Below are the results of the START HER FIT KIT Fall challenge.  

Note: COVID, and a mass lockdown, happened on 15 March 2020.  Restaurants, gyms, bars, schools, daycares, were closed.
Gyms re-opened in my area, to limited capacity, the last week of June 2020.  

Due to the inconsistencies, in gym attendance, and possible re-closure, this challenge was exclusively a home-based program based on the 5-home gym equipment essentials. 

A small reminder, that each person is an individual, has different backgrounds in training, level of fitness, and nutrition knowledge.

Three (3) main goals of this START FIT KIT Challenge are:

• • SIMPLIFY your nutrition, for fat loss
  • CLEAR + EASY TO IMPLEMENT training program
  • ACCOUNTABILITY to ensure success

There were 10 challenge participants, for the fourth (4th) cohort of the START HER FIT KIT.   

One (1)  participant was not ‘techie’ and did not follow the program in my online coaching platform.  Her results are not included.

One client did not follow the program to a T (her words), yet she lost weight, at what she felt was ‘not following the program’. Her results have been included.
One client was a teacher, and therefore due to covid, and an explosion of responsibilities at work (ie online schooling) did not log her weight but kept me updated, on her progress. Her results have been excluded. 

Nine participants are included in the results below.  Included are their bodyweight, feedback, and what they learned from taking the challenge & mini course.

Each participant was given an at-home program, through my online coaching platform, nutrition plan, schedule, and group coaching, and encouraged to submit, their weight and measures, every Friday.  

Progress photos were requested, in the beginning, middle, and end of the challenge, and were left up to who was comfortable, submitting their photos.  Instructional videos were sent on how to take progress photos and measures.

Note:  The photos are only for personal progress.

They would never be shared, socially, and through my online coaching platform, you can delete them at any time.

If you decide to take the start her challenge again, we have a log of your progress photos, from previous challenges, and you can see your own evolution over time.

Each week, there were video lessons, on nutrition and/OR training topics. Participants were encouraged, to ask further questions to clarify the information presented.

A weekly “question + answer” video was made, and shared to the participants, to encourage, asking questions, and using the questions of others to build their toolbox, of knowledge over the 5 weeks.

A weekly goal or focus was given for the week, to guide and align, the purpose, of the training and/or nutrition for the next 7 days.

Each participant was encouraged to log their nutrition daily in the coaching platform, which included logging their workouts or any physical movement they did that day.  

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It is possible to make progress; without it being perfect

The majority of clients lost scale weight. One client had no scale weight change, however, lost inches.   Another gained weight, but due to being an ectomorph body type (think long and lean), she did not really have much body fat to lose and would benefit from a body recomposition with a muscle-building program.
Two clients felt, they were not doing as best they could (life, job, work, stress, covid), yet still lost weight and made progress.  

All participants, nailed their weekly check-ins with either weight, and measures.

Everyone was encouraged to track either their weight, measures, progress photos, or even quality of eating, doing better, or exercise regime.

The biggest loss was 12lbs in 5 weeks, followed by two clients losing 11lbs.  The rest of the group landed somewhere between 3 and 7lbs lost, with one client losing 0. By her own admission, due to covid, and losing her gym, she lost motivation, however still lost inches, by doing what she could each day. In total the group lost 59lbs, with a total of 9 individuals for an average weight loss of 6.5lbs.

The smallest weight loss; was 0 lbs for 1 participant, in the 5-week challenge.  Another participant gained, weight after starting the program, and then started to lose weight by week 3. 

Program implementation, was not 100% perfect on the plan, each day, yet all participants, reported feeling less bloated, having more energy, and feeling better in their own skin.

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Scale weight is just one measure, used to track progress.  We also use body girth measures.

I have included the measures, of eight (8)  clients, who had significant changes, in body girth measures.   The changes mainly occurred in the waist and the hips.
Two (2) participants had little to no change in body measures.  Both did not track these measures.

There are times, when the scale changes, can change very little, yet the body girth measures, will change.

One client went from a 49-inch waist (anything over 40 inches is indicative of possible metabolic, and other health-related concerns), to a 41-inch waist, for an 8 inch loss in 5 weeks.  Two client lost 3.5 inches off the waist, with the rest of the group averaging around 1-2 inches lost on their waist measures.

Weight loss is never linear. We use a variety of ways to measure progress.

Self-reflection is progress used frequently, to stay aware, and conscious in the fat loss process.  Here is some of the feedback, by the challenge participants, about their struggles, what they have learned, and overall reflections about the program.

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As a consultant, coach, mentor, trainer, and former math teacher, program development, and evaluation of that programming is an ongoing process.  We all learn by trying new things, seeing what works, making mistakes, adjusting,  and re-testing to see what will work for us, and what needs to be eliminated.  

This program is designed, to help you get started, and on track faster, get support and feedback, to verify if you are on the right track, and keep going with your fitness journey.

Over the years, I have learned, what works,  for fat loss, and long term success at keeping the weight off.  My challenge participants were open to adjusting on the fly.   

Here are some of the struggles,  faced, during this fouth installment of the START HER FIT KIT challenge.

COVID continues, to impact our daily lives, but it does not have to hold us back.  Like most, adapting to the new normal was not easy. The transition to exclusively at-home training opened my eyes as a trainer.  

Being an in gym trainer for 10 years, I am quite familiar with how to progress quickly in the gym, with all the toys. I used this time, not only to film a ton of instruction videos, at home but fill my toolbox of knowledge, on how to make at-home training harder, more intense, based on little to zero equipment.

The app this time around, was not a factor, for the majority of clients. There was one client that was not ‘techie’ or on the technology of any kind, and could not work the app.  

For future challenges, I will have to be more clear moving forward about the use, of the coaching platform, and continue to build my instructional database, of videos to help speed up the learning process.

I offered to give paper copies, all preferred the app. All were very happy to have the coaching platform, and be reminded, of what ‘comes next’. 

Besides, the one client, who was unable to work the technology, all clients participated, and went over and above previous challenges.  They logged, their food, their training, their measures, weekly, and put themselves, as a priority during the 5 weeks, as requested on the launch day.

Conscious practice is required to become better at anything.  

About half were returning participants, looking to further their knowledge or stay accountable. Having gone through the challenge before, the learning phase or adaptation phase is shorter, to getting organized, and knowing expectations.  Those returning clients were able to get on track faster.  

It is a reminder, that as much as we would like to get it right the first time, most times, we need a long exposure to a lesson, or habit, in order for it to really stick. 

Considering the closure of gyms, twice, home-based workouts, can be done, and get great results, with a solid setup and some coaching creativity.  

COVID, schedule change, environment changes, home/life balance, kids at home while working, just goes to show, that if life is busy, you can still prevail.   If you want fat loss and/or better health, it can happen, no matter how many lemons life throws at you. 

Well structured, at-home workouts, can be a great time-saving way to get in shape.

Tracking is a must to review, what is working, and what you might need to change.

Technology can be a limitation for some clients, however, old school paper tracking still works.

Setting the expectations for the challenge, produces, better results for all clients. 

Health, and wellness, is not a hobby, it is a lifestyle.  

To get to the next level of fitness, you have to remain consistent with your efforts.