Have you ever done something so profound that your life was never the same? September 14, 2024, was that day for me. Everything began to change thereafter. That was my Day 1 of Martell Fitness. I didn't know what to expect, so I kept an open mind. The change has been so rapid, honestly, I didn't know how to explain it. I had to go through some of the journey to gauge myself.
When I started I was in a place of hopelessness with my weight. The only direction of the scale was upwards. I had some experiences with exercises and some knowledge of food and the human body, but what I was left with when I tried to piece them together on my own was confusion, particularly food confusion. I would do my best to eat healthier and exercise. My weight didn't budge. The older I got, the more hopeless and helpless I felt. I even wondered if I'd have to settle for becoming obese as I aged. I knew deeply in my heart that's not what I wanted since my 20s. I always thought I'd be fit in my fifties. I wanted to know why I was so far from my belief and how I could become fit now that I am in my 50s.
In late August of 2024, I did the one thing I knew how to do to find a solution. That was to pray and ask God to send help to me. I remember it vividly. I was hanging out the laundry on the line. I said a prayer; and had a conversation with God about my burning desire to change my whole life. My ask was to send someone to be my mentor, to teach me new things that I need to know to become the person for Him to do His work. I asked to have a 180-degree change by the end of 2025 and know how to maintain excellent health for the rest of my life. I said, "I don't even want to recognize myself." That's how different I desired to be physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially. The truth is, 2024 was not an easy year for me. I was at breaking point in many areas of my life. I cried at times to relieve the stress.
Fast-forward, to almost a month later, someone sent Ernest a video of Dan Martell in his 90-day fitness journey called Project Visible Abs. He shared it with me. I was hooked immediately. I knew that he was the person I needed support from. I recognized God was handing me a lifeline and answering my prayer. I didn't know a single thing about him. I figured out from the video that he's a fellow Canadian. Sign me up, Scotty. That's what I did and BAM! I was into my Day 1 of Martell Fitness, unprepared. That didn't matter, I was willing to start.
During the first 3 weeks, I completed the mandatory amazing Cleanse. During the Cleanse I began to release weight, my energy soared and became stable throughout the day. I had zero lows and highs. I remember stopping physical work at 11 pm simply because it was late and not because of tiredness. I was overwhelmed with joy after the first day as the scale finally moved downwards and it continues to do so. It's taken determination, discipline and courage, and commitment to doing what I said I would do, to a whole new level.
Embarking on this journey made me desire to get others involved. To keep myself on track, I made myself accountable to 3 people outside of my fitness group. I call them my "Daily Accountability Partners". They are all fit and agreed to take me on. Every day I report my weight and feedback. I also ask questions that I wouldn't ordinarily ask about being fit. It occurred to me one day that I never really asked healthy people questions about how they stay healthy, to learn from them. I might have avoided it by an intimidation factor that was in my head. What a wealth of knowledge and supporting spirit they possess! I know I've chosen well because they will reach out to me if I do not send a timely message. When I asked one of them to be that person for me, she agreed and said "I will hold you accountable for the rest of your life." That's our agreement. The education and growth I am receiving from my fitness group and accountability partners, how I wish I had been taught these things at a young age and at school.
Today is five months since I began this journey and I am ready to share more in my blogs. I speak publicly about my age and weight. I was 52 years old on Day 1. My weight was 166 lbs. Today I weighed in at 140.4 lbs and I am now 53. I've released 25.6 lbs so far. I measure myself every Monday. I've released 3.75 inches from my shoulders, 5 inches each off my waist and hips. Each week my clothing becomes slacker as I release more fat. My clothing size has changed from XL to S. My shoe size is also quite different, from a US 7.5 to 6.
I will become as fit as I can be. I have no idea what that means, except to see it from the example of others in my group. My first goal which I set before I understood what could happen, was to release 36 lbs which takes me to 130 lbs. I chose that because I could not remember what being 130 lbs was like, nor do I have a picture of myself at that weight. Once I joined the program and understood I could release beyond that in a healthy way, I chose to go all the way until Coach Alan tells me I've hit my target on having a very low body fat percentage. From there, my Fat Loss eating plan will change to build back muscle and he does his magic in supporting me to sculpt and shape my body in the way that I want and learn how to cycle in and out of lean and bulk.
Today, I created a video of pictures I've kept on my phone to remember the journey and to inspire me to keep going. I take face shots periodically to see how my face transforms. Stay tuned as I share more in the coming weeks.
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