Submitted by: Creed Harkless
Today’s member spotlight is on Sandy Fulks. For our female clients who need a little external motivation for the last two weeks, look at her pictures and take a minute to hear her perspective on things.
Q: Other than trainers, who within NLXF has inspired or motivated you?
A: My best friend, Eve Halligan, is my biggest motivator. I can’t begin to describe how excited I was when she told me she was going to join Next Level in April of 2013. Her results have been simply amazing, and I’m very proud of her. I can always count on her to remind me of my goals and provide that extra push in class by saying the right thing or making me laugh.
Kasondra Greer, Rowena Tan & Carmon Halligan are also some amazing ladies who have inspired or challenged me along the way. Kasondra is my sweaty partner in crime and can always make me smile with her positive reinforcement. Rowena, I admire her strength and determination. No one can do one legged burpees like her. Carmon can always be counted on to set an example by pushing herself further each class.
There are so many wonderful and amazing folks in this program, that I could write pages. Next Level itself is the ultimate workout family. You can always count on someone to push you, cheer you on, or help you up if you fall.
Q: What advice would you give someone on their first day of NLXF?
A: There are so many things that can be said to someone new to Next Level. First and foremost, week 1 will hurt, and you may become frustrated and want to quit. DON’T. Make it a goal to go all 50 days. At day 50 or even 25, you’ll look back and be amazed at how far you’ve come. Second, don’t compare yourself to others in the program as your own victories won’t shine as brightly if you do. You are your only competition. Instead, use others as a source of inspiration, motivation and guidance as they all have once been where you are now. Get to know them and ask questions. Third, bring a friend or get to know your fellow classmates. Having a workout buddy will make a huge difference as they can help you stay accountable, push or challenge you and even make you look forward to the next class. Fourth, don’t let the fear of failure hold you back, give it 100% and don’t be afraid to try everything the trainers throw at you. Everyone fails at one time or another. Turn that failure into motivation for improvement. Finally, take advantage of all the perks of the program. Most notably, I recommend the accountability coach feature, as it is true what they preach about the 23 hours outside of the classroom.
Q: How have you managed to continually improve with NLXF?
A: This is my 8th session of Next Level, and I have continually tried to make improvements along the line, whether inside or outside of the classroom. I know myself well enough to know that a lifestyle change would need to progress slowly, and I was OK with slower results due to it. It started with not eating out all the time and learning to make as many things as I could homemade, followed by working on portion sizes. I then worked on my water consumption and inadvertently stopped drinking soft drinks as a result. About a year ago, I decided I was no longer going to let the heavy weights (those above 15 lbs.) intimidate me. The strength circuit addition has really helped me push my boundaries and try weights I never would have thought possible. At the same time, I tried to incorporate more protein into my diet and noticed my body was responding really well to it. When the accountability coach feature was rolled out (about 2.5 sessions ago), I finally decided to give journaling my food a shot. I’ve lost 20 lbs. total since starting Next Level and about 14 of those pounds were while participating in the accountability coach program. This session I’ve been mainly focusing on my cardio endurance to help with my gauntlet anxiety and improving my form. Fridays have historically been the one day of the week that I get anxious and nervous about the day’s workout. To help with this, I’ve picked up 60-80 minutes of additional cardio outside class. So far so good!
