Welcome to another edition of our training Spotlight Sunday. This week we’re featuring one of our favorite morning members, Mimi Do. Mimi has been training at Durbrow Performance since back in the days of Red Line (where we used to do our training) and she took a little break when she moved into her new condo. Soon we moved our studio literally right across the street from Mimi’s house and after a night out doing karaoke with the old gang, she was back!
Mimi has always been a hard worker but in the last few months she has really increased her focus and her nutrition. In just 5 weeks she lost 6 pounds of fat and over 8 inches. Check out her story here….
I am not, by nature, an athlete. My preferred state of being is stationary, feet on the ground, or butt on the couch…preferably in front of a tv…with a bowl of chips…and a bottle of wine…and maybe a wheel of cheese…and some gelato. I am, by nature, a glutton.
I am not one of those tiny Asian girls with lightning fast metabolism. You know, the ones you see at a buffet with 10 plates of food, who wear a size 2 and still have room for dessert?
My parents and my brother were athletic, but instead of sports, I played the viola and was a bookworm. I have always been on the chubby side. I got used to my Korean relatives commenting on my “American size”, dismissing their obsession with looks by showing off my smarts and good humor. I wanted to be confident without being obsessed with my weight. When I was growing up, people were obsessed with positive body image and instilled fears of anorexia and bulimia in us.
I thought being on a diet was a bad thing, that it meant I didn’t love myself, and that it made me weak as a woman. I went through college and my 20s with this mindset, until one day I got on the scale and realized I wasn’t chubby.
I was fat. That’s when I signed up with Callie. It was an investment, but I hadn’t been able to stay in shape on my own and it was time to really commit myself to losing some weight.
Before joining up with Callie, I was your typical on again, off again exerciser. After the new year or right before a big event, I would have a burst of motivation and hit the gym every day…for about two weeks. And then I’d reward myself with an indulgent weekend of pigging out. And then maybe a few more weeks of that. I would try running when all my friends started training for marathons as they hit 30, but eventually I would injure myself, get discouraged, and go back to the couch.
The first thing I loved about Callie is that she told me not to do cardio. (Or maybe she told me to do a little cardio, but whatever). Second, the people were great and no one seemed to mind my ridiculous song and dance breaks. But at first, I didn’t love everything about Callie’s workouts. To be specific: TRX rows, chin-ups, Valslide mountain climbers, sandbag cleans, Turkish get-ups…you name it! (I shouldn’t be naming them right now, because she’ll probably make me do all of them next week).
But I’ve learned to love the workouts and the way all those hideous exercises make me feel. I love feeling sore and sweaty after my workout. I love when I swing a kettlebell and realize it’s way bigger than what I started with. I can’t wait till the day when I can do a set of chin-ups without the rubber band.
Then, Callie encouraged me to change my diet. “You can’t out train a bad diet.” I’d heard her say it to other clients, but I didn’t really take it to heart.
Wasn’t I starting to flash serious guns? Hadn’t I already lost a good percentage of body fat? I already ate relatively healthy and avoided most of the stuff they tell you to cut out – soda, juice, white carbs.
But then I seriously started focusing on portion control, eating more protein and veggies, eating six small meals a day, and no booze. Suddenly, my clothes stopped fitting. In a good way! I thought my washing machine was stretching them out. When I sat down, I didn’t feel my muffin top bulge out over my thighs. Even my shoes felt too big. I stopped craving junk and I realized you really can have fun without drinking alcohol. Who needs AA when you have the adrenaline rush of a pyramid workout?
Before, any time I dieted, I got discouraged because I didn’t see results on the scale. Now I feel the results. And Callie is pinching them off of me. As of my last measurement I’ve lost 6 pounds, 2% body fat, and 8 inches. I’m 50% to my goal weight loss and 100% love the body that I have.
I have tons of energy and getting up at 6:30 isn’t nearly as painful as it once was. I really feel as though I have changed my lifestyle, and I’m not going back to my old ways. Last week I signed up for a 10K race (with a few other DP clients) and I can’t wait to start training. I just hope I don’t get in trouble for doing cardio!
