My name is Latoya Harwell, and I am the 28 year old mother of 5. I've been encouraged by my loving husband to share my weight loss success from TaeBo. I am now an almost 8 year-old "TaeBo Hero."
I first started TaeBo when Alexis (baby number 2) was about 3 months old--she just turned eight in early Dec! Back then, my main goal was weight loss. I'd seen the infomercials, and the workouts looked like crazy fun! After buying the Basic tape and using it 2-3 x weekly for about 6 months, I decided to step up to the Advanced tape. That workout 4-5 times a week plus dieting (simple calorie watching at the time) helped me lose about 35 pounds in about 2 months! In the first picture, I was at about 155-160. I went from size 12/14 to 2/4. Shortly after, I became pregnant and of course gained all that weight back!! I continued to workout while pregnant in my third pregnancy until I was about 8 months along, just with modification in the third trimester. It was during this pregnancy that I began the Get Ripped Advanced workouts. Even though I gained about 30 pounds, I was still very physically fit and felt much better up until that last week or so. Plus the weight came off super easy. I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight/size after only about 3 months.
~Then~ came Miss Hannah, baby number four! I, again, continued to workout while pregnant with her, though only until about six months as I was on and off bedrest after that point. With her, I gained about 35 pounds. There were times in my pregnancy with her that I would slack off, and I could always tell an immediate difference in my energy level. My workouts always seem to boost my energy!! Once again, because I had worked out during the pregnancy, I was able to lose my baby weight quickly. After about 6 months with her, it was all gone.
The Lord surprised us when Hannah was 10 months old: Little Isaiah was on the way ! My pregnancy with him was a little different. I was very fatigued with him in the first trimester and almost stopped exercising alltogether. Then in the second trimester, I picked it up again--doing about 30-45 minutes of cardio 2-3 X weekly, mostly using the Get Ripped Basic series as well as TaeBo Power from the 2004 set. I continued to workout out until I was about 7 months along with him and felt great as a result. In the end, I gained 53 pounds with him. After he was born, I knew I wanted to lose the weight and set a goal to have it all gone by Christmas 2006 when he would be six months old. I'm happy to say that I did indeed reach that goal as well as losing an additional fifteen pounds!! YEA!! I went ahead and started with my workouts when he was just about 6 weeks. I started slowly (3-4 times a week, one hour each) and have built to where I am now~an hour to an hour and a half 6 days a week. I started the BootCamp Elite series Isaiah was about 3 months. Daily, I aim for a strong cardio workout and try to pinpoint two areas to tone (abs, buns, thighs, upper body, or strength). I've also changed *how* I eat--baking instead of frying, whole grains instead of white, 3-5 servings of veggies daily and limited sweets--which is ~*~*very~*~ hard for me!! Things like that really count. So now, I don't consider myself *on a diet* I just have a better eating lifestyle!!
Why do I workout? I have a different answer than I would have given when I first started. Today, I know that my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, and I don't want God to have to live in a junked up house ~giggle~!! I truly want to take care of the *one* body that the Lord has given me. Secondly, I've seen the results--weight wise-- and I love them! Third, I definitely have more energy when I'm taking care of myself (working my heart, eating right, staying hydrated, etc) and than when I don't. Finally, since I have started strength training, my metabolism has boosted! Just 10-20 minutes twice a week with 2-3 pound weights is all it took.
When I first started strength training, I would remove the one pound weights on the ends of the red bootcamp bands. Then I moved to two pound free weights. Now I alternate between three and five pound weights 2-3 times a week using the Upper Body BootCamp DVD and the Mission Two: Maximum Power workout. When I moved up to the next level of wieghts, I dropped 3-4 pounds each time. I have also managed to strengthed and tone my abs, despite having five children. I encourage everyone that's reading this to experience the benefits of consistent exercise. It's worked for me!!!! Your ultimate goals may be different than mine, but taking care of your body will definitely glorify the Lord and improve your outlook on yourself, and strengthen and refresh you!! I am now an 8-year-old "TaeBo Hero" and will likely continue with the workouts as long as Billy and Shelly are kicking and punching!! Thank you SO MUCH, Billy, for your commitment to helping other people take care of their bodies!!
I've added some pictures to validate my success!!
Here I am with Alexis when she was about 5 months old. This was May 2000, and I was about 155-160 pounds
This one was taken in the Fall of 2006, and I was about 118-120
Here I am Mother's Day 2007 at 108
December 2007, 109
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1 comment:
I would really like your post ,it would really explain each and every point clearly well thanks for sharing.
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