My colleague and friend, Dustin Maher, recently wrote his first book, Fit Moms For Life. I’m not going to lie, I’m totally jealous! Some of you know that writing a book is at the TOP of my bucket list. It will happen. Sooner than later. And I’m so grateful to awesome trainers like Dustin who are paving the way, telling real stories about transformation and change for real women and moms.
I’m a big fan of stories, which you may know from reading this blog. I love telling stories and I love hearing other people’s stories. As a trainer, I have come to see that behind every woman who changes her body is an incredible story of transformation. When you look at weight loss or lost clothing sizes, that is just a small part of the whole story. When women change their bodies and their health, they inevitably change everything about themselves – the way they walk, talk, think and smile. It’s overwhelming and remarkable to witness.
Dustin has worked with thousands and thousands of moms in Madison, Wisconsin and many more online. His reach is international and his stories touch moms everywhere. In Fit Moms for Life he gives tons of advice about how to change your body, how to get strong, how to get lean, how to lose weight. Within each chapter are multiple stories of women who did all that, and in the process, changed who they are at their very core. Here are a few of my favorite stories:
Jody: Mother of 5, who lost 70 pounds and can now do 50 push ups on her toes and 8 pull ups.
Crystal: Lost 90 pounds, went from a size 22 to a size 12 and lost 14 inches off her waist. Only her beaming smile is recognizable from her Before to her After pictures – it’s like she’s living in a different body. Actually, she is…
Sarah: Lost 23 pounds and 6 inches off her waist in order to get her pre-baby body back. This was in the midst of being diagnosed with epilepsy, having a brain tumor removed, going through a divorce and getting up for a job that required a wake up call of 3am every morning. So, ummmm, what’s your excuse for not working out today???
I think Dustin and I agree that the power of transformation is the essence of why being a fitness professional is the best job on the planet. It is unbelievable to see a peson change on the inside as a result of changing on the outside.
The reason I’m sharing this with you is that I want you to be inspired to be bold and brave, like Jody and Crystal and Sarah. I want you to make the changes you have been talking about making and thinking about making: the workouts that you swear you’ll start tomorrow, the nutrition program that you promise to kick off fresh every Monday. For every transformation story, there is a starting point. There is a moment where someone said, consciously or subconsciously, “I am worth it. I’m going to go for it. Failure is not an option.” It takes a lot of moms YEARS, even decades, to get to that place. Understandably so, you have many other people to take care of. You are never #1 on your list.
In Fit Moms for Life, every story of transformation is a story of a mom deciding to put herself first. And the resulting outcome is a better mom, a better wife, a better friend, a better employee – a better person who can share herself more completely with the world.
In addition to all the inspiring stories, Dustin shares really practical information. What do you really need to do to lose weight? How should you eat? What kind of workouts should you do? Do you need to do more cardio? Or less cardio? He answers all these questions for you.
I also love that Dustin encourages you to get the heck away from the scale. One of my favorite Fit Moms for Life stories is about a mom who started strength training and lost 6 pounds. Not too shabby, but not a huge number, especially given that many of Dustin’s moms lose 50-100 pounds. BUT, in losing 6 pounds (from adding strength training to her regimen), this mom went from a size 8 to a size 4. That is a big transformation – and proof that it’s not all about the scale – or cardio – the two things women obsess most about when trying to lose weight and fat.
Dustin and I recently did an interview together and he told me another story about a mom who went from a size 8 to a size 2 by changing one thing in her routine. The one thing? She increased the weights she was lifting. She traded her dumbbells up over and over again as she got stronger over time. She now uses 45 pound dumbbells for many exercices. So, are you still worried that big weights will make you bulk up? If going from a size 8 to a size 2 is “bulking up”, I’ll take it!
Speaking of interviewing Dustin, he has given me permission to share this interview with anyone who buys Fit Moms for Life this week. Our interview compliments his book really well. He let me ask him some questions as a follow up to the book. My favorite part of the interview was when I asked his what the 3 biggest factors fo his mom’s weight loss success were. Any guesses what he said? I was shocked. Not one of the three things he listed had anything to do exercise. What?!?!
If you are looking for some inspiration to change your body and change your life, this is a must read. If you buy the book this week, by April 13th, forward me your receipt and I’ll send you the interview Dustin and I did. This interview alone gives you a ton of insight into how to make really practical and sustainable changes in your life. You can get your copy of Fit Moms for Life here.
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