My name is Colleen Schmalz I am 33 years old. I work part time as a registered nurse, I have been married for the past eight years and have three small children. I entered the 12 week Get RIPPED!® Bootcamp after losing a significant amount of weight under the guidance of a personal trainer. My goal for the challenge was to continue to increase my fitness level and continue my weight loss journey. I also wanted to use this challenge as a way to structure activity into my daily routine and figure out how to balance my family time, work time and leisure time.

I was a fairly active child growing up.  Weight wasn’t an issue until I was in university and I increased my caloric intake and reduced the time I spent on physical activity.  Recently I began watching a reality show called Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution.  In the program Jamie Oliver, the Naked Chef from Britain follows an American town and tries to educate and change the way the town eats.  The town is called Huntington, West Virginia. Jamie Oliver chose this town because Huntington, West Virginian was cited as the unhealthiest city in the United States.  Nearly half the adult population in Huntington are obese. The reason I mention this is because my mother is from this same town.  My extended family continues to live in this town and the surrounding area, and my extended family fall under the category of obese.  This past year three members of my West Virginia extended family died unexpectedly, all three were obese, and all three had heart disease and diabetic complications.  Unfortunately after the birth of my third child I weighed over 250 lbs.  I was hypertensive, I was making bad food choices and I was too tired to exercise or play with my children.  I was heading down the same path as my extended family.  I was OBESE.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to attend the nutrition and exercise seminars that were offered throughout the 12 week Get RIPPED!® Bootcamp challenge.  Not only did I learn how to change my way of eating but also I have been able to change the way my family eats.  After the seminars I would return home beaming.  I was excited to share my new knowledge with my husband and children.  Since attending the seminars we have tried food that previously I had never offered to the children because I assumed they wouldn’t like it.  An example of this is tuna; today my children prefer to have tuna sandwiches over a box of macaroni and cheese.  I have also incorporated portion sizes.  Both my husband and I eat off of salad plates so we don’t overeat.  I also have size appropriate plates for the children.  Egg whites seem to be a consistent breakfast meal in our house; my favorite is egg whites, oatmeal and berries. Also, my husband and I made the decision to eliminate alcohol from our lifestyle.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Get RIPPED!® Bootcamp classes, I found each one challenging and I loved the variety of exercises the instructors provided.  I also enjoyed having the opportunity to learn from each of the instructors.  I had the pleasure of being part of the Tuesday/Thursday group at the South club. The other participants were welcoming, encouraging and always up for a good laugh. The hour that we spent together flew by.  The Get RIPPED!® Bootcamp showed me how to perform compound exercises.  This came in handy when our family went on holiday for two weeks during the middle of the 12 week challenge.  I was able to get a full body workout in half the time and because I wore a heart rate monitor I was able to keep track of my heart rate and keep my intensity up in order to burn more calories.

The Get RIPPED!® videos that were provided to all bootcampers were a great way to get that workout in when time wouldn’t permit me to go to the gym.  I find that the best times for my workouts at home are before the kids wake up in the morning.  Having so many videos to choose from I never had to do the same video back to back, although I do have my favorites. I have also recently started taking our dog out for an evening run after the kids go to bed.  By incorporating exercise and nutrition into my lifestyle I now sleep better than I ever have before and I no longer suffer from chronic headaches.

The Get RIPPED!® Bootcamp Challenge has given me the gift of life, endurance and health. The Get RIPPED!® Bootcamp represents the midpoint to my weight loss and my fitness training journey.  I can now see myself today and in the future as a healthy fit wife and mom, this vision did not exist a year ago.  I have been able to find a balance between my family, my work, and my health.  I look forward to what the future has in store for me.