08/26/2023
Sheri Hey, a past member of mine, and now a dear friend, was kind enough to share her story of working with me and Stronger U.
Sheri started her health journey after a couple decades of fighting her weight with cardio workouts. She competed in her first triathlon and knew something needed to change with her nutrition.
Her first session with Stronger U was a success not only in what she learned, but the weight loss she achieved and maintained.
Sheri's story continues...
"When the pandemic hit, I used my Stronger U knowledge from a past session to stay on track with nutrition and increase my fitness. I took another leap and signed up for an Olympic distance triathlon and a Half Ironman. I still had a lot to learn, as I was starting peri-menopause, was struggling to maintain my weight, and not feel depleted after my workouts.
This session, I connected with the fabulous Juli Young. She was my nutrition coach through this racing season. We jokingly called ourselves “Team No-Bonk”, as I really began to focus and learn what my body needed for endurance events. Weight became secondary; feeling good and performing was the primary goal. I successfully completed that event and decided to focus on shorter-distance events and other personal goals.
As I continued to fuel my body and expand my workouts, I had a ton of energy, and my weight was stable or dropping.
Between 2021 and 2023, I traveled to Ireland, rode my bike across Iowa (which Juli called the Great Pie Ride - aka RAGBRAI), completed my doctorate, and continued to train for Olympic tris and half marathons.
Running lighter allowed me to drop my half marathon time from 2:15 to 1:51. I now have two goals that would have seemed unattainable without the lessons I learned: a half marathon in the 1:40s and to quality for Boston by 2025. The journey continues. I am doing things I never could have imagined were possible for me.
In March of this year, I climbed Mt. Lemmon on my bike - 6 hours of climbing over 26 miles. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, both physically and mentally. This summer, I traveled to Bali and felt comfortable enough in my own skin to wear a bikini. First time ever. My health and fitness allowed me to climb a volcano in the dark to see the most beautiful sunrise ever.
Fitness and health have allowed me to embrace life, and take joy in living it to its fullest. During a 17 day trip to Malaysia and Indonesia, I ate and drank whatever I wanted. I didn't worry about my weight. I knew a scale bump would be temporary. I have been in maintenance for a couple of years, and Juli has always been around to bounce ideas off and celebrate victories.
I am now training for an Ironman. This training cycle has had incredible highs and lows, coupled with scary and frustrating moments. I’ve cried, battled self-doubt, and learned to be resilient. I continue fine-tuning race nutrition and lam earning to let go of the numbers. On some training days, I have had 3000-4000 calories to stay on "team no-bonk."
In three weeks, I will walk to the start line of Ironman Wisconsin. It’s been a transformative journey, physically, spiritually, and mentally. Juli, the SU team and SU community, have been instrumental in this process and I am profoundly grateful. I have found myself, a love a fitness, gained a friend and community.
Hopefully, by the time you read this, I will be an Ironman on one of the hardest North American courses.
