.”

Results Beyond Results

Amanda saw results that reached far beyond the titular ‘beach body’.

“This challenge brought my sense of self, and self worth, back. The Beach Body Challenge forced me to pay attention to me… to place value on me again, and to honour what I need.”

The timing of the challenge had Amanda nervous. “I had four awards banquets, two large parties, numerous friends/family get-togethers, a bridal shower, and a week-long trip to Florida… a state that’s not well-known for healthful choices.”

Saying no to the dessert tables at her banquets, turning down sangrias in Florida, and working out through a sunburn that was so bad that it had been keeping her up at night, had given her something far more valuable than a few inches off her waist. “I persevered and stayed in control. There was no giving up. That was one of my biggest victories. I was in control. I had the power.”

7 Important Lessons

When asked what she took away from the Beach Body Challenge, Amanda gave us a list of life lessons that she felt she would have missed if not for the challenge:

1. “I don’t need food when I am stressed. I am able to pay attention to what my body is telling me. When I’m stressed, all I need is something to occupy my mind, and make me see the value in things that cause me joy and pleasure.
2. “I feel better without alcohol. I persevered through the entire challenge without a single drop. I cannot remember the last time I went a week without a drink, let alone 6. Now, I don’t even want it.
3. “Food is a choice. Food is fuel. What we choose to fuel our body matters, and directly impacts how we feel, function, think, and exist. Planning what to eat is important, and doesn’t take as long as I had dreaded.
4. “There is power in numbers. I cannot begin to thank those in the Beach Body Challenge and the coaches for the endless support that was provided. We have all developed a kinship through this, and for that, I’m grateful.
5. “My cravings became tolerable, and different than most. I wanted fruit. Not fried foods. Not processed sugar (although, those cravings had to be kicked to the curb for the first couple of weeks). Fruit. That is really manageable!
6. “I can get my mojo back. I did get my mojo back. I continue to strive for excellence in my diet and life. I don’t want to be skinny. I want to be kick-ass fit! I want people to ask me how I got so fit, so I can share my victory with them.
7. “I am important. My health and wellbeing is as important as that of any member of my family. In fact, when I eat better, they all eat better! When I’m active, they’re all active! Taking the time for me has made me better at being able to provide a healthy, balanced lifestyle for my children and husband. ‘Me Time’ is important.

Learn from Amanda

At Fight Fitness, we don’t just fight to reduce your waistline. We fight to make you confident. To help you re-discover ‘me time’. To give you the drive to take better care of every aspect of your life. We fight for all the Amandas out there, who have let their dedication to their families eclipsed their dedication to themselves.

Do you find yourself falling into a routine like Amanda had? Download our FREE 7 day fat loss jumpstart and start your journey towards a new and healthier you.

Watch Amanda’s interview below