We are so excited to share with you our Client Spotlight for the month of February - Amy O'Neil! Amy's hard work and dedication to living a healthier lifestyle has transformed her inside and out and we want to celebrate all that she has accomplished! Please enjoy reading her story in hopes it will inspire and encourage you to continue all of YOUR hard work towards your own transformation! Congratulations, Amy, you are such an amazing mother, wife, and friend! Keep living each moment to the fullest- giving your best as you have done this year!
Amy O'Neil
I had resigned to the fact that I would always be a “big girl.... large and in charge.” Then God threw my husband and me a curveball a baby girl. What a surprise to our over forty selves that was! Months after her birth, I lived a life as a mother of four children lacking energy and feeling overwhelmed. One June morning, I looked down at my beautiful blessing and realized that something had to change. She gave me a reason to change my lifestyle and become healthy. I want to be around for her wedding and her children, but the way I was living would not have let me do that. I had been dieting on my own, and walking some, but I had to be transformed.
I had several friends that had been working out with Transfit and Caroline for years. They looked and felt the way I wanted to feel. Up until this point, I had admired them and never thought I was in their league. I never envisioned myself working out alongside them. However, that June morning I decided to check out Transfit’s website. I was impressed by the spiritual aspect that Caroline offered along with the physical training. I emailed her and soon had my first meeting with her. I left the Transfit studio ready to focus on getting healthy. For the first time in years, I focused on being healthy instead of being on a diet. For the first time in years, I lost weight! It has not been a “magic pill” or quick by any means, but day by day I get stronger. Although I have only been working with Caroline for seven months, I feel like a new person. I am down nearly 50 pounds from my top weight and am wearing a size that I have not seen since before my twins were born nine years ago. Wise food choices and exercise have become my routine. There is a poster that hangs in the studio that has become my mantra, “Strive for progress, not perfection.” This plays through my head when I overindulge or skip more than one day without exercise.
I have stumbled throughout this journey, but Caroline and Transfit are always there to gently direct me back on track. An encouraging text, a quick message on My Fitness Pal, or inspiring God speaking words during cool down are exactly what I need to keep me working on my progress towards being healthy. I think this has been the biggest difference in my thinking since starting Transfit. I focus more on health than a number on the scale or a size of clothing. It is not a diet for me. It is new way of life. I am part of the 8:30 Transformers group on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These are my favorite days. I have met incredible ladies here and find myself working out alongside the very women I didn’t see “in my league” only a few short months ago. I even find myself excited about defeating the Jungle Gym each class. I remember not being able to do that difficult exercise the first few weeks of July.
Such a fun, inspiring spirit!
In addition to Transformers, I also try to do three or four additional days of cardio each week. My family encourages me to exercise now. They beg me to get out and walk/jog when I start to get grouchy in the evenings. They can see the difference it makes for me. There are times that I don’t feel like exercising, but I get on the treadmill or hit the pavement anyway. The accountability that is present at Transfit helps me during these times. I know that the inspiring ladies in my Transformer groups are doing the same thing, and I know Caroline will ask me what I did during my off days. Inevitably, I feel better when I am finished. I am chipping away at the “large and in charge” girl inside of me. I am realizing that I am not “in charge”. One thing that Caroline always says that resonates with me is, “God gave you this beautiful body, therefore you are capable”. My goals are to keep believing this and trusting the One that created me. Viewing workouts as worship has also help transform my attitude towards exercise. This is the only body I will ever have, and I should get it as healthy as possible for His purposes. Right now, I know that purpose is to be the best wife and mother I can be. The energy and vibrancy that I gain from Transfit is helping me fulfill this mission. I am not finished yet. As a matter of fact, I may never be finished. Progress, not perfection, is the goal after all. Each day, I strive for progress over the day before. I feel good and want to keep getting stronger. I plan on being around for many years to come and with His grace, I will see all the grandbabies that God has planned for me! I will be intentional about being healthy and will live transformed!
Amy's Favorite Black Bean Soup
A filling and delicious lunch with a green salad.
1 onion, chopped 1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced 3 cans black beans, undrained
1 Tbs. olive oil 1 fresh lime
1 can Rotel tomatoes
Sauteé onion and garlic in olive oil in a large sauce pan until fragrant and soft. Dump in cans of tomatoes and beans. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove one blender full and puree. Pour back into remaining mixture and squeeze lime juice into pot and stir.
*Makes about 8 servings.
If you are interested in taking the first step towards your own personal transformation, check out TransFit's very own Live Transformed - a 6 week journey to whole body health. This is an all inclusive bible study that comes with daily devotionals and journaling, meal plans, recipes, exercise classes and more! You can purchase the physical copy or ebook in the shop here
http://www.transfitathens.com/new-products/live-transformed-bible-study
This study can also be done as a small group, which we have seen God do amazing things through already. If you are interested in having your group do this study, there are leader packets available as well, simply email transfitathens@gmail.com