Hitch Fit Living Magazine Volume 11 - April/June 2017 | Page 33

Melanie & friend Hollie with Hitch Fit Transformer Amy Gipson
Melanie's Story:
“So I turned 40 this year. 40!!! And I am extremely fortunate to have a wonderful husband and 2 little boys, ages 6 & 10, that keep my
calendar overwhelmingly full & busy running here & there from sport to sport, school functions, birthday parties, appointments, etc.
Oh, and my husband and I also have these little side gigs called full time jobs. Mine is very demanding in healthcare. So when I hit the
big 4-0, instead of having the stereotypical mid-life crisis, I think I had more of an epiphany. What am I doing for myself?? Why am I
not taking better care of myself?? Where is my me-time?? Not talking about time just spent doing what I feel like doing, because I get
plenty of that too with hubby/couples date nights, girlfriend outi ngs & momsnights. But really solo, only-about-me time, where the
intent is self-improvement & feeling better. Because the truth is I’ve always been lucky to be on the thinner side physically, but let me
tell you that thin does NOT equal fit. Or strong. And after having 2 babies, compounded with aging metabolism, that version of thin
began changing to a much softer, doughy, flabby, muffin-topped self.
So if turning 40 had to be the catalyst for beginning this workout journey, then I am incredibly thankful to be starting this 4thdecade of
my life!! But even knowing what I wanted to begin doing, the effort, steps & time it took to just get started felt like road blocks at first.
Because there was always something or someone else begging of my time, or what at the time felt like it should be more of the priority
than my own workout and health. Enter Hitch Fit and two fabulous women I am lucky enough to also call friends!! I can say it quite
literally took one step at a time to get me there – sign-up & pick the date of the first workout, purchase some workout clothes and new
tennis shoes, get the hubby & kids prepped for the whopping 1 hour I would be gone (which in hindsight was only necessary for my
brain to be able to relax & focus on me – they would’ve been just fine even if I hadn’t done this!), get in the car, drive to the gym, and
JUST START. It was new, it was hard, it was intense……but it was also phenomenal, invigorating, and motivating!!! LIFE
CHANGING. And what do you know, all the balls in the air did NOT come crashing down while I took a sliver of time for myself.
So I committed fully to this journey and transformation process with my amazing trainer/friend, Amy G., and my equally amazing
friend/workout buddy, Hollie. Together we sweat, grunted, put in the time, encouraged each other, pushed ourselves, and celebrated
the awesome changes we started seeing. And I’ve never looked back, not even once. Never has the thought occurred to me to wonder if
I did the right thing because I know I did!! I feel great. Better than I have in years. And the crazy thing is with all 3 of our busy
schedules, Amy, Hollie & I were only able to workout together twice per week (& I had some regularly scheduled “cheat” meals along
the way because, well, I’m human), and we were STILL seeing amazing results because the process WORKS.
And my family has benefited from this too with a stronger, more energetic mom. Sure there has been a little guilt when the gym
workout schedule conflicted with an activity for one of my boys causing me to miss part or all of it. But the play-by-plays I got from my
boys afterwards were awesome & I realized the only one that felt bad about it was me because they do know I am still there for them
100%. The difference is now they also know that I am there for myself 100% too. And that’s a great role model & life lesson to get from
your mom!! My boys have now become very involved in this process too & I love it – when they see me putting on my tennis shoes
(“are you going to workout mom?”), and that includes the hubby too as we have all changed our grocery & eating habits together.
One of the best parts of this whole process has been learning & becoming equipped with the tools to continue this journey on my own!!
So missing the occasional activity was only temporary & now I can tailor my workout schedule around the other important things in
my life. And guess what? There actually IS time for all of that stuff AND still time for myself too. Amazing how when you JUST START,
and just make time for it, you find out the time was there all along & it was just your priorities in the wrong order with yourself at the
very bottom of the list. I am FOREVER GRATEFUL to my partners in crime/strength, Amy & Hollie!!! JUST START. You won’t regret
it. You will LOVE it. You will love yourself.