The path to fitness success was not an easy one for me. Shawn taught me to be successful in fitness, one needs to make it a lifestyle; something that can be maintained daily, monthly and yearly. Not a temporary “stint,” not a “quick fix,” not a one-time deal and not a cutting-corners methodology.  In order for one to execute a path to fitness success, one needs to firstly, have the right mindset and body awareness in place, set goals and finally, to execute.
 
Having researched some exercises and basic nutrition to get me through my workouts and wanting to see change was not enough. I couldn’t stick to a concrete nutrition plan, nor did I know exactly what I needed to target on in order to grow and to build muscle. Cardio was also something I was not familiar with in terms of frequency, duration or even types of cardio.  I then went on to hire an online personal trainer who promised to “build muscle while simultaneously cutting fat.” I figured that this is what I had been long searching for and went on to pay an enormous sum of money in order to test out this theory.
 
Unfortunately, this plan was not sustainable for me. My nutrition plan left me deprived, hungry and bitter, while the workouts were exhausting me both physically and mentally.  Going to the gym in the morning for cardio sessions and back again in the afternoons for weight sessions were too much for me as I am a business women, mother and wife.
 
After multiple failed attempts at finding the right path fitness-wise and many years and two children later, I made a leap of faith to hire Shawn McIntyre, to see if he could guide me in the right direction. The first thing that Shawn encouraged me to do was to become more body-aware. How did I feel first thing in the morning? Well-rested? Tired? How did I feel at night? After certain meals / food? Once I had established more awareness and set my mind to focus on the relevant instead of the irrelevant, I was able to focus my energy on things like my nutrition and workouts.  I told Shawn about my favourite types of food and my least favourite so that he could create a custom meal-plan that I would actually enjoy versus a cookie-cutter approach that I had been given in the past though my online trainer. He also showed me how to work out properly so that I focused on different muscle groups, used a variety of reps/sets/speeds to control the muscles I was working on and taught me the impact of cardio (duration, frequency and type) on my body.
 
What I learned by working with Shawn was that there is more than one way to find fitness success; it has to become a lifestyle. I was still able to go out with friends and loved ones once or twice per week and enjoy the food and dessert that I craved without feeling guilty or feeling that I had destroyed the hard work that I had put in during the week. By staying “clean” during the weekdays, I understood that one meal out of my comfort zone would not wreck havoc on anything. If anything, it would actually stimulate my metabolism to work over-time, since I was loading up on calories, carbs and fats.  By prepping my meals and always having my food with me, I have come to the realization that it’s not hard to maintain a fit body if the right mindset and attitude are in place. This all comes from within and it takes a Inner Strength to commit, not cut corners and to realize that it is not a one-time wonder. If I can do it, anyone can!

— Kelly, Best Selling Author and Speaker