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Success Stories
See how these men and women changed their bodies and minds, plus discover their nutrition and exercise tips.
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Amy Young: A Life-Changing Commitment
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Tired of finding herself in the same rut over and over again of always making promises to get in shape and never following through, 28-year-old Amy Lou Young knew it was time to stop breaking promises and start making commitments. Wanting to lose fat and gain muscle to be fit and healthy, Amy made a final commitment to herself—"I was going to do my best and follow through with my promise to physically and mentally get healthy," Amy says. "There was no giving up, no excuses this time around." Amy, a massage therapist from Clark, N.J., began her commitment by starting the Body-for-LIFE Challenge (a 12-week nutrition, supplementation and training program).
Amy knew she couldn’t limit herself because she was the only one responsible for her success, and her life-changing commitment.
The road to success
The beginning of Amy’s road to success was a challenge at first. The transition from changing unhealthy patterns that have been a part of her life for years like eating unbalanced meals, to creating new ones was a difficult step. A new healthy pattern that Amy created was cutting all processed and junk food out of her daily meals. Pizza and chocolate are her favorites—while salmon and egg-white omelets had to take their place—and she knew those could only be saved for her "free" day. But when her free day finally came around she usually didn’t want junk food because she was feeling so confident with her newfound nutrition success. "I never felt deprived of any food, and if I was craving sweets when it wasn’t my `cheat’ day than a frosty nutrition shake would always do the trick."
The new healthy patterns soon became second nature to Amy and now she can’t imagine reverting back to the old patterns. Amy had also tried an array of workout routines in the past but never saw the results she was striving for. She began to follow the BFL workout plan because she felt it was time-efficient and very individualized. "You can start at any fitness level with the BFL workout program, work at your own pace and the program grows with you," Amy says. "Plus, you get maximum results in minimal time."
Making the time
Before tackling the Challenge, Amy felt tired and rundown between going to work and college full time. She was always too tired to even think about working out, and she never felt she had enough time for herself or her health. "Now, I make time for myself by exercising, and I am awarded with great feeling," Amy says. "I realized that when I work out I have so much more energy and the benefits are limitless." Amy made the time in the morning to work out and once she was done she had the rest of the day to accomplish her other responsibilities. "I started my day off doing something great for myself, and it made me feel terrific all day long," Amy says.
And reaching each phase of the Challenge was its own reward that made Amy feel stronger and this motivated and energized her to keep going further. Support from her family, friends and husband also gave Amy the confidence and strength to physically and mentally accomplish the BFL Challenge. "My husband was a rock," Amy says. "Whatever I needed he was there, whether it was a pep talk or a massage for my sore muscles. He stood by me and told me I could do it every step of the way." Her family and friends flooded Amy with compliments and always wanted her to give training advice. Amy also received inspiration from seeing all the past BFL winners and reading their success stories and knowing that they were real people with kids, jobs and other obstacles in their lives. "These people transformed themselves, so I knew I could do it."
A successful promise and commitment
Amy’s promise and commitment to herself to follow through with her goal on completing the 12-week Challenge was a success filled with numerous rewards. She not only lost 37 pounds and dropped her body fat from 30.6 percent to 16.4 percent, but Amy became the 2002 BFL Grand Champion (in the 26 to 32 age group). "Pure elation and pride was what I felt when I won," Amy says. "I made a promise to myself to complete this Challenge, and I kept that promise. I know if I work hard and set my mind on goals I will achieve them." The main reward for Amy has been becoming the person she wanted to be—feeling vibrant, strong and alive, and being at peace with herself. "Knowing that I did this for myself and that it was my own hard work that made achieving it possible is a great reward. I respected myself enough to set this goal and complete it." After completing the Challenge, Amy graduated college with magna cum laude honors, and knows that she can make all her dreams come true.
Empowering feelings
Amy made a commitment and every day she renewed that commitment to better herself. "Setting a goal, pushing your limits, and achieving success is the best thing you can do for yourself. I discovered I can do anything I put my mind to, and that is the most empowering feeling. This energetic, healthy lifestyle is a life-long commitment."
Pounds lost: 37
Change in body fat percentage: from 30.6% to 16.4%
Amy’s workout schedule
Amy rotates her workouts each week. For example, she does lower body on Monday and Friday and upper body on Wednesday. The following week she does upper body on Monday and Friday and lower body on Wednesday. She does reps of 12, 10, eight, six and 12, and then one set of 12 reps of a different exercise for the same muscle group.
Monday: Upper Body
Chest/shoulders/triceps/back/biceps
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Lower body
Quads/hamstrings/calves/abs
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: Upper body
Chest/shoulders/triceps/back/biceps
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Rest!
Amy’s nutrition schedule
Breakfast:
Egg-white omelet
Non-fat plain yogurt with fresh fruit in it
Snack:
Nutrition shake with half a banana
Lunch:
Sushi with salmon, brown rice and seaweed
Snack:
Nutrition shake
Dinner:
Salad with non-fat dressing
Chicken breast
Vegetables
Snack:
Half of a protein bar
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