February’s Member of the Month is Deb and she has quite the inspirational story!
Deb came to Iron Clad in the midst of a very painful divorce. Her self-esteem was low and she had gained weight through this difficult and depressing time in her life. Deb is naturally very soft-spoken, but I could see all of her pain when we met for her consultation and I so badly wanted to help her. One of the things that drew Deb to Iron Clad was not the kettlebell training, but the safe space we provide and our focus on technique. She liked our small studio environment and the fact that she didn’t feel intimidated by me or any of our members, just welcomed and cared for.
Part of Deb’s plan to move forwards with a new life was to get strong and healthy. She was impressed by all of the strong women she saw on our Wall of Strength and knew that developing outer strength would help empower her with inner strength too.
Deb impressed me from the start with her strong work ethic and consistency in both kettlebell classes and with our nutrition program. I could see a new (or maybe the good ‘ol) Deb emerging. She gradually started coming out of her shell and it was as if one day I saw this inner tiger starting to roar. Deb is a real fighter.
When someone goes through any traumatic life event, it can often cause people to retreat and resist self-care and other life changes. So I think what impressed me most about Deb was the fact that she did something difficult; she did the opposite of that. She made taking care of herself a high priority. That included attending classes regularly, and being really consistent with her nutrition program. Deb really liked the slower pace of our program, where we focus on 1 small, incremental change at a time. Deb has never missed a scheduled class and her nutrition habit consistency is at 96%!
Unfortunately, we don’t have a true before photo because we took the photos in the green shirt about 7 weeks after Deb started, and she had already lost some weight. So what you see here is her progress over just the last 7 weeks.
However, in just 14 weeks with Iron Clad, Deb has lost 13 pounds and 12 inches! But what I find most admirable and inspiring is what Deb is gaining. She’s gaining her confidence, she’s gaining a new level of strength and she’s gaining a whole new, healthy life.
I couldn’t be more proud of all you’ve accomplished in such a short time, Deb! Congratulations!