Transform 2016
Each year Burn Boot Camp gives the opportunity of a lifetime to the lucky applicants who need our help the most. The commitment is scary, the process is difficult, but the results will be far more rewarding than these gals could have ever imagined!
At the beginning of this year I met with three women, Nina, Jen, and Kristina, to jumpstart what would be the most physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding year of their life. All in order to lead a healthier lifestyle.
Here they are, more than halfway through and are sharing their journey, so far!
Nina Espinal
“I had no idea what path this transformation challenge would bring me. The most important thing I have learned in the past 6 months is how to love myself and live the life that makes “ME” happy! For some that may seem so easy. But for me I lived my life for everyone else. As a working mom, a wife and caregiver who did not give myself a second to breathe.
I had no idea how much I had lost of my true self. So for me I had to learn to let go of past hurts, to not take on others responsibilities, or thinking I could have done so much more. I needed to stop thinking I was not being the best Mom I could or should be. I started to live life in the moment!
It has been amazing how exercising has given me my mental clarity back. I have gotten off all of my depression and anxiety medications! Now I appreciate my life! I have lost 18 pounds and gained 8. Yes you heard that right! So for those of you who struggle with your diet, I am right there with you!
I could have doubted my progress. I remembered how far I have come, and everything I faced and the battles I won. Though I’m not perfect, I’m a fighter and I will pick myself up and start again! So I took on this challenge because I wanted to help inspire others so that they can reach their goals. Even if they seem so far out of reach. I can go to Bootcamp everyday and become stronger. But that’s only half the battle. A healthy diet is key to losing those extra pounds. Now it’s time to take this next 6 months to the next level. I’m ready to eat clean and stay focused!!”
Jen Creveling
“In the past six months I have learned that there are no short cuts, magic pills or special drinks to a healthy lifestyle! You have to want to be healthy for yourself. Nobody is going to do it for you. Also I feel it’s important to have a great support system because if it wasn’t for all my family and friends encouraging me everyday, I wouldn’t have been as successful. I would have to say my mental focus has been the most challenging to me.
With being 30 weeks pregnant you have to fight the hormones and cravings everyday which can be quite hard. But I keep reminding myself why I started this transformation in the first place! Physically I feel great. I never thought I could push myself the way we do at boot camp. The trainers make you want to do better each day. I could never do the workouts by myself. Some days, emotionally, I feel great and others I just want to lay in bed and sleep in but I know I made a promise to myself and everybody who has supported me this whole time! That keeps me motivated to keep going.
So once again thank you to everybody who has been there encouraging me to keep going! When I started this body transformation I started out at 250 pounds. Now I’m 215 pounds. You always hear everybody gaining at least 25 pounds during pregnancy and I have lost that and more! I am doing this the healthy way, but don’t worry, my doctors are ok with eating healthy and working out! They say keep up the good work!”
Kristina Manger
“It’s so hard to believe it’s the halfway point! I have learned so many things and have grown in so many ways. I still struggle with a lot of the same things I did in the very beginning and definitely do not have it all under control yet but I’m still trying and that has to count for something – doesn’t it? A couple of the things that I’ve learned is that I will NEVER be able to work off a bad diet, it’s taken me to about this 6 month mark to truly realize that. It sounds so simple but I’ve caught myself day in and day out trying to out-train my diet.
I am not the happiest with the amount of weight I have lost up to this point but I know it is all because of my nutrition! As a perfectionist by nature, I hate the idea that I can’t accomplish something on my own, so realizing that it is okay for me to need extra help has been a huge eye-opener.
I feel extremely blessed to have the opportunity to get the extra little push I so desperately need, the support of an amazing community of people, and to know that the other two awesome girls have my back and can relate to what I’m going through. During the first two months of this journey- I felt unstoppable. There came a point that I became tired of trying and slipped off course. I told myself things like: “This is too hard.”, “I’ll never be where I want to be”, “I’m a failure”, “everyone else can do it but I can’t”, etc.
I recently reached out to Devan, admitting my downfalls that I’ve been hiding behind & he told me something that has played in my head every single day since. He said, “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe- then success will become inevitable.” After hearing that- I asked myself “how bad do I really want this?” Emotionally, physically, and mentally this is single-handedly the hardest thing I’ve ever taken on. The pressure of thousands of people watching your every move, the stress of wanting to blow people’s socks off when they see my “after” and the endless struggle with my diet are exhausting.
I started this thing as a broken woman crying out for help. But my muscles are coming to life little by little. I’m learning how to approach this realistically without expecting instantaneous results, and learning to make my self-talk more positive. I weighed 226lbs when I started this journey and I am currently 209lbs. My weight has fluctuated and the loss has been very slow, again due to my poor nutrition.
I’m so ready to put on my big girl pants (soon to be skinny girl pants 😉 ) and give the next 6 months everything I’ve got. I don’t want to let another day pass where I make excuses to justify slacking off. I know that I will slip throughout the next half of this but I WILL get back up and keep fighting.
The realization that we are in fact half way through has been hard for me to accept. There is no more room for excuses and no more “I’ll do better next week”. The time is now for me to get it together and recommit myself to this process. This is my declaration that the next half of this journey will be nothing short of successful for me.”
The great thing about being a part of Burn Boot Camp is that there is always another goal! Nina, Jen, and Kristina will continue to train, eat healthy, and work as hard as they can to reach the finish line! We can’t wait to show you the end result!