February 2014
My experience with INOV8 has been nothing short of life-changing. I say this all the time to Kala, but it’s the only way I can describe the past 4-5 months. In short, I’ve never had a healthy relationship with food, and I have struggled with pretty much every eating disorder or disordered eating situation you can think of. I also “picked up” marathon running along the way after the birth of my son, and I ran 16 marathons or farther distances in under 3 years. Last September, I knew what I was doing was unhealthy and I had to change things because what I was doing simply wasn’t working, and I couldn’t continue to workout/run as much as I was on the little fuel I was taking in. And, the worst part was, I hated my body and the way it looked. So, I was making tons of sacrifices in every area of my life to achieve a look that I kept getting further and further away from.
I was very hesitant to essentially give up control of my nutrition and workouts/running because I knew I was going to have to eat more and workout/run less. Yikes! What would happen to my body then if I already felt like I was getting fatter on the high volume of exercise and low volume of food? But, with support of my best friend, I reached out to the coaches at INOV8 after researching different online coaching options because I liked how they recommended flexible dieting and workouts with minimal cardio. I immediately got the feeling they promoted health and lifestyle balance first above physique or performance goals – bingo! This is what I needed!
The first month was so hard to say the least! Poor Kala was inundated with emails full of questions, anxiety, and fear about the process. She was always patient and encouraged me to “enjoy the process and relax”. After a few weeks, I got the hang of counting macros, RPEs, and my new workout plan and was much more comfortable with that aspect. Although, I still struggled with concerns about how my body would react to the changes. Kala was always there for me full of understanding and encouragement to help me get over each hurdle and to work through the mental battles that held me back and had been holding me back for so long. To my surprise, I immediately starting to see and feel improvements in my physique and overall wellbeing (sleep, performance, focus at work, etc.), and I started to break the chains with some of the unhealthy patterns and relationships with food and nutrition I had always had. It was not easy, and I struggled mentally some weeks more than others, but I kept working towards my goals, and I kept following the gradual macro changes and adjustments to workouts and running that Kala suggested, and I continued to gradually feel better. Focus at work, the gym, and most importantly the time with my son improved. Friends and family even remarked how much healthier, happier, and more balance I was.
Fast-forward to now, almost 5 months after starting with INOV8. I looked back over my initial goals set with my coach, and I have achieved almost all of them! I have overcome so many struggles with food and exercise, and I am still continually amazed. But, am I done? Heck no! Do I still have struggle? Heck yes. Do I still fight the struggles I started with? Yes, on the daily! But, I have been armed with the tools I need to fight these struggles and distance them from my reality further and further. I have received tremendous support not only from Kala, all of the INOV8 coaches and athletes via the FB support page. I am forever grateful.
Sincerely,
Danielle W.
