Jen and Tim Smith run during boot camp. PHOTO/JULIE LESSIG
Although Tim and Jen Smith haven’t participated in Total Balance’s Boot Camp for a couple of years, this year’s 10-Week Ultimate Body Challenge has been a lot easier for them, as they are both 60 pounds lighter.
I mentioned the Smiths in my column last week about my first experience with Boot Camp. They were the “well-seasoned athletes wanting to challenge themselves” in contrast to me being the couch dweller wanting to get back into shape.
While I had shared pleasantries with them before and after workouts, I hadn’t really got a chance to learn about their fitness journey until last week. Their story has given me renewed inspiration to keep pushing through the sweat and pain to reach my goal of improved health.
After Tim, 44, put on some weight while traveling for his job as a language translator, he decided to make a change in November 2015. He began working out at home and decreased his meal portion sizes.
Jen, 45, followed suit in late January 2016 after watching Tim’s dedication and determination.
“I had to be mentally prepared,” she said. “He was more motivated; I was very proud of him.”
The Vinton couple had gained and lost weight several times throughout their 15-year marriage and decided it was time to make a lifestyle change rather than continue the yo-yo pattern. Like me, they were “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
They tracked what they ate through MyFitnessPal and changed up recipes, such as substituting spaghetti squash for pasta. Workouts included Zumba on the Wii and even some of the exercises they learned in previous boot camps like running up the dreaded sledding hill.
If they had setbacks, they would look at what they could do better. And they celebrated little successes along the way. Most importantly, they wanted to be positive role models for their son Evan, now 11.
“We wanted him to see our lifestyle changes,” Jen said. “We eat better as a family and go for bike rides.”
Jen admittedly had more time to work out during a stretch of unemployment. When she started a new job in hospice social work in Cedar Falls last September, her workouts fell to the wayside.
While she didn’t gain any weight during her workout hiatus, she started to feel lethargic by spring. She eased back into it by walking the dog and by June, she and Tim were back in Boot Camp.
This time around was different for both of them compared to a couple years ago, when they struggled through each workout and at times thought about giving up.
“I have a whole different attitude,” Jen said. “I feel all around better. It’s a change in your mental outlook on health, fitness and eating. But it’s a long journey. If you go too fast, you get burned out. It doesn’t happen overnight.”
The pain doesn’t go away once you get into better shape, she told me, a little to my disappointment.
“I’m not where I used to be, but not where I want to be yet,” she said. “Having a new, improved body is like having a new car and taking it out for a drive – you want to see how far you can push it.”
I’m still in my clunker, but it’s already appreciating the tune-up.
Angela Holmes, editor of Balance, is a middle-aged working mom trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Email her at angela@corridorbusiness.com.
