Transformation Tuesday - Trishanna

When this client approached me and I asked her what she wanted to accomplish from her program, she responded ' To be comfortable in my own skin again' .  How many of you have gained so much weight, that you don't even know who you are?  You don't feel like yourself and you don't remember who that previous person was.

Trishanna began with me at a little over 220lbs. Standing at 5'6" and 36.9% bodyfat, she was determined to make a change this time.

Before starting college

Graduating College

" I weighed in at around 260lbs at my heaviest. It was quite depressing for me, as I had never dealt with weight issues growing up. I had an athletic build and participated in sports in high school.  I remember saying to my aunt one day that I can eat whatever I want and I won't gain weight. The freshman 15 proved me wrong."

We got started right away and our first milestone would be getting below 200lbs, which hadn't been a reality for Trishanna in 3 years.  She would diligently send me her updates and was amazed with each passing week as she continued to drop weight.  There were weeks where her updates felt defeated. Juggling a full time job, a child AND school, she had a lot on her plate and getting in the added workouts and sticking to the regiment sometimes proved to be a task. The KEY is not maintaining a perfect regiment. The key is consistency. If you fall off, it's ok. Get back on the horse and back on track. So many people give up right before their breakthrough.




At the check in where she finally broke 200lbs, her first reaction was ' I should have lost more this week..I'll do better next time' LOL. I had to remind her of our original discussions and how ALL victories are VICTORIES. We have reached our first milestone!

What's the ultimate goal?!?!? DECEMBER! Birthday month and JAMAICA. Will she do it? It's been just 2 months and we are down from 217lbs to 196lbs SO FAR. Over 20lbs in 8 weeks and we still have 8 weeks to go. We'll keep you posted. Two weeks from now, we'll post the MORE than comfortable Trishanna hanging out on the beach in Jamaica.

SO proud of you!!! Keep up the good work!!!

TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY!!!

Are ALL Your Friends in Shape?....

I used to get this question a lot. People would see me hanging out with people from the team or people from the places I worked out at or maybe see my sister or mother, who are both in great shape and ask if everyone around me was in shape. 

The answer to that...is NO. Your friends can be the WORST people to convert. They may approach you for advice but then question whether you know what you are saying. It's a struggle. lol

A good friend of mine approached me last fall about a program

Vic and I are really good friends. I have known him for over 10 years and when we first met, we used to get together and play racquetball, football, workout, etc. When I moved to NY we still kept in touch but I think his activity changed up some : o

He would tell me about different programs he was doing and would ask me about things before and I would tell make suggestions but it would never stick. He did the usual, P90x, Insanity, blah blah blah....until finally last November, he said he would stick to whatever I gave him.  FAST FORWARD to now...

Weight Loss 215lbs - 182.5lbs

Fat Loss 34% - 17.2%

I am so proud of him! When we started his program in Nov, I had to introduce him to the Vitamin Shoppe, Quest Bars (which he doesn't like btw -_- ) and a shaker bottle. Now this guy is giving other people advice and taking selfies in the gym. lol. 

Now you KNOW where I'm taking this guy next...hmmmmm?

Congrats Vic!!

What I love about these stories is much more than the body changes. Those can come and go, and some of you have been there. There are two main things I'm passionate about, which are my faith and people's well being. WELL BEING..not just being skinny or fitting into a dress. When you are able to take care of yourself, you take care of others. 

LIFE is short. LIVE your life!

To find out more about our programs or just drop us a note..email us! support@phoenyxfitness.com

TRANSFORMATION Tuesday

Ye of little faith...

In my years of training, coaching, 'transforming', I have found that people tend to fall within 2 buckets:

1. Believers

2. Doubters

These buckets are then broken up into two different types of people within the buckets

1. Believers

- Getters

- Talkers

2. Doubters

- Dreamers

- Non Believers

The BELIEVER is the one that knows it's possible. They know they can lose the weight. They know they can get ready for a competition. The difference in the believers are the DOers and TALKERs. We know the difference. Don't just talk about it, be about it. 

Then there are the people that don't want to put their faith in something that they haven't seen happen, or the doubters. The 'that's never happend to me' or 'I'm never that lucky' or ' that has never worked for me'. Of the doubters you have the NON believers. They don't believe in the process, the system, the universe, or themselves, and so usually they don't evern try or they say they tried but self sabotage the project. 'You see I told you'

The best of the four....the Dreamers.   The people that doubt,..but HOPE. They aren't sure, but DO. My transformation TUESDAY client is a dreamer. 

When we spoke about placing her on a new program 12 weeks ago, she told me she would do it, because she was curious to see where or if her body would change. She said though that she had a certain 'body type'. " It is what it is, but I will try" Ok, I said," that's all I ask."

Twelve weeks later...she is down roughly 20 lbs, 6-8% bodyfat, 5 inches in her waist, 4 inches in her hips, and 2 inches in her thighs. So, now we are done with her 12 week program and reassessing goals since we've demolished the 'smallest I've been since high school' goal. What's next? Look for us again during competition season next spring. 

I'm not asking you to perform miracles.....I'm just asking you to believe in them. :) 

Transformation Tuesday!!

I was introduced to Malenna by my girlfriend’s cousin and Elite Heat member Sharilyn who sang great praises of her.  Having been an athlete in the past I said to myself there isn’t much that she can do to me that I don’t know or haven’t done, but man was I wrong. I initially started off thinking I would just lose some of the ‘corporate weight’ gained . As we went through the initial assessment and subsequent workouts I found myself not only changing the way I worked out but also the way I ate and catered to my body.

We started off with a 10 day herbal cleanse in addition to my workouts and cleaner eating habits I lost approximately 15lbs. Fifteen pounds may not be a huge number but it was more than just the scale changing. It was also seeing noticeable changes in my body that you could not tell just by stepping on a scale. Normally things get easier as you do them more but my workouts and intensity levels did NOT . I am a working professional with a schedule that did not allow meeting with her multiple times per week but instead had to do it independently with her guidance and shepherding.




My improved physical appearance to me is a result of a new and improved lifestyle and not just results of a workout routine. I find myself feeling guilty even on my ‘cheat’ days or even not pushing myself to the max every time. I continue to improve what has already been accomplished and maintain the great boost that was received.

Transformation TUESDAY!!!

​Today's feature is a private client and member of  The Elite Heat. How is she a member of the Heat and not competing? She has competed, but decided, for now, not to continue on within the world of fitness competitions. She is, however, a 'lifer' for her body and taking it to the next level does not always mean on a stage. She is now preparing for a trip, yes a trip, in February and wants to look even better than she does now. Read more about Sharilyn and her fitness journey as we introduce her for the Phoenyx

TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY

I moved to Latin America in September 2012,  and was excited at what I believed would be a “new start” post-graduate school. I had put on more than a few pounds since gym and yoga sessions were replaced with late night paper writing and thesis research. 

During my first few weeks in Argentina, I religiously worked out using my Shaun T ‘Insanity’ workout DVD’s. I noticed some changes in my body but I still wasn’t happy, and I definitely wasn’t eating well.  Trying to manage being a vegetarian in a country heralded for its' beef was NOT easy.   Around Halloween, I befriended a boot camp instructor who encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and attend a class.   I can distinctly remember that first session because I sincerely wondered if “death by burpee” was an actual thing.   Although I hated that first session, I decided to return a few days later. Two days per week quickly turned into three and before I knew it, I was there every single day.

By the time I got into the swing of it, I relocated to Peru and it was there that the magic happened – I was introduced to weightlifting by way of Cross fit. Power cleans, split jerks and dead lifts were insanely difficult at first but I quickly realized how AMAZING it  felt when I completed a heavy lift with proper form.

I continued to Cross fit when I returned to the US in May 2013 and began to “eat clean” after joining a Paleo challenge with others at my box. It was then that I realized I wanted, no, needed, a change. I didn’t want to simply lose a few pounds and get into shape.  I wanted to push myself further and harder than I’d ever done in the past. It was then that an old friend from college introduced me to The Elite Heat after I came across her fitness competition pictures on Facebook.

Malenna saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself. Almost every single day I doubted that I could actually compete in a fitness competition but Malenna and my teammates were there every step of the way, providing support even when my family and friends didn’t understand what I was training for or why. In October 2013, I stepped on that stage and it was one of the most amazing moments of my life. I learned that being fit could be sexy and that that could be ME. Throughout this journey, I've gone from 173lbs and 35% body fat to 147lbs and 23% body fat and this is only the beginning. I am proud to be strong, “thick fit” and most importantly, healthy! 

Photo credit Omega Imagery . www.omegaimagery.com